by Charles Noble on September 5, 2009 · 1 comment
On Sunday, September 6th @ 7:30 p.m., the Oregon Symphony will be doing a most unusual sort of concert. We’ll be playing at the Oregon State Fair in Salem, and will be the backing band for Peter Cetera. Should be pretty fun, and I’m looking forward to a world-class corn dog while down there. I [...]
by Charles Noble on June 14, 2009
The word “wow!” just about covers it. Â What an incredible evening of artistry and generosity on the part of 50 of the finest dancers in North America, the stagehands and administration of Keller Auditorium, all of whom donated their services.
I’ve read the phrase “they danced their hearts out” but until now, I’d never fully appreciated [...]
by Charles Noble on June 7, 2009
My wife and I attended the Sunday matinee of Oregon Ballet Theatre’s final performance of the 08-09 season. It was an amazing show all around. First of all, the sets and lighting were phenomenal. The orchestra, under music director Niel DePonte, sounded as good as I’ve ever heard them, which was especially gratifying as the [...]
by Charles Noble on May 28, 2009
If you’re a supporter of the arts in Portland (either as a loyal audience member or as a donor), you owe it to yourself to attend their extraordinarily important benefit DANCE UNITED. The benefit takes place on June 12, 2009 at 7:30pm Keller Auditorium. Performances will be given by members of the New York City [...]
by Charles Noble on September 29, 2008 · 5 comments
We’ve got two out of our three performances of Beethoven’s Ninth symphony out into the ether, and the reviews of the first performances have been mixed.
by Charles Noble on January 14, 2008 · 1 comment
So it’s crunch time. I can feel it in my bones – actually in my bow-arm’s shoulder and my back. News which would normally be met with a shrug and “what can ya do?” is instead met with grumbled obscenities and toe-curling rage on the drive home. I feel sorry for the people that have to drive on the roads with me on my way home this week – they’re getting called every name in the book.* On the bright side, I usually only feel a simple sense of tiredness by the time I get home.
by Charles Noble on January 10, 2008 · 1 comment
I’ve been thinking a lot about practicing lately. Maybe that’s because I’ve actually been practicing lately. Or not. But I’ve been thinking about the process of practicing, and it’s really quite militaristic!
by Charles Noble on January 3, 2008
Oregon Public Broadcasting will present Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic in their performance of Mahler’s Ninth Symphony (from a performance at Carnegie Hall this past fall) along with bits of performances by Gustavo Dudamel and the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra.
Check out the OPB website for broadcast times (it will also be presented in high-definition, [...]
by Charles Noble on December 30, 2007
Arguably one of the great violists of the 20th/21st century, Kim Kashkashian has made many critically-acclaimed recordings (almost all on ECM New Series) of both the standard repertoire and new works, many written especially for her. Born in Detroit, she was a graduate of the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Md., but ended up spending [...]