Igudesman & Joo at Keys to the City Festival

Russian Violinist Aleksey Igudesman and British Pianist Hyung-ki Joo met in 2004, at a high-end London Music school. Somehow, shortly after this, they formed a rather unlikely comedy duo, becoming a Youtube sensation with over 28 Million  hits.

Now eight years on, they are set to make their Chicago debut on May 26th. This will form part of the Chicago Symphony Orchestras festival, Keys to the City,  finishing on June 12th. The festival itself is a little odd, but quite innovative. Only kicking off at 10.30pm, it hopes to attract a younger audience and less stuffy atmosphere in a less formal environment.

Igudesman & Joo are set to perform three shows on the 27th May, at 1.50PM, 4.30PM and 6.40pm, during the Chicago Piano day, a free event hosted by the actor David Hyde Pierce, at the Symphony Center.

 

Mother Nature and Music – ‘Surf’

Music is inspired from pretty much everything, and this time Orchestra Nova have taken inspiration from mother nature in the creation of ‘Surf’, made up of four pieces pieces of classical music. Formerly known as The San Diego Chamber Orchestra, Surf  was commissioned by Orchestra Nova and composed by Joseph Waters.

Promising to take guests on ‘a wild ride, starting at the bottom of the sea and rising up to the exhilaration of riding high on surfing waves, the violent notions of inside washing machines, enlightenment and fulfilment, the piece promises to take you on a musical, nature journey.

Joseph Waters commented on Surf - ”Like much of my recent work, ‘Surf’ has one foot in classical and the other in rock. Doing a rock piece for orchestra can be an extremely cheesy affair — destroying the rawness of rock and the nuance of classical and leaving one with a saccharine hangover.”

“The ocean and surfing are deeply embedded in San Diego culture. Surfing transcends age, class and education. Go to any of the beaches from dawn to dusk and there they are — sitting on their boards between sets, waiting for the chance to negotiate the moment with tons of water squeezed up into a majestic hurling fist. It’s thrilling, dangerous, deeply engaging and transformative.”

 

 

 

New prize for Leeds international Piano Competition

For the 17th Leeds international Piano competition, an exciting new prize has been added to the competition which is set to take place from 29th August to September the 16th later this year. In memory of Pianist Terence Judd, the Terence Judd-Hallé Award will be added to the prestigious collection of awards handed out to the worlds top pianists.

Terence Judd, who was a pupil of the competition founder Dame Fanny Waterman, tragically died as he was on the edge of his career at the age of 22. Winning the  National Junior Pianoforte Competition at just 10 years old, he also studied with Maria Curcio and was a favourite pupil of Artur Schnabel.

The award which includes £5000 cash, wil be given to one of the six Leeds finalists in three instalments with talk of a possible recording on the Hallé label. The competition has been running since 1961, although it is only held every three years, making it more prestigious.  It has helped to launch the careers of some of the piano greats including Mitsuko Uchida, András Schiff and Lars Vogt.

The judges wil be led by Dame Fanny Waterman who will have the final say on the winner, who will receive £18,000 and several high-profile concerts with international orchestras. Coverage of this years tournament will be aired on BBC4 and BBC Radio 3, and will feature the Hallé conducted by Sir Mark Elder on September 14-15.

For further information please visit www.leedsconcertseason.com

Top two Lacks of Ghanas Music Industry

It is now evident that the Ghana music industry is headed for the drains. Some people are blaming this crumble on the musicians, and others are blaming the media. The truth is,  whether you are blaming the artistes or the media, everyone is right. For a country with such great music potentials, it is quite discouraging if not a little embarrassing, that even the most promising artistes are headed for the drain.

However, maybe this is one thing that is clearly showing how this great country’s dark reputation of taking almost everything for granted, is affecting even some of its most potential industries. If you do not understand what this is about, maybe pointing out two of the biggest lacks of Ghanas music industry will make it clearer to you.

The lack of sense of responsibility.

The music industry in the country is characterised by unforgivable actions, moral deficiency and chaos. Save for a few iconic mentors, the most mentors in the country are either too proud to take their duties or too busy with other things with the exception of mentoring.

The Lack of values.
The artistes in the Ghana today also think they are too big to do things right and too good to learn from others. As sure as it is now, the music through these ways have prepared a killer recipe for their untimely musical talent death. It is almost impossible to get famous on a single day. However, this is exactly what many music artists are trying to do in vain. In as much as you will want to convince yourself, getting to the stay on a daily basis is one of the best ways to cook yourself even though some of your singles will become hits.

