Tempo concert on Friday night was wonderful!
I took a student along to check it out and we came out beaming.
Here is the review from Patricia:
TEMPO REVIEW – 25 March 2011
The first Tempo Concert for the year was a benefit night for the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal and the audience was very generous, firstly in their donations, and also in their appreciation of the talent they witnessed as the performers took the stage.
Guest artists Coral & Tony Thiel and Lily Sullivan started and finished the evening with a history of jazz (the theme for the night being Jazz!) demonstrating their formidable talents with Tony at the piano, Coral on vocals and Lily on saxophone. We were treated to Stomp, Blues, Boogie, Be-Bop, all manner of jazz styles, the whole performance being informative, creative and fun!
The Tempo Programme itself started with Vicky Mack playing beautifully two contrasting movements on the violin, then Solomon Panaho played “The Chimes” on the piano. Brooke McLachlan sang “Part Of Your World” with excellent vocal control, followed by Zoe Luffman playing a lovely “Scarborough Fair’ on the piano. Alisha Heath sang a great “Hound Dog Blue” and Lea Shanks played a very pretty piece on the piano called “Fireflies”. Aidan Brown played a very Eastern sounding “Persian Market” on the piano and Iona Panaho sang “When I’m Sixty-Four” with a bright, clear voice. Shayna Tattersfield made her debut at the piano with a very secure “A Sea Song” and Judith Marfell sang “Bubbly” accompanying herself on the guitar. Luke Marchant played a tricky piece on the piano called Children’s Song” by Bartok and MacKenzie Crous entertained us all with “Hit the Road Jack” on the saxophone.
Josephine Michna-Korgistner played an entertaining ‘take’ on “Cockles & Mussles” called “Swingin Molly” and Samara Lloyd played “A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square” on violin. This had a lovely, sultry feel to it. Hannah Zydenbos played excellent jazz rhythms on the piano with “Oop Bop Shbam” and Zara Wills sang “And the Bear Played Bass” with a lovely clear tone. Jacqueline Marfell played an interesting “Bulls Eye Boogie” on the piano and Matthew McEldowney sang a great rendition of “The Flat Foot Floogie”.
Peata Panaho showed great flair on the flute with “Bransle” and Matthew Hammond played a fun piece on the piano called “Scatman”. Millie Wensley sang “Rockin’ Robin” accompanying herself on Ukelele and Annabelle Lewis showed great Jazz style on the piano with “In The Groove.” Jonty Zydenbos played “Sway” on the trumpet, a tricky piece which he played with aplomb. Kimberly Jones captured a great “swing” feel with “Fly Me to the Moon” on piano and Charlotte Panaho gave a great “Cry Me a River” on saxophone. Lastly, Caitlin Morris excelled on the ‘cello with “Easy Winners” by Scott Joplin.
The whole evening was excellent and the performers are now preparing for their May 27 “Ensemble” concert, again at 7.00 p.m. at The Wesley Centre.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Celtic Concert
It seems like it never ends!
Another event, this time as a collaboration for the Marlborough District Brass Band Celtic concert on Saturday the 26th at 7:30pm and Sunday the 27th of March at 2pm.
Hemi and I will be playing around 10 minutes of music, the majority of which comes from the set I did for the Children's Day event in Picton.
We had a run through yesterday and it was fantastic to play together again. The last time we played around must have been our 36 square metre apartment in Auckland getting ready for Boom!...that was 2007!
As a musician it is always wonderful to work with people who can not only play the notes, but also understand the music and read body language. We must have played for about 2 hours, just playing around with a few things.
Tomorrow we will have another run through and see if we can tighten up the programme. Should be fun!
As well as this celtic concert we are also preparing for the season of My Fair Lady, with the first rehearsal on Tuesday. This time around I have a printed part (handwritten is so much harder to read in a pit), but am lacking the support I had when we last did it in Timaru in 2006. Sarah you were a wonderful leader!!!
So far the orchestra is a total of 8 players, with more coming in to fill in the parts. Hopefully it will at least double. I am looking forward to it, not so much the 11 night run - nor the constant songs running through my head, but just getting back into shows again - the post-performance high is not easily replicated!
