tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-133807922024-03-06T22:25:08.083-08:00Head VoiceCindy Shapirohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506958392103046912noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13380792.post-6885328528613338532009-05-20T11:04:00.000-07:002009-05-20T11:11:38.195-07:00Kelowna, BC is absolutely beautiful. It's a lakeside town... Gracie and I arrived yesterday afternoon after a series of kachina doll airplanes - one smaller than the last - until we arrived at this orchard-laden place. I was exhausted after my long weekend in DC. We set out to look at the bus, which is a large RV and is making my 12-year-old very happy, then went off in search of food and a beer. After said beer, I collapsed in the hotel room for many hours. We transferred to the bus late in the morning. I'm sitting in the front with Heath, our lighting director, who is feeding me news headline commentary, while Gracie twitches her DS nearby. All is well.Cindy Shapirohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506958392103046912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13380792.post-47118923363496525572009-05-19T06:03:00.001-07:002009-05-19T06:05:17.114-07:00Another One Rides the BusGracie and I are off for about a five hour travel day. We are catching up with the Video Games Live western Canada bus tour. This is a new venture for us. Dweezil Zappa gave Jack some bus tour advice last week when they were doing some work together. Of all people, he should know the ropes! Wish us luck...Cindy Shapirohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506958392103046912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13380792.post-30667880125048041802009-04-14T14:07:00.001-07:002009-04-14T14:07:03.634-07:00Pinging today!Cindy Shapirohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506958392103046912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13380792.post-65422420139141671122008-08-14T00:48:00.001-07:002008-08-14T00:48:51.852-07:00Why We Take Them BackWho better to assuage the pain than the one who caused it?Cindy Shapirohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506958392103046912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13380792.post-1862492854085812352008-07-27T14:05:00.000-07:002008-07-27T14:19:10.959-07:00All's WellSo, in the 90s I was in a band, <a href="http://myspace.com/2dot5dee">2.5D</a>. It was a great band, full of odd meters and sophisticated harmonic passages, and had a conceptual premise fueling it -- Video Games meet Music. The idea rested on an engine I developed that enabled designers to create highly emotional characters based upon Jungian archetypes. The onscreen characters would interact with a user over time, and would reveal new music, and the music's emotional origins, based upon the user's level of intimacy with the onscreen character. (I was a game developer back in the day...)<br /><br />2.5D got pretty far, considering how hard it is to do anything in the music business. We had a development deal with Capitol Records, a large following in NYC, and a pretty slamming demo exhibiting the concept that got noticed by Wired Magazine, Peter Gabriel, and Gary <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Gersh</span>.<br /><br />As a vocalist, 2.5D was a great medium. I got to sing rock and roll, but also had opportunities to use other types of voices as well, from ethnic to jazz to opera. One of the things I loved the most was the vocal workout that I got at every rehearsal and gig.<br /><br />Cut to, well, now -- I haven't been in that band since 1995, and have been completely out of technology since around 2001. I never ever thought I would return to either the music performance world, nor the world of games. I'm now singing in <a href="http://videogameslive.com/">Video Games Live </a>-- a concert of music from Video Games. The ultimate Video-Games-Meet-Music forum. It's not what I envisioned in the 90s, but it still meets all the central criteria I was after: video games/technology, music, multimedia, touring, wild audiences, operatic, rock and ethnic singing, and family.<br /><br />Not sure how this life arc happened, but I'm pretty happy about it!Cindy Shapirohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506958392103046912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13380792.post-54569049615790914052008-04-10T20:46:00.000-07:002008-04-10T20:55:40.111-07:00Past PresentThe New York show is coming up. I'm singing a big piece for it. Not big in the sense that it's a grand show-stopper, nor in the sense that it's terrifically long, it's just a bombastic, wonderful, if a little high, piece.<br /><br />My high school choir master and theory teacher is coming. He was a major influence in my musical life, and in my thinking style in general.<br /><br />My friend Maggie from my early days in New York will be there. My friend Jack will be there. Not that Jack. Another Jack. He's a smashing musician, and I'm so looking forward to seeing him. My friend Brian from the really old, pre-New York days will be there. It's some pressure, but will be a great party...