Calling all Cellists

Feature: Aldo Parisot

Aldo is a professor of music at the Yale School of Music, Guilford resident, and former member of the Julliard Facility. He has, in addition to his multiple talents as a teacher, cellist, and an artist, conducted the Yale Cellos since 1983. On another note, he had the privilage of owning a De Munck Stradivarius cello from 1956 until 1996. Today, he is conducting a concert featuring the Yale Cellos at the First Congregational Church in Guilford at 4:00PM.







Technology fails. My cell phone is dead due to a lack of a charger (it grew legs as I was packing to leave Boston as it did not want to leave), the family computer crashed (yes, the blue screen of death...), and now I have to resort to my laptop which works, albeit it is slower than a lethargic snail in a coma. This all means that I cannot call/text nor accept any calls/texts from my cell phone, neither can I use the internet as often as I'd like.
The new Guilford Free Public Library is intimidating. It's massive, to say the least. And they got rid of the tree out in front! I grew up with that tree! Every time we came to the library when I was younger, I stood underneath it and tried to reach the branch above me. Now, I'm a bit on the short side, so it took a lot longer than expected to be able to hit my head on that branch. When I finally did, I felt so accomplished. Yea, the days when that was a major accomplishment. I long for that now...
If anyone gets the chance to, the West Side Story revival on Broadway in New York City was phenomenally done. I just saw it two weeks ago with a couple of friends.
On yet another note, the Guilford High School Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble has gotten the approval from the Board to go to Italy next spring. Excited? Me? Yes. Most definitely.

Ciao!

Salty Air- Slightly Chilled, on the Rocks

Currently listening to: Fuzzy Blue Lights-- Owl City

Lately the weather has been beautiful- albeit slightly chilly- with the sun shining and clear blue skies. Walks on the shore are still a bit out of the question, that is, unless you are my mother, my dog Beau, my mom's friend Abu, her dog Annie, and me. Yes, that's what we did today- take a walk on the shores of Chaffinch Island. It was nice- slightly chilled, salty, and smelled like only a salty shore can- salty with a hint of low tide.

I've also been looking through my pictures on the computer and found the ones I took at the Bronx Zoo this past fall. Here's a couple of the better ones.












Since we were there with my mother's cousin's zoo staff, we were at an exhibit before it was open to the public (the Madagascar Exhibit). But, because it was pouring, not many other people were there anyway. This was the Bug Carousel where I forced my older sister Lauren to ride with me. We were the only ones on it, but it was amusing enough that my mother took pictures.






This squirrel wasn't one of the cool black ones, but it was cool enough to snag some kid's gingersnap cookie and hoard it all to himself. We were walking by this tree when one of us happened to look up and see an incredibly obese squirrel perched on a branch holding a cookie and staring at us as if we were going to take it from him. It was adorable and camera worthy.


I'll be in Boston in a few days visiting my sister, so some interesting things should follow. See you all after I get back!

A bientot!

It's sleepytime and that's no crime in the western world.

Currently listening to: Sleepytime In the Western World-- Blitzen Trapper

Currently supposed to be playing: The Organ's Maestro-- Saint Saans, or Gloria's Propter Magnam Gloriam-- Vivaldi (symphony orchestra and voices audition pieces).



Back to practicing. Hope that inspires you; it always inspires me.

Au revoir!

All Things Musical, Past and Present

Currently listening to: Cello Suite No. 1- Prelude-- Bach

Yes, classical music. I have quite a broad range of music tastes. I grew up disliking a lot of classical music since my dad not only blasted that and Andrea Bochelli, but I had to play song upon song of classical music on the cello. It's not until now that I realize that I actually enjoyed playing the songs during the beginning of my long cello career but also that I only disliked them during my final years of playing the cello. I started playing the cello when I was four and the cello was almost bigger than I was, although that wasn't hard since I was always on the smaller side (and still am). Even my older sister, Lauren, could pick up my cello and play it like a violin (which was her instrument). I see now that the only reason I quit playing and taking lessons for the cello was because I grew restless after ten some-odd years of continuous lessons and concerts and wanted to play other instruments. I claimed that I hated it, which, was a blatant lie that I didn't realize wasn't true until about a year after I quit. It took a while for it to sink in that I didn't have to practice anymore (not that I practiced much in the later years), and I realized that I missed the structure of lessons with the cello and finally saw it as a beautiful instrument. It finally hit me while I was a the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City this year that the cello really was something I missed playing when the principle cellist had a beautiful solo in the opening number. This is when I finally approached my father and asked if I could rent a cello again (we had a promise when I started out that I would rent cellos until I was a full-size, and we wouldn't buy one until then. Unfortunately, I was never a full size, and even now, I'm probably just barely one). He was immediately overjoyed, and it was then that I realized that he had been waiting for four years for me to realize that I still wanted to play. In this short but endearing moment, I decided that I would then audition for the symphony orchestra (my sister played in the same one at the high school years before me) at my high school and play for my senior year. Now I just have the problem of picking out a cello (I've always been picky about this) and practice until I think I'm good enough and hopefully they will too.