Also started work part-time today at Baby City. Always good to have a somewhat steady income to support the musical endeavours with the understanding that when the time comes the music will be enough. I get to pull funny faces at children and bring fleeting relief to tired Mums...*sigh*
Another event, this time as a collaboration for the Marlborough District Brass Band Celtic concert on Saturday the 26th at 7:30pm and Sunday the 27th of March at 2pm.
Hemi and I will be playing around 10 minutes of music, the majority of which comes from the set I did for the Children's Day event in Picton.
We had a run through yesterday and it was fantastic to play together again. The last time we played around must have been our 36 square metre apartment in Auckland getting ready for Boom!...that was 2007!
As a musician it is always wonderful to work with people who can not only play the notes, but also understand the music and read body language. We must have played for about 2 hours, just playing around with a few things.
Tomorrow we will have another run through and see if we can tighten up the programme. Should be fun!
As well as this celtic concert we are also preparing for the season of My Fair Lady, with the first rehearsal on Tuesday. This time around I have a printed part (handwritten is so much harder to read in a pit), but am lacking the support I had when we last did it in Timaru in 2006. Sarah you were a wonderful leader!!!
So far the orchestra is a total of 8 players, with more coming in to fill in the parts. Hopefully it will at least double. I am looking forward to it, not so much the 11 night run - nor the constant songs running through my head, but just getting back into shows again - the post-performance high is not easily replicated!
Also started work part-time today at Baby City. Always good to have a somewhat steady income to support the musical endeavours with the understanding that when the time comes the music will be enough. I get to pull funny faces at children and bring fleeting relief to tired Mums...*sigh*
Sunday, March 13, 2011
My Fair Lady
A phonecall leads to all sorts of things. The phonecall today has lead to participating in the Marlborough production of My Fair Lady.
The show is on the first week of May and rehearsals start tomorrow night. It will be a small string section, but will be great to meet a few more of the musical community.
Hemi and I did My Fair Lady with the South Canterbury Drama League in 2006, the year before we went to Auckland. It was a fantastic few weeks of split days - working, napping, up for 2nd breakfast, shower and show.
Off to Hemi's tonight to be musical geeks...watching the DVD with the violin part in front of me. Should be fun!
The show is on the first week of May and rehearsals start tomorrow night. It will be a small string section, but will be great to meet a few more of the musical community.
Hemi and I did My Fair Lady with the South Canterbury Drama League in 2006, the year before we went to Auckland. It was a fantastic few weeks of split days - working, napping, up for 2nd breakfast, shower and show.
Off to Hemi's tonight to be musical geeks...watching the DVD with the violin part in front of me. Should be fun!
Friday, March 11, 2011
Tempo
Since I arrived in Blenheim it has been a whirlwind of new opportunities. One of the projects I have decided to take on (knowing that I am really good at taking on too much so managing to cut back and invest in ones I am most passionate about) is a group called TEMPO. It stands for Today's Emerging Musicians Performing Onstage.
This wonderful group of dedicated teachers and parents re-established themselves from the former Junior Music Circle to provide students with monthly opportunities to perform. The group sets out different themes each month, so the first is a Jazz night.
They also have a blog which you should check out: http://tempoconcert.blogspot.com/
I have started a Facebook profile for this group, but as yet with my limited contacts it is slow to get off the ground. Hopefully after the first concert we will have a greater following.
I can't wait to see how it all goes at the first concert at the Wesley Centre. Entry is by donation to the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal, so for a very good cause we should a most wonderful evening. Hope to see you there!
This wonderful group of dedicated teachers and parents re-established themselves from the former Junior Music Circle to provide students with monthly opportunities to perform. The group sets out different themes each month, so the first is a Jazz night.
They also have a blog which you should check out: http://tempoconcert.blogspot.com/
I have started a Facebook profile for this group, but as yet with my limited contacts it is slow to get off the ground. Hopefully after the first concert we will have a greater following.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Picton Summer Series Concert
Sunday 6th March started off as a rather cold a wet day. However the weather turned by 11 and the afternoon turned out to be spectacular.
With sound check at midday the morning was fairly relaxed. It has been a while since I have performed solo on stage so there were some nerves there, but as I had chosen old favourites and was more than prepared it seemed to be ok.