<br /><br />Passover is coming up, and I'm hosting this year. I'm taking a culinary detour and making baked black cod (in addition to the <em>de rigeur</em> gefilte fish and brisket). I found an amazing and simple recipe for baked black cod that rivals the best that we've had in restaurants.<br /><br />This Sunday, Carter gets his Hebrew name. I've been working fevorishly on the service and the program, and I'm pretty excited to get the programs printed out.<br /><br />I've gotten in touch with a lot of people whom I haven't seen nor talked to in a while. This has been satisfying.<br /><br />All in all, things are great. Utah was incredible. Great shows, and the best skiing of my life.Cindy Shapirohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506958392103046912noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13380792.post-179327535622472062008-03-15T20:46:00.000-07:002008-03-15T20:54:20.216-07:00See, Cathy?I'm showing Cathy some bloggy stuff, and treating all of my many many readers to pictures of my nieces and nephew! Enjoy, everybody!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/17928641@N02/2334869139/" title="DSC_0396 by crshapiro, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3118/2334869139_b1df42665c.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="DSC_0396" /></a>Cindy Shapirohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506958392103046912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13380792.post-59429392282987668812008-01-12T12:24:00.000-08:002008-01-12T12:29:44.193-08:00In MarylandHello gents,<br /><br />I'm in the greater DC environs right now, avoiding Oceanography homework (which I have now succesfully staved off for more than two days in a row!) and waiting for a woman I do not know to go into labor so that I can assist my beautiful sister and her husband in caring for their newborn.<br /><br />I vacillate between contentment and discomfort these days. Most days go well, although there are still pitfalls. PTSD will do that to you. Look it up. This disorder can be tough to live with, but is definitely getting better as time passes.<br /><br />I am working hard on my studies (well, not the last couple of days, but in general) and things are going great Oak Meadow-wise with Gracie. She is becoming a real thinker and scholar, and I'm so proud of her.<br /><br />We spent ten lovely and relaxing days in Hawaii -- a great vacation competely planned by Jack, and which we all enjoyed immensely. It contributed to the ongoing process of knitting our family back together again.<br /><br />If you are reading this blog, would you let me know?<br /><br />Thanks...Cindy Shapirohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506958392103046912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13380792.post-90775026785681501442007-09-10T22:49:00.000-07:002007-09-10T22:57:48.047-07:00New for FallThe HHDs are upon us now. I'm going to my final writing class for the quarter this Wednesday, and then downtown to deliver Erev Rosh Hashana. Dad will be taking G with Cathy, and it will be nice to have them in the congregation. Thursday I'm at the Wiltern with a lot of kids in the Youth Choir whom I don't know, with choral books that no longer match the books the congregation has. Problem! I need to update my book now. Alas...<br /><br />G had her first LACC rehearsal today, and she looks kicky and mod with her new, cool haircut. She seems quite confident to me.<br /><br />Our new kitchen stuff is starting to come in - new dishes, pots and pans, etc. It's like being a newlywed. Hey, come to think of it, it all is feeling like being a newlywed.<br /><br />As soon as September is over, I start my new quarter at school, and my new life. It's strange to be so thoroughly turning the page. There is nothing gradual about any of this.<br /><br />I miss Jeanne. I always think we're not speaking, somehow, and it never ends up being so. Maybe this is still one of those occasions. I have been friends with her for over twenty years, and we have had words exactly twice, both over the phone, and both over Don Henley. How many people can claim him as the central topic of debate in their decades-long friendship?<br /><br />My mother has recently returned from Anderson Cancer Center with a literal new lease on life. We all have some real hope now. All is well.<br /><br />JW heads off on tour for the rest of this month in a couple of days. Back to single-parenting...Cindy Shapirohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506958392103046912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13380792.post-83825009790212689772007-09-01T19:20:00.000-07:002007-09-01T21:47:20.187-07:00HomeThis is where I will be spending most of the foreseeable future. I am now homeschooling my 10-year-old, and have resigned my job. I will be teaching (aforementioned progeny), studying (still trying to be Cantor Shapiro for reals), and traveling (with one husband by the name of <a href="http://jackwall.net/">Jack Wall</a>).