Category Random Musical Encounters
Nigerian Soul in Chicago
Millennium Park, one of Chicago’s downtown public space jewels, hosts free concerts on Monday and Thursday nights during the summertime. They take place at the Pritzker Pavilion, a landmark Frank Gehry designed bandshell. I should go more often – it’s a real treat to sit out on a blanket snacking and watching music with friends. […]
Carter and a Kora
Regina Carter is a violinist, classically trained, who has become famous for her overall talent and her innovative musical explorations. I’ve known of her for a while. She tours widely – in fact she’ll be playing with the Grant Park Symphony down at the Pritzker Pavilion here in Chicago this weekend, a program of Duke […]
Mauro Giuliani: Guitarist, Composer
Mauro Giuliani was a classical era composer and one of the finest guitarists in the world. Prior to yesterday, I don’t think I’d ever heard of him; for whatever reason I have not thought much about the guitar as a classical musical instrument at all. Giuliani began his musical life on the cello, and was […]
Pride Day 2016 – for Pulse and for Humanity
Early in my young gay life, one gay club meant everything. The part of my coming out in Wichita, Kansas that didn’t happen late nights at Denny’s with friends happened at a place called “The Our Fantasy Complex,” which everyone called “Fantasy” for short. From its opening in the 1970s until closing for good just […]
America After the Fall at The Art Institute
Interests in industry, the land, history, and raucous urban nightlife were all features of 1930s America, so of course they were reflected in the music and the visual arts of the era. Together, the interests provide a nice curatorial frame for the Art Institute’s current exhibit of works from the period, entitled America After the […]
Penn Station Allegro
I’m just a few blocks from Penn Station right now, so this story on the New York Times this morning caught my eye. The article talks about the music Amtrak pipes in, served up by Mood Music, the company that bought out Muzak back in 2011. Headquartered in Austin, Amy Frishkey is one of three […]
New York in June
I’m in New York City for the third time in under nine months, a rare treat for me, who tends to get here about once a year. While we have some musical plans for tomorrow, so far the trip has provided only the backdrop music of this great city – our boutique hotel pipes soft […]
Musical Gifts
I totally hit the jackpot on my birthday Tuesday, in every way – including in the loot department. Prior to my lesson, Michael arranged the gifts my parents and his dad had sent along with his own, and I was happy to find a musical bounty. A new music stand! I bought an inexpensive one […]
On Getting to 40
Teacher cancelled last week’s lesson, and when I wrote her back to confirm I mentioned that our next lesson would happen on my 40th birthday, which happens to be today. I said that I couldn’t imagine a better way to start my new decade than with a lesson – beginning the violin was undoubtedly one […]
Day of Rest and Beauty
I think of Mondays as my day of rest. I have a Sun/Mon weekend as a rule, so Michael and I spend Sundays together – Monday is my day to myself. I always play the violin, typically for a good while. Yesterday I played twice – once for an hour and a half in the […]
Ryan Libel 