Sound check went well. We decided that the violin pick up I have (clip on that fits on to the F Hole) made the fiddling style scratchy and opted to go through the vocal mic. In 10 minutes we were sorted.
As the event didn't start til 2pm and I wasn't on until 3:15 I had some time to check out Picton. I wandered the streets and managed to survive the barrage of tourist shops. I had a coffee and muffin in a cafe which was fantastic as it was the quiet time I needed.
On the way back to the foreshore I stopped in to the 2nd hand book store. I managed to find another copy of Jane Austen's Emma (I am a collector of the old hardback publications of Jane Austen's novels).
When I got back Recommended By Your Mom were on. This teenage band had the enthusiasm and in time will have the polish too. They finished with the Jazz classic Autumn Leaves. The bass player stood out to me. I would have loved to hear more improvisation from the guitarist.
The next act was the Hipnotics from Wellington. The specialise in covers and chose some fantastic songs from Fleetwood Mac to Elton John. Things the family knew.
I was there to give them a break. So with everything in place it was time to go on.
Here is my set list:
Irish Washerwoman
Minstrel Boy
Toss the Feathers
Devil's Dream
Blarney Pilgrim
Tambourin
Drowsy Maggie
Twinkle Fiddle Style
The grass was still damp so most people sat on the wall to the side. For my set I managed to get a group of teenagers up the front cheering me on...I did wonder if I knew them, but pretty sure I didn't :) It was nice to be appreciated.
The Hipnotics continued with songs from Grease and Abba. The kids were up dancing and the sun was shining. It was a lovely end to the day.
More students starting this week and hopefully more enquiries come from the performance.
With sound check at midday the morning was fairly relaxed. It has been a while since I have performed solo on stage so there were some nerves there, but as I had chosen old favourites and was more than prepared it seemed to be ok.
Sound check went well. We decided that the violin pick up I have (clip on that fits on to the F Hole) made the fiddling style scratchy and opted to go through the vocal mic. In 10 minutes we were sorted.
As the event didn't start til 2pm and I wasn't on until 3:15 I had some time to check out Picton. I wandered the streets and managed to survive the barrage of tourist shops. I had a coffee and muffin in a cafe which was fantastic as it was the quiet time I needed.
On the way back to the foreshore I stopped in to the 2nd hand book store. I managed to find another copy of Jane Austen's Emma (I am a collector of the old hardback publications of Jane Austen's novels).
When I got back Recommended By Your Mom were on. This teenage band had the enthusiasm and in time will have the polish too. They finished with the Jazz classic Autumn Leaves. The bass player stood out to me. I would have loved to hear more improvisation from the guitarist.
The next act was the Hipnotics from Wellington. The specialise in covers and chose some fantastic songs from Fleetwood Mac to Elton John. Things the family knew.
I was there to give them a break. So with everything in place it was time to go on.
Here is my set list:
Irish Washerwoman
Minstrel Boy
Toss the Feathers
Devil's Dream
Blarney Pilgrim
Tambourin
Drowsy Maggie
Twinkle Fiddle Style
The grass was still damp so most people sat on the wall to the side. For my set I managed to get a group of teenagers up the front cheering me on...I did wonder if I knew them, but pretty sure I didn't :) It was nice to be appreciated.
The Hipnotics continued with songs from Grease and Abba. The kids were up dancing and the sun was shining. It was a lovely end to the day.
More students starting this week and hopefully more enquiries come from the performance.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Marlborough Summer Series Concert
Sunday 6th March sees people from all over Marlborough joining to celebrate the end of the Summer Series and Children's Day at the waterfrom in Picton.
Marlborough 4 Fun approached me to play for 20 minutes to give the band The Hypnotics a break around 3pm.
I think my set list is complete! My brief was for light upbeat pieces, so have selected some fiddling favourites such as Drowsy Maggie, Irish Washerwoman, Devils Dream and Toss the Feathers.
Hope to see you there!
Marlborough 4 Fun approached me to play for 20 minutes to give the band The Hypnotics a break around 3pm.
I think my set list is complete! My brief was for light upbeat pieces, so have selected some fiddling favourites such as Drowsy Maggie, Irish Washerwoman, Devils Dream and Toss the Feathers.