<br /><br />I think I'm happy, although some days it's still a little hard to tell. We have chosen <a href="http://oakmeadow.com/">Oak Meadow</a> as our home school school and curriculum. So far, we love it. Plus I have G doing <a href="http://rosettastone.com/">Rosetta Stone</a> French, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/New-Drawing-Right-Side-Brain/dp/0874774241/ref=pd_bbs_2/102-1400438-1173749?ie=UTF8&s=books&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;qid=1188700260&sr=8-2">Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain</a> art, piano at <a href="http://nohopianolessons.com/index.html">NoHo Piano Academy</a>, singing at <a href="http://www.lachildrenschorus.org/">Los Angeles Children's Chorus</a>, and she is also a member of two home school groups. She has a new best friend and seems happy to me. My little A+ girl. She was always A+ to me.<br /><br />No more schlepping on the 405 several times a week, sweating bullets, wondering if I will make it on time, no matter how much time I've given myself. I have one more <a href="http://www.wilshireboulevardtemple.org/pages/holidays_highholydays">High Holy Days</a> cycle to go through, a few more Shabbatot, a couple of girls to nurture through their Bat Mitzvahs, and then, it's blond and pink hair for me in a symbolic casting off of the veneer I've had to don in order to pass muster these last few years.<br /><br />Freedom beckons...Cindy Shapirohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506958392103046912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13380792.post-47684633211510796172007-01-26T21:00:00.000-08:002007-01-26T21:04:31.532-08:00P.S.The new blog template that I have chosen was created by a friend from ancient days (about 1983 to be a little more precise) Jeffrey Zeldman. (I've always called him just "Jeff".) Now he's a big macher in the field, and deservedly so, and also a dear and true friend. He doesn't even know that I'm using this template yet. Do you think I should I tell him? (Whoever "you" are...)Cindy Shapirohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506958392103046912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13380792.post-87377185870700688262007-01-26T20:25:00.000-08:002007-01-26T20:35:22.032-08:00Who's Bad?Okay. Not me. Not anyone I know. I just have that little Michael Jackson phrase in my head right now for some reason. He wasn't "bad" in the good sense. He was just bad. You know, in the dictionary sense. But, I digress. <br /><br />If you know me, then you will either be ecstatic, or you will be sullen, questioning, and disillusioned to know that Jack is Back. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, I'm still married. And I will be for quite some time. The heart wants what it wants. My daughter is smiling sunbeams out of her mouth. I'm on the trust diet, and am due for a feeding right about now. Say what you want, I'm still Cindy Shapiro.Cindy Shapirohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506958392103046912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13380792.post-1162273686962768802006-10-30T21:31:00.000-08:002006-10-30T22:07:37.846-08:00God. Love. Light. Money. Darkness. Rock and Roll. Sex.And that's what it's all about. <br /><br />But, no, so, really, I'm in school now. I'm finishing a degree so that I can immediately leap into another degree, which will, in turn, automatically make me a for-real Hazzan. <br /><br />Also, this year, I'm no longer the Music Teacher. I am a Bar/Bat Mitzvah tutor. This has been helpful to me, although not one of my students is in the home stretch for the Big Day yet, so my skills as a tutor have yet to be proven. I'm getting so much better at sight-reading Torah and Haftarah trope because of it, though. And, while you may not care, this intricate little age-old artform is intriguing, and I am so happy that it is finally starting (starting, that is) to become second nature. I can spot kids on Saturdays on the bimah with no problem (or very little) at all these days. Almost like a real pro, eh?<br /><br />And I've taken my truly Jewish-y original last name back, after the complete implosion of my marriage, so -- in a shul near you, perhaps as soon as a year and a half from now, we will be presenting to you, in all her hamishy glory -- Cantor Cindy Lynne Shapiro. I dunno. It just sounds right to me. Besides, Cantor Wall always sounded to much like "caterwall" to me. And that is not a pleasant aural image for a Hazzanit.<br /><br />Long-standing issues have recently been resolved, and while it has created somewhat of an earthquake in my psyche, I am happy that the dust is settling, or the smoke is clearing, or some other ridiculous air-born metaphor. I can breathe! (There's that metaphor again.)<br /><br />Lots of people think that I'm a shrewish crazy person now, but, for once, I don't really care. (I know that this is totally cryptic stuff, but, really, I cannot get into detail...) I don't care how I'm perceived. Well, I suppose I do, but not as much as I used to. <br /><br />Oh, and, since my last post, I've lost 25 pounds. Not eating will do that to you. But I feel pretty good, considering. <br /><br />I haven't done one bit of composing, but, since I'm in school again (who woulda thunk?) I'm writing quite a lot of papers and I like that. Because I'm a complete dork.Cindy Shapirohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506958392103046912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13380792.post-1151707690454933502006-06-30T15:42:00.000-07:002006-06-30T15:48:10.466-07:00Back from the DeadWell, let's see. It's been over six months since I posted. With good reason. Anything I had to post would have been too painful to publicize and would have put lots of people in jeopardy. At this point, major drama is over, and I can say with some assuredness, that my life is back on track. Life throws you... what? Rocks? Curveballs? Electric shocks? Hurricane Katrinas..? any of the above, once in a while, and a doozy came my way just five days after my last post here.