 

 

Beach Boys’ Grammy comeback.

The legendary 1960s Beach Boys band made a grand comeback after two decades. The band that had been past icons played in unison at the recent Grammy show bringing back Good Vibrations.

The band were performing at the prestigious music awards that is usually held to acknowledge the best of the best. They made this one a moment to remember with their presence.

The release of their debut single by original Beach Boys who were namely Wilson, Mike Love and Al Jardine, along with newest members Bruce and Marks, was an electrifying show shadowed by Whitney Houston’s untimely death. Famous for their close harmonies, the Beach Boys were formed in 1961 by the Wilson brothers, Dennis and Carl who have since passed away.

The three song tribute starts with a unique version of Surfer Girl done by Maroon 5,  followed by Wouldn’t It Be Nice by Foster the People. After the standing ovation, the Beach Boys then took to the stage. They are all almost now in their sweet 60s, to play Good Vibrations, which saw  the band leader,  Brian Wilson, almost smilling as he hit high pitched notes with his old mates.

In the 66′s, the band made a mark by releasing their most renowned rock records of ancient times under the Pet Sounds album.

The band however faced various challenges back in day. While making increasingly good music, the band was wallowing in drugs and musical indifferences, resulting in the band never regaining the height of their 1960s peak days. Money wrangles also contributed to further divisions. The group’s chief writer Brian Wilson, who has launched a solo career since then, that fueled talk of the band’s reunion after the re-recording of Do It Again, that never came to be. The band is set to set to issue a number of remebrance hits in 2012.

 

An Insider’s Guide to Waikiki

Waikiki is a treasured sultry play ground which has two miles of sand that is creased in the midst of resort hotels, attractive shores, sultry parks and epicure grating.  The resorts rose in Waikiki began in the 29th century, as a result there was the birth of the present surfing community. This was led by the renowned waterman. As such they encouraged eminent guests from all over the world.

Additionally Waikiki had beach boys who pioneered the homage to a duke as a way of welcoming individuals to the beach park whole heartedly. They also have the shaka that are meant for individual to survey the scenes of the renowned webcam that transmit world wide.  All this they allow their visitors to enjoy from their partition.

Waikiki has moderate waves and bottoms that are shallow. With this you can surf your steps at the beachfront, while enjoying the anonymous digs that are perfect and ideal for any individual who wants to dial their turns. As if this is not enough they walk ways that extends onto the river. This has a wide right that makes it ideal for groms walk while using long board that has to be rented.

On the other hand any individual that has mastered the waves you can use the canoes. With the waves that are most popular and breaks right in front of the statue and all the gawkers nipping drinks at their famous bar this provides the finest moves for any individual who wants to take surfing toward the next stage. Even so to get such an experience you have to make bookings with the beach boys. This will give you an opportunity to explore Waikiki waters.

After working up your appetite with Waikiki waves, you can get Oahu lunch .This is a mouth watering dish that is coupled with rice salads and varieties from Korean barbecue.

 

Free & Cheap in New York

It’s normal and ordinary that free stuff is always a delight to every humans’ heart. Any week in New York, there are lots of good experiences going on at different spots around, that you can engage in without any hustles!

Perhaps this could be one of the greatest opportunities for you to spend time in your day when you are feeling so bored and lonely that you just want to curl up under the duvet covers, where rather you could turn it into a time of discovery and excitement. Instead of stressing yourself up with so much in the house, or how to spend your precious lunch break, you can easily catch up on events, exhibitions and free concerts. The best bit of these events is that you only need to take yourself to the place, nothing more. No charges.

There are lots of free events for you and your family throughout the year, that you do not want to miss out on. Besides, the events are specifically tailored to ensure that you spend this day enjoying some of the pleasures that life has to offer.

Some of the free and cheap events that you can catch up on include free art, theatre, music, films and lots more. In New York, kids aged five and below are able to catch up with Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman in space as she narrates to them her experiences in orbit and also teach them how to create a fun craft. The event took place at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum.

For Music lovers, the Floridan ska/punk band, Less Than Jake will also be staging one of the most energetic live performances at the Brooklyn Bowl. And if you are an art enthusiast, you can check in at the New York Library For Performing Arts for a chance to catch up on some great moments from a variety of artists. However, there is still so much more going on, updates on free and cheap events go down all the time, you are able catch up from the media.

 

Art Exhibits And Events In The Lehigh Valley

These events tend to run from mid February to the end of April depending on the event or exhibit.