My mother always played country music in the car, whether it be on the radio or the numerous CDs she had purchased, and I couldn't stand it. I knew every song on that radio by heart since I had listened to them so many times over. It's now that I find I enjoy country and it's twangs, and I listen to many of the CDs she bought that I thought were annoying to have to listen to.

With the same scenario is my like, and past dislike, of classical music and Andrea Bochelli. Like my mom, my dad continually played (no really, blasted) Andrea Bochelli and classical music in the car. I realize now that Andrea Bochelli has an amazing talented voice, and I enjoy the fact that my dad has all of his CDs so I can listen to them. The same goes for all the classical music. My dad is like a library of any CD related to classical music which I now find a good thing.

Also, on a shorter note, I realize that I really like country music, Andrea Bochelli, classical music, and many things that I really disliked growing up. Good things tend to grow on you, as they should.

A bientot!

Theatre Through the Ages

Currently listening to: Clair de Lune-- Claude Debussy

So, I'm looking back at a lot of the pictures from the past few years in theatre (mine and my friends' pictures). Here's just a glimpse of the mischief theatre has provided.

This picture was from my first show ever with GHSTA (Guilford High School Theatre Arts)- the fall mainstage of my freshman year. Originally, I wasn't going to join theatre, and honestly, if I hadn't I really wouldn't know what I was going to do all four years in the high school. So after much prodding from my friend, Demi, I attended the introductory theatre meeting, and from there on, I was hooked. Looking back on it now, I've come along quite far in just two and a half years. For the first half of my freshman year I was on costume crew and sewed for hours each saturday there was tech. During my first show, Romeo and Juliet, I stumbled (literally, since they were wearing all black cloaks and nearly invisible) upon the set and running crew, and immediately wanted to leave costume crew behind and take up building sets and moving them during the show. The photo on the left shows one (of many) theatre traditions- the Hustle. Yes, you should be thinking John Travolta and Saturday Night Fever.

This next picture picks up where the story ended; this was the set-up for my next show, South Pacific. This time my curiousity had me auditioning for a role as an actoress, which I landed a small role as a native girl (basically, an extra). This was a small start in the world of acting, while in the technical world, I was opened to a broad range. I was proud of my short stint as an actress but more so proud of the set I had helped build, and more importantly, the kiosk I was in charge of building. It was made purely out of bamboo and twine and took quite a lot of effort to complete. During the show, it took numerous falls that it couldn't keep up with (the actors carrying it off stage dropped it once they were offstage and rushed back onstage claiming "they didn't have a lot of time to place it down"), and finally, Alyssa (the sound crew chief) and I had to sit behind it the last two shows after carrying it out to ensure that it didn't fall over. Now being exposed to both the technical and acting sides, I wanted to try the one that encompassed both- management.

Management is a small crew with large responsibilities. The end of my freshman year, Motes (the theatre director) decided to have people apply for positions rather than have them be handed to them. In my mind, I had garnered enough experience to try my hand at applying for Assistant Stage Manager. Not only had I acted and been a techie (short term for those of us who work the technical side), I had also stage managed for one of the Student Written One-Acts. So, at the beginning of my sophomore year, I was the new Assistant Stage Manager. This year's fall mainstage was my favorite yet, and will most likely be for a while- Metamorphoses- a set of stories about Roman mythology. This was a new and invigorating experience for me, and I've kept up with it so far. This picture is one of those crazy rehearsal times where we're all so tired and have been at rehearsal too long. During Metamorphoses, we also created a new theatre game, which was mostly a way to have fun for us techies. The game of light tag was started when as usual, we were playing techno/rave music loudly and dancing around, but this time, Amelia (the lighting crew chief) started to test the lights and make sure each section was working. Each time she changed to a different light, we all ran to it and danced around. Silly? Yes, but quite a workout and extremely fun.