<br /><br />It has taken me all of this time to resettle myself enough to commit anything to writing in this blog. My marriage came to the brink of divorce, my life took untold twists and turns, and introspection that I had probably been avoiding for quite some time burbled uninhibited to the top. <br /><br />More on all of this as I get back into a rhythm of posting. But I'm back now. And not with a vengeance, but with a calmness and clarity I haven't had in quite some time. Maybe not ever.Cindy Shapirohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506958392103046912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13380792.post-1133814756446248012005-12-05T12:28:00.000-08:002005-12-06T17:52:41.700-08:00Before KindergartenI've become somewhat obsessed with my friend <a href="http://davidkates.net/">David's</a> piece Hariu L'Adonai. It's this crazy piece in shifting meter, mostly in 6/8 + 7/8... that is to saying roughly 13/8. Or so. It's just a great piece, and I suggested that our professional choir perform it at our choral concert this May. The choir will need to work it a bit, there are some tricky passages where it's a group of three, then a group of four, then a group of four followed by a group of three. You have to stay on your toes there. It reminds me of 2.5D's music (when I'm able, I will post some of my old rock and roll stuff on this blog) only with four-part harmony and a post-modern classical sensibility. <br /><br />Meanwhile, back at the ranch... here come my kindergartners.Cindy Shapirohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506958392103046912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13380792.post-1132946930819925772005-11-25T11:20:00.000-08:002005-11-25T11:28:50.843-08:00Write song, Sing, RepeatWell, Thanksgiving is over... On to Chanukah! (There's always something looming.) Jack and I made an elaborate meal yesterday. He handled the all-American stuff, like the turkey and gravy and stuffing. They were delicious (although I don't touch gravy, it smelled good). I did the pies, veggies, yams, and made an unbelievable pomegranate sauce that went with the turkey. It was one of those sauces that reduces more than once over long periods of time, with complex and deep flavors. It was exquisite. <br /><br />And now I need to go back into frenzy mode preparing for our yearly Chanukah program at school. This year the highlights are a sweeping rap tune (15 verses) and a Chanukah gospel piece. I'm referring to the show as the African-American Chanukah. The kids are more thrilled this year than any previous year. The thing is, the pieces are complex, and I'm worried about pulling it all off. I've got each class divided into two-part harmony. This is tricky when a decent portion of the kids are relatively tone-deaf and have no musical independence ability. But I'm filling the parts out with strong singers, and crossing my fingers. At least they're enjoying the selections. I wrote the music for the chorus in the rap piece myself. The kids are finding it very catchy. (Could have something to do with repeating it 15 times..!)Cindy Shapirohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506958392103046912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13380792.post-1131939762392287192005-11-13T19:09:00.000-08:002005-11-13T19:42:46.540-08:00Sweet and LowSo flow fear has been conquered, and piece has been penned. A few details still need working through, but I'm confident all will be well.<br /><br />Meanwhile, yesterday on the way to work, I decided to do a very unusual warmup in the car. See, I have this strange ability to sing like a man. Really. If you closed your eyes, you would swear you were hearing a tenor, or even baritone, singing away. I even glanced at myself, all made up for work, in the rear view mirror to see what it would look like to see a relatively feminine-looking woman singing with those deep bellowy sounds coming out of her. It was almost unsettling. I can't explain it physiologically. I can sing the same exact note and sound like a woman, or change my stance a bit, and sound like the opposite gender. It has something to do with pushing my larynx competely down and out of the way, and then using my soft palette to resonate the sound in some crazy deep way.<br /><br />I did this for a while, and it moved me into a strange emotional/spiritual place. After that, when I reached Sunset Boulevard, I started to sing in my upper register, and to draw my larynx back in a little. I was surprised that what had been a very clear sound, albiet unnaturally low, had suddenly become very raspy and blurry. To put it indelicately, phlegmy. I was a little worried that I wouldn't sound so good during the service because of it. I worked my way through this other voice over and over until some of the gunk buzzed away. <br /><br />By the time I arrived at work, I felt other-worldy and rather service-ready. I remember when I first started this job, I was just pushing out notes that were generally between <I> mezzo-forte</I> and <I>forte</I>. Now I approach them in a more dynamic and emotional way. I mix in quite a bit of <I>piano</I> singing and I find this to be much more effective in terms of my connection to the pieces. <br /><br />It was a really good day on the bimah.Cindy Shapirohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506958392103046912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13380792.post-1131513962823095612005-11-08T21:22:00.000-08:002005-11-08T21:26:02.853-08:00This just in...I just created this silly little <a href="http://www.fabrica.it/flipbook/flipbook_player.php?id=1131513455-692316133&r=index.php&keyword=&p=1&type=/"> thing</a>. But I like it.Cindy Shapirohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506958392103046912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13380792.post-1131341615834163692005-11-06T21:30:00.000-08:002005-11-06T21:33:35.853-08:00So threatening, mostly cannot write in complete sentencesSo, I'm in the beginning of the middle, or maybe the middle of the beginning, of putting a new piece together. One of import. One of weight. Seriousness. Gravitas. Yeah. No pressure. The bigness of it is daunting, and is thwarting my efforts at flow. Tomorrow morning I have a good hour to just not freak out and brain storm. Must be complete by Thursday. Or else.Cindy Shapirohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506958392103046912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13380792.post-1130875311577882352005-11-01T11:59:00.000-08:002005-11-01T13:32:31.690-08:00The Jack Wall ExperienceWhat follows is an edit of an email sent to friends and family about the concerts this past weekend. Why reinvent the wheel?<br /><br />---------------------------------------------<br /><br />The wife's-eye-view of the experience:<br /><br />By the time Gracie and I arrived in Seattle it was early evening on Saturday, around two hours from show time. Jack had been gone for two days already at that point, and had been working on getting the show set and rehearsed technically. Since the show is in a theater, as opposed to a large outdoor venue like the Hollywood Bowl, many things has to be re-scaled and re-thought. Jack's been wearing at least two hats in setting up the show: executive producer, and music director. Just one of these roles would bring a strong man to his knees, but Jack, who is currently sound asleep in the next room, took on both responsibilities with complete dedication and focus, even amidst the sorrow and business chaos of the rest of the tour being cancelled.<br /><br />Many technical things were very shaky, even up to the last minute. Jack remained calm throughout, even though snags in the way that crucial pieces of technology were working cost him hours of production time, and necessitated his constantly playing catchup on other fronts. He slaved until the wee hours of the morning in the days before the show, and woke up early to get back to the theater to see to major aspects of production. Meanwhile, there was the steady drumbeat of anxiety over ticket sales in the venue.<br /><br />Over the last few weeks Jack has been "woodshedding" the pieces - going off to a quiet, private place to maniacally rehearse the music until it is perfect. Conducting a symphony orchestra on pieces as challenging as the ones in the show, that have to be perfectly synchronized to other show elements for the better of two and a half hours, is not for the faint of heart. With many eyes on this production judging its merit and future prospects, there was unbelievable pressure to bring it off with as much perfection and finesse as humanly possible.<br /><br />On the day of the show, Saturday, Jack began his rehearsals with the orchestra and choir. This began at 1pm, and went, with a few breaks, until 5pm. Gracie and I arrived right after rehearsal ended. Luckily, the orchestra is supremely competent, and they sailed through the pieces. At this point in time our hero had been up for hours, had dealt with the many headaches and stresses of last minute putting-on-show-nightmares, and had rehearsed for four hours. What he needed was a hot bath, a bowl of soup, a massage and a good night's sleep. But no! He had a show to conduct. And, as we all know, the show must go on...<br /><br />Tommy and Jack (and then Gracie and I) shared a dressing room at the theater. It was a posh place, and very comfy. The theater was a beautiful old deco structure with tons of architectural detail. (Just thought you'd like to know.) Jack and Tommy wandered around looking like very tired ghosts in the minutes before curtain. They were pale and shaky and nervous. Well, wouldn't you be?<br /><br />Gracie and I took our places about four rows back in the audience. (We couldn't get up there in time for rehearsal, so we didn't perform.) I was pretty much a wreck. Jack came out in his beautiful pin stripe suit. He shook the concert master's hand, and bowed to the audience amidst thunderous applause. I was completely beside myself. Gracie and I were whooping and screaming and shouting. (Yes, at a symphony concert, whooping and screaming. Everyone else was too. Highly unusual, but not for this event.) The room was very crowded, not to capacity, but felt very full, and crackling with excitement and energy. I held my breath as Jack cued the video guy backstage to start the DVD, which hadn't worked reliably until very recently, and which held all of the synchronization information on it as well as video. If that failed at any point in the show all bets were off. Jack raised his baton -- oh my god this is actually happening -- and the video started to play. It was Pong, the very first video game ever created. The crowd erupted in applause and delighted laughter. Then the orchestra started playing along with the video, with Jack guiding them.<br /><br />The pieces came, one after the other, with no serious technical problems, and with incredible beauty and quite a bit of pathos. It was a big moment when we got to the Myst section of the show because this was Jack's first time conducting his own works before a live audience. He pulled out a microphone that had been situated next to the podium, and addressed the audience about the piece about to be played. Myst comes some time into the second act. Up until this point in the show (at least an hour, maybe more, had lapsed) Jack hadn't uttered a word. He began speaking by saying something like, "Yes, I can actually talk." Which the audience found very funny. He took a moment to describe how the Myst franchise had affected him, and how it was what got him interested in composing for games. And then the orchestra and choir launched into the Myst suite. Stunning.<br /><br />Jack's movements as a conductor were beautiful. His shoulders looked really broad in his perfectly cut suit, and his mien was very commanding and powerful. Jack's attention to detail on the podium, as well as his ability to clearly communicate what the music demanded from the players, and to cue everyone was just perfect. He was dramatic without being showy. He didn't overpower the other visual elements going on on the stage, but added to and created other interest for the eye. His hand movements were full of art and emotion. His arm movements were strong and steady. Wow. Okay. I know he's my husband, but I assure you, this is how it looked to even the most casual observer.<br /><br />By the time the show ended, Jack had been waving his arms around for about eight straight hours. He and Tommy then went out to do a "meet and greet" signing. The line went on and on, and the signing lasted for hours. (Poor Jack's right arm.) I think he was too exhausted to appreciate what he had just achieved once the evening ended. I think that it's starting to sink in now. We left the venue at around 1 in the morning to begin the drive to the next venue, Vancouver. Rock and roll.Cindy Shapirohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506958392103046912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13380792.post-1130473099927627542005-10-27T21:09:00.000-07:002005-10-27T22:01:22.903-07:00Picking up, and Examining, the PiecesSo, sadly, the tour has been cancelled -- all but two shows. It's been difficult, but everyone is still highly optimistic about the show's future, and the intention is to continue to build awareness of it, only city-by-city this time, instead of taking on all of North American in one large, indigestible bite. <br /><br />Jack and Tommy have been extremely honest with their base about what happened. It seems that people are very forgiving when there is no artifice, only honesty. I've been skimming the VGL boards, and, generally, there seems to be an empathy from those people who are the ardent lovers of the show. There were feelings of betrayal in the beginning, but I think they are seeing how little Tommy and Jack had to do with the final decision to cut (and also the decision to postpone in the summer) and are demonstrating support for them.<br /><br />Meanwhile, Jack took off today for Seattle. His conducting teacher phoned me last night after his coaching session to tell me how brilliant he thinks my husband is. What a lovely man. (Both of them. Jack, and his conducting coach, the wonderful Brad Keimach.) <br /><br />Also, Gracie just announced that she'd like to sing at the shows in Seattle and Vancouver. Go figure. She's been insisting that she's done performing for good since July (which I whole-heartedly stood by) and now, she's ready for the glory all over again.Cindy Shapirohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506958392103046912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13380792.post-1130215499102644792005-10-24T21:23:00.000-07:002005-10-24T21:44:59.113-07:00Distance Between Altar and Podium -- Apparently Exactly 10 Years!Good thing I know how to peruse an orchestral score. With Jack down at Tommy's, I'm getting phone calls to check things on the scores and feed information to them down there. While this is relatively simple and purely mechanical, not requiring any insight whatsoever, I am pleased to be able to help out. <br /><br />We fly out to Seattle on Saturday (Gracie and I, that is. Jack will already be there). Here's hoping that we make it in time for the 7pm show. We'll really be cutting it close to the bone. That night is our 10 year anniversary. The whole thing is a little surreal. Trying to understand the concept of one decade being a mere chapter in my life, while I remember clear as a bell thinking that achieving 10 years of age would in and of itself be miraculous. I could not imagine anything beyond my tenth year, that being the absolute conceptual age wall beyond which my thoughts of the future could not penetrate. And here I am walking into my ten-year anniversary in just a few days. And, what's more, it's on the opening night of my husband's show, with this being his first night on a podium in front of a live audience. <br /><br />Jack is a skilled and emotional conductor, and I can't wait to see him shine on that stage. On our anniversary. Our tenth one. <br /><br />What a wonderful man.Cindy Shapirohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506958392103046912noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13380792.post-1129861178479219202005-10-20T19:10:00.000-07:002005-10-20T19:20:44.776-07:00The Sound of MusicLast night we a saw a still very vigorous Itzhak Perlman playing at Walt Disney Music Hall. He played the Barber Violin Concerto, Op. 14. The entire concerto was positively lush and luxurious. During the second movement I decided to try to find and analyze the score, because the melody sings so beautifully I felt that it should actually be sung. I'm thinking of working the melody into a song during the next few days. But the last movement, the Presto in Moto Perpetuo, was positively astonishing. Mr. Perlman's virtuosity is as explosive as ever. The whole thing seemed to be in 4/4, with sextuplets running all the way through at breakneck speed. What a thrill to be able to see him play live! (I love music.)Cindy Shapirohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506958392103046912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13380792.post-1129701163424472722005-10-18T22:30:00.000-07:002005-10-18T22:52:43.430-07:00Melismas in the RainIt continued to rain in my bedroom all last night and this morning. It's really dampened the excitement of an LA rain for me. As it were. <-(And I apologize for that. Sincerely.)<br /><br />I'm trying to put together a new service for our downtown temple, and have found a great band, <a href="http://www.humanlifeindex.com/"> Human Life Index</a>, whom we will be hiring to work with us. They are an interesting rock and roll outfit consisting of an electric guitar player, who also plays ethnic string instruments like oud and balalaika, a hard-hitting drummer, and an electric violinist and cellist. Not your usual temple fare. <br /><br />We're trying to pull together new pieces that fit their style better, and that will reflect the intensity that we're trying to bring to the service. The camp-oriented songs that we do at the Brentwood venue serve their purpose there quite nicely, but need to be reconsidered for this one. I'm hoping to incorporate the earthy, hassidic pieces, or sephardic ones, and hope that those on the receiving end find this musical approach as inspiring as I do. <br /><br />Bring on the melismas! They feel the most human to me.Cindy Shapirohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506958392103046912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13380792.post-1129522627977926532005-10-16T21:04:00.000-07:002005-10-16T21:17:07.986-07:00Singin' in the RainStill bone-tired after the marathon. Mercifully, I haven't noticed one bit of vocal fatigue since Thursday. My right foot still is aching, but my back feels fine now. After tomorrow I have three days off. My regular Tuesday, Wednesday for Sukkot, and my regular Thursday. How much music can I write in those days? Gracie has Tuesday and Wednesday off as well, so I will have to work around her social whirl to try to get something accomplished. <br /><br />Meanwhile, I am falling in love with <a href="http://www.deathcabforcutie.com/"> Death Cab for Cutie </a>. First of all, those guys really aren't lookers, and that makes them even more attractive to me. And they aren't kids either. You can tell from their insightful and subtly sophisticated compositions. The production is wonderful as well. Those vocal octaves get me every time. <br /><br />It actually rained today, and, if it weren't for the simultaneous rainfall in my bedroom, it would have felt like a perfect day, weather-wise. I like the closeness and cosiness of a rainy day. Southern California is not an optimal climate zone for a gloom-lover like myself. When the rainy days come, I really relish them.<br /><br />Jack is hunkered down, honing his conducting for the show. All the craziness is starting again, and he'll be going in a little over a week to begin rehearsals. Stay tuned for more lunacy...Cindy Shapirohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12506958392103046912noreply@blogger.com0