  •  Lehigh, the northern western part of New Jersey, has held a couple of eventful exhibitions that have got everyone talking about them. For example the Allentown Art Museum in the Lehigh Valley area is currently holding the “who shot rock & roll” exhibit that is showing till the thirteenth of May. Still in the same museum is “embracing the dark side” that is showing until the 29th of April.
  • At The American on Wheels Museum, there is an exhibit solely for all the photography enthusiasts. Unfortunately if you didn’t catch it in February, its now too late, although there is an ever-changing range of exhibitions, so keep checking back.
  • Art gets flaunted at the majority of these museums, this kind of art is referred to as “post card art”, which is being shown from February 17th to March. Art being displayed belongs to Bill Weiner.
  • Romani Gallery of The Armstrong Hipkins Art Center is showing art pieces of a particular artist (Christine Hartman). Museums do this a lot. At times its themed art work other times it is work of artist that tends to stand out.
  • Those interested in visual art should head to Banana Factory from the 17th of February to 31st of March. A total of twenty five artists are going to perform at the art center.
  • The Baum school of art have several events that will sure keep people on their toes. First exhibit is of a fashion nature. The exhibit is called “Frock & roll: Fashion that rolls” ideal for all the fashion enthusiasts. The other even is of an interactive nature and it is called Mandala. For more information on that, head to the Baum School of Art and get awed.

 

African American TV Pioneer Exposed Audiences To Black Culture

When it comes to art and entertainment, there is always that one person who will bring change in the industry that many generations will remember. Don Cornelius is one of such people that many will live to remember. He is widely recognized for being the pioneer of black culture in entertainment. He is known to have exposed black culture also known has African-American culture to many people in the world. He was a TV producer and a music show host who changed lives of many people not only in America but in the whole world.

Indeed, he had the passion and desire to see the black community make it in the art and entertainment industry, he even wished to see more African-American people present on a television.  Born as Donald Cortez Cornelius in 1936 in Chicago, he hassled for a long duration moving from one job to another until he fulfilled his dream to join the entertainment industry. In 1996, he landed a job as an announcer, news reporter and a disc jockey on WVON radio station in Chicago.

Later in 1967 he joined the Chicago television station WCIU-TV and he came up with a news program called A Black’s View of News. Being an experienced professional in the media industry, he launched Soul Train on WCIU-TV in 1970 just as a local daily show to entertain and inform the audience. He recognized that many people did not know a lot about soul music and he thus introduced many black musicians to this genre via their appearances on Soul Train program that was gaining popularity.

As a renowned writer, producer and TV host, Don Cornelius was instrumental in exposing larger masses and black musicians such Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, James brown and many more. Additionally, he also created opportunities for talented dancers who would appear in several programs. Many people, who wanted to learn the latest fashion trends, watch and listen to black music hits and learn innovative dance moves had to watch his programs. He died in February 1, 2012 and many music fans agree that Don Cornelius introduced music of the black Americans to the world.

Young Julianna Pollifrone shows early signs of her musical talent

Julianna Pollifrone provides what is potentially the most breathtaking blend of pop and country music thus far. With a hint of Taylor Swift in her youthful live performances, Julianna is one to pull crowds with a voice that is simply spectacular, in every sense of the word. With catchy lyrics, and over the top emotional displays, the 13 year old is definitely going places.

A product of simplicity, Julianna and her equally brilliant friend Katie, are monitored by their parents, no Hollywood entourage, no fuss, just two exceptionally talented 8th graders giving the world a taste of perhaps the most promising young talent to hit Monte Sereno. Julianna didn’t just stumble on the realization that she had a gift for performing-far from it.

Testament to her childhood plays with her sister, Julianna always knew she would take a stab at the performance arts at some point, and this early realization has more than paid off. Julianna’s father, Frank, has been in the entertainment industry for ups of two decades, making Julianna a manor child, exposed to music from a very tender aging, and growing right into it. Her exposure to music, her ability to sing along with adults, and her high aptitude for singing and songwriting has made Julianna a character of legends, and at only 13, this gift, if nurtured, could propel her to the top of the proverbial all star list well beyond her years.

If that’s not fascinating enough, Julianna still has time to concentrate on her school work, maintaining a 4.0 grade average and be a kid. It’s not easy for any 13 year old, still a kid by any stretch of the imagination, to juggle all these things. Julianna on the other hand, is anything but typical, and is an inspiration to many.

1 2
  • Classical Music Information