Category Random Musical Encounters
When in Rome
I read recently that we humans do not acquire a taste for new music much after our younger years – the type of music we love and appreciate as we grow up with our peer group is likely to be the type of music we spend the rest of our lives enjoying. That analysis honestly […]
Elevator Ride
Ryan Libel: May I ask what kind of instrument that is? [eyes toward unfamiliar shaped case strapped to stranger’s back] Random Stranger: It’s an Oud. RL: Hmm! How do you spell it? RS: O-U-D pause it’s like the granddaddy of the lute. RL: Oh! Pause I play the violin. RS: Hmmm! From Wikipedia: “The oud […]
A Palace and Birthday Magic
Alma Spreckels was the sugar queen of San Francisco – she married well from extremely humble beginnings, and quickly became one of the leading ladies of the city, widely influential in creating culture as well as in fighting for working San Franciscans – her likeness now sits atop a pole in Union Square. She amassed […]
Heart Harps and Public Spaces
Pause is a project in San Francisco that seeks to create innovative public spaces. The Exploratorium, a science museum in the city, is responsible for the installation we happened upon during our visit last weekend, at the intersection of Market and Yerba Buena. It’s a two-piece sound-based installation that requires its viewers to participate – […]
The Minnesota Orchestra Goes to Havana
I’m thrilled this week to be reading of a special tour The Minnesota Orchestra is currently undertaking. The ensemble has, as of yesterday, become the first American symphony to travel to Cuba since the lifting of the travel ban recently. I have always loved goodwill diplomacy of the type musicians and athletes are sometimes able […]
Dinner Music
Very few restaurants provide dinner music – I’m not sure if it used to be more common or not. While music can be loud, and one of my complaints about restaurants can be ambient noise levels that make conversation difficult, I enjoy the presence of live music when it’s done well. Last night after a […]
The Handel and Haydn Society
The Handel and Haydn Society celebrated its 200th anniversary yesterday. The Boston organization was established March 24, 1815 to allow its members to get together to sing the works of the two great composers. That’s it – I love the singular purpose for which this group came together. They were amateur musicians, and no formal […]
Suzuki Kid
One of our kids at the school, about 8 years old, was testing for karate rank advancement this past Saturday – some levels of advancement are bigger than others, and he achieved green belt, the level at which we start to teach them sparring. I was chatting with his mom as we walked to the desk […]
Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting
For years now I’ve sparred on Saturdays – we have long had a senior sparring class on the schedule in a late afternoon timeframe, finishing up around 4 pm. I don’t get out there every week – Saturdays are big days at our school and sometimes my workload prevents it, but I try. Sparring is […]
Theremins Are a Little Weird
Guinness World Records is serious business – the officials even have blazers. Back in July of 2013 in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, 272 musicians set out to create the world’s largest theremin ensemble. For those who don’t know, the theremin is an electronic instrument that is played by manually manipulating (in the air around the […]
Ryan Libel 