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photo corner: st johns bridge, portland, oregon July 24, 2008

Posted by Charles Noble in : the orchestra world, add a comment

Orton sees a bridge | Originally uploaded by Zeb Andrews
click photo to enlarge

A great shot by Portland photographer Zeb Andrews of the landmark St. John’s Bridge in North Portland. Here’s his description of the photo:

Orton sees a bridge

Today is my day off of work, which means I spend at least a portion of it at the computer putting my digital archives in order, cleaning up old scans, organizing, and being reminded of some of the images I have. So since I have all this spare time today, ha, I figured I would post another picture of the St Johns Bridge. Mainly just because I have fallen behind on posting many images of this bridge, and secondly because it happens to be the folder I am working through at the moment.

This shot is the product of two slides, slightly overexposed to make them lighter, sandwiched together post-processing and then scanned in as a single image. Also known as the Orton effect. It can have some interesting effects, usually saturating colors and deepening contrast. Here I like how it made spot lights out of the street lights.

Anyway, taken on the south side of the bridge halfway up the hillside. I had to do some bushwhacking to find this little clearing in the trees. I was looking for a spot that gave me a view straight down the bridge, but I am not sure one exists. This is a nice vantage as well though.

columbus musicians’ blog July 19, 2008

Posted by Charles Noble in : the orchestra world, add a comment

Check out the new blog of the Columbia Symphony’s musicians - it’s a place to let your opinion be heard, give words of encouragement, or just check in for the latest news about the Columbus Symphony and their uncertain (for now) future.

http://symphonycolumbus.blogspot.com/

not your average concert July 14, 2008

Posted by Charles Noble in : appreciation/criticism, bloggers, chamber music, summer festivals, add a comment

hapag

James Bash, one of the nicest guys you could ever hope to meet, met up with a patron at a recent Chamber Music Northwest concert who contributed in a significant way to his concert experience - by vomiting all over his back!  Yech!

Maybe CMNW should have air sick bags tucked into their seats for upcoming concerts?

You can read all about it (and about how the concert went) by clicking here.

the critical diaspora July 9, 2008

Posted by Charles Noble in : News, appreciation/criticism, bloggers, music, portland, the orchestra world, 9comments

There’s been a lot of coverage lately of the dismissal/downsizing of some of the nation’s top print classical music critics.  And there should have been.  Newspapers are one of the primary ways that orchestras communicate and market to their target audiences.  Check out these statistics, courtesy of the Newspaper Association of America (NAA):

Sounds a lot like the average symphony attendee, doesn’t it?

Plus, with orchestras being in such a fragile state financially, having trained journalists with long experience (and the accountability that should go with a position at a daily or weekly paper) covering their beats is essential.

As a blogger who makes no claims to being a journalist, either in an amateur or professional capacity, I’m concerned about rumor-mongering and innuendo that could place livelihoods and the health of entire organizations in danger.

That’s not to say that there aren’t some excellent arts bloggers out there, but I find that I put a lot more faith in those who have either had a print journalism background or those who are currently active in the field of print journalism.

I’m not sure why the newspapers are shooting themselves in the foot (or other, less strategically desirable body parts), but I hope that our hometown daily, the Oregonian, keeps their one full-time classical music critic around for years to come.

Viola Camp 2008 July 6, 2008

Posted by Charles Noble in : summer festivals, viola, add a comment

Here is a slide show of images from the rehearsals, concerts, and classes of the 2008 Max Aronoff Viola Institute (along with some non-musical sights from the campus and our friends’ homes).  It’s hard to believe that Joyce and I started this thing 18 years ago - almost two decades!  Ok, now I feel old… (more…)

teaching/performing June 30, 2008

Posted by Charles Noble in : chamber music, music, seattle, summer festivals, add a comment

This week I’m up in Kenmore, Washington teaching and performing at the Max Aronoff Viola Institute, which I helped to found 18 years ago.  The facility that we use is Bastyr University, which has all the classrooms and the lovely Chapel which is acoustically renowned (and used for a lot of movie scoring work during the year) - and not air-conditioned. 

Yep, we’ve been sweatin’ to the oldies up here in the normally temperate city by the shores of Lake Washington.  Our dorm rooms are on the top floor, and it takes some time, despite exhaustion, to get to sleep most nights.  The chapel, however, is a giant masonry sweat-box, which makes performing a true test of mind over matter.  The brain cells grow listless and despondent, and the fingerboard grows either sticky or slippery depending upon the propensity of one’s fingers to sweating, and one’s well-chosen concert outfit begins to look like an outdoor shower has been taken.

But, it’s a fun time for all of us on the faculty to play chamber music together, catch up on what’s happened since last year’s camp, and hear some new repertoire that we don’t know.  It also provides a great opportunity for us to share our experience and artistry with a collection of violists, cellists, and violinists from several generations, and that feels awfully good after a long season in the orchestra.

sentencing in oquist/svendsen case June 25, 2008

Posted by Charles Noble in : crime, the orchestra world, viola, violin, add a comment

I was forwarded this information from Janet George:

Fivea Sharipoff was sentenced June 24, 2008 in a 3 hour hearing. Family members of Kjersten and Angela read statements, Kelly Gronli read her own statement and one from her parents, and members of Fivea’s family read statements as well. In the end, the judge sentenced Fivea to a total of 16 years and 8 months in prison with no chance of early release. Upon her release, her driver’s license will be suspended for 8 years, and she will also be required to be under post-prison supervision for 3 years.

Here is a link to the Eugene Register-Guard’s article.

landscape and dance: the halprin collaboration June 24, 2008

Posted by Charles Noble in : chamber music, contemporary, music, portland, 1 comment so far

pettygrove park
Pettygrove Park

Tuesday morning Heather and I went to Pettygrove Park, and small urban oasis set in a 70’s urban renewal zone largely characterized by monolithic, concrete apartment blocks.  It is one of three plazas in the area designed by renowned landscape architect Lawrence Halprin, along with the Keller Fountain (formerly the Forecourt Fountain) and the Lovejoy Fountain.  We went there, instruments in hand, to check out the acoustics of the site for a planned installation of music and dance for the 2008 PICA TBA Festival (Festival of Time-Based Art). (more…)

field trip June 24, 2008

Posted by Charles Noble in : appreciation/criticism, cello, music, seattle, soloists & recitals, the orchestra world, 2comments

Last Friday, a group of us from the OSO went up to Seattle to hear a matinee performance of the Seattle Symphony.  It was a group of management, staff, and musicians who made the trek.  It was quite the interesting experience.  Primarily, I’d like to provide my basic impressions of the experience as someone who’s only been to Benaroya Hall once before (to hear the Philadelphia Orchestra on tour last year). (more…)

gig story June 17, 2008

Posted by Charles Noble in : freelancing, music, 1 comment so far

Today I played a gig at a local mall.  It was for the opening of a new hearing aid store which specialized in their own brand of high-end hearing aids.  The ensemble for the group was a traditional string quartet.

As we were walking up to the store, I remarked to my wife that at least we wouldn’t have to play out in the mall.  Famous last words… (more…)