Hope to see you there!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Time to regroup
Well this last week has been a big one for New Zealand. The earthquake ast Tuesday in Christchurch has left a lot of shaken people.
For me it was a day of worrying about friends and family, watching images on the television of the devastation inflicted on the city. By the end of the day I had finally heard from most people either via text or facebook. It took a while for the news from the family to filter trhough so was a welcome relief to hear my brother and his family were safe and sound.
The next day was my flight back to Auckland. Wednesday night was the time to catch up with the bride and groom and their overseas friends. Was wonderful to see them all again.
After spending time at the spa getting nails done (something a musician never thinks about) it was time to get together with the guitarist to see if we could put together the first song. All that time spent just jamming with Hemi as well as APO Remix projects mean that 10 minutes later Pete and I were ready to go!
I was to play Bach's Air on G as Lucy walked down the aisle and chose Zartliche Liebe (Tender Love) as a married couple. After a few weeks of working on this on my own it was lovely to see it all come together. It came together well on the day. To play the Bach as a solo violin is a little strange, especially holding on to that F#, so there were a few modifications on my part to keep things going. My apologies to those who had the cello part in their head!
Pete and I played Elbow brilliantly! It was a lovely first dance and a beautiful wedding. For those who play for friends, you will know how interesting it is to keep focused on the playing as well as relaxing to enjoy the moments with everyone.
This week I have a rather different engagement. I have been asked to play for the Marlborough Summer Series Concert in Picton on Sunday which coincides with Children's Day. A 20 minute bracket of light upbeat music means that there is a lot of fiddling music programmed. From Toss the Feathers to Irish Washerwoman and Devil's Dream it should be a lot of fun. Will post set list in next post :)
I need to replace my E string as it is becoming a little dull, so hopefully the next 3 days means that hopefully it will settle down in time!
Looking forward to preparing the programme and seeing what happens on the back of it all!
Also caught up with Hemi today and looks like we will reunite for a Tempo performance in June for NZ Music night playing Flight - the piece we composed for BOOM! in Auckland in 2007. Playing through again there are some interesting music elements which should make for some great listening. Will also be fantastic to collaborate again! Can't wait to see where it leads us!
For me it was a day of worrying about friends and family, watching images on the television of the devastation inflicted on the city. By the end of the day I had finally heard from most people either via text or facebook. It took a while for the news from the family to filter trhough so was a welcome relief to hear my brother and his family were safe and sound.
The next day was my flight back to Auckland. Wednesday night was the time to catch up with the bride and groom and their overseas friends. Was wonderful to see them all again.
After spending time at the spa getting nails done (something a musician never thinks about) it was time to get together with the guitarist to see if we could put together the first song. All that time spent just jamming with Hemi as well as APO Remix projects mean that 10 minutes later Pete and I were ready to go!
I was to play Bach's Air on G as Lucy walked down the aisle and chose Zartliche Liebe (Tender Love) as a married couple. After a few weeks of working on this on my own it was lovely to see it all come together. It came together well on the day. To play the Bach as a solo violin is a little strange, especially holding on to that F#, so there were a few modifications on my part to keep things going. My apologies to those who had the cello part in their head!
Pete and I played Elbow brilliantly! It was a lovely first dance and a beautiful wedding. For those who play for friends, you will know how interesting it is to keep focused on the playing as well as relaxing to enjoy the moments with everyone.
This week I have a rather different engagement. I have been asked to play for the Marlborough Summer Series Concert in Picton on Sunday which coincides with Children's Day. A 20 minute bracket of light upbeat music means that there is a lot of fiddling music programmed. From Toss the Feathers to Irish Washerwoman and Devil's Dream it should be a lot of fun. Will post set list in next post :)
I need to replace my E string as it is becoming a little dull, so hopefully the next 3 days means that hopefully it will settle down in time!
Looking forward to preparing the programme and seeing what happens on the back of it all!
Also caught up with Hemi today and looks like we will reunite for a Tempo performance in June for NZ Music night playing Flight - the piece we composed for BOOM! in Auckland in 2007. Playing through again there are some interesting music elements which should make for some great listening. Will also be fantastic to collaborate again! Can't wait to see where it leads us!
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