And this all follows up to Seussical, my next musical, which I actually worked on at the same time as the musical I was volunteering to be the stage manager for. GYFS (Guilford Youth and Family Services) was doing Really Rosie for young children and I volunteered to be their stage manager and keep track of twenty some-odd little kids as well as be the assistant stage manager for a more full scale production with GHSTA. That was quite a challenge to balance two rehearsal schedules, two dance schedules, and two different locations. For Seussical, I kept my tech work to a minimal, although, it really wasn't a minimal. Painting every single set piece can make you really hate painting after a while especially when you have a brush with bristles the size of a toothpick and have to go back with every colour used to touch-up spots where people painted slopily, and then go back with black and touch-up every single line... I think you get the point. This shows me painting/touching-up the umpteenth set piece. But the show came together wonderfully, and we had sold out nights and had a blast of a cast party. And then, quite suddenly, another year ended, more seniors were moving on to college, and we had another fun theatre picnic to attend.

Only one part of a much larger picture of the entire cast and crew of Harvey, the next fall mainstage. The large picture was taken by Mrs. Barbosa for the cake for the cast party. Yes, cake. Every cast party we get a large sheet cake with a picture of the entire cast and crew on it, and it's delicious. Eliza decided to crop it and send it to me, which, in my books, was a good decision. This show was a little hectic. Eliza (the stage manager) and I didn't know if the show was going to come together or not (which it did, thankfully), everything was done last minute, and it was an overall long, drawn-out process. But, like always, everything pulls through, and we have a great show, backstage antics, and cast party. Now, it's the start of another production coming my way- Hello Dolly!, another musical to which I am assistant stage manager but now additionally production manager. As such, I am like a stage manager to the techies where I make sure everything is going smoothly and timely (which WILL happen this show, unlike the last where I was more frantic about the acting and didn't put much time into the techie-watching). Yesterday marked the start of the show with the first cast meeting of a lot to come. Break a leg, everyone.

And sorry about the lack of updates... I started this a while ago (on my birthday!) and never finished it...

A bientot!

The Final Riot

So originally, my boyfriend, Cody, was going to come and visit me Saturday, but he couldn't. My friend, Erica, happened to have an extra ticket to the Paramore concert- one of my favorite bands. Of course I had to go. It started out with Paper Route- a band I had never heard of before then, but they were good. Then, Phantom Planet. They got famous when their song "California" ended up being the theme song to the show The OC. Next was Jack's Mannequin. I just love their music. Last, but most certainly NOT least, was Paramore. They had an awesome entrance, and they were just phenomenal per usual. I had quite a blast.

One of the opening pictures. The band banner "Paramore" is in the background (this was dropped after the first song), and RIOT is in fluorescent lights on the ceiling.

Jack's Mannequin playing "Bruised" I think. They had an awesome stage presence, and I already loved their music beforehand.

The last song that Paramore played was "Misery Business". This was a shot from that song when all the other musicians (Paper Route, Phantom Planet, and Jack's Mannequin) came out and played the song with them or just rocked out on the stage.

All the photos are credit to Erica.

Hopefully, I'll remember to keep up with this blog now that school has started and theatre is soon to follow that. If I do remember, then theatre will provide some interesting photos. (:

love love love from cat

The Dark Knight

Sunday Service at Camp Tadma is actually a fun-filled night where we surprise the children in the dining hall by serving them lots of ice-cream. It's awesome. The downfall, sticky ice-cream gets everywhere, so afterwards, we the staff have to break down all the tables and benches and get them all out to the porch. Then we sweep and mop the whole dining hall. After it dries, we get all the tables and benches back inside. This always takes so much time since no one is really willing to spend all that time. So, Eli came up with a great solution: sing the entire song of Bohemian Rhapsody with the whole staff including the guitar solos. This motivated the whole staff into grabbing brooms and sweeping the dining hall in record time.

Another time, Mike D was wearing a gigantic belt with a holster and a cowboy hat, and Eli also had his cowboy hat on while they were both outside the dining hall at 7:30 in the morning for the daily staff meeting. They both circled each other for a minute, then had the most extreme game of mercy I've ever seen. Luckily, I had my camera. After Eli won, Tom came out with a rope and made a lasso, lassoed Mike D, then proceeded to drag him behind him up the dining hall stairs. It was great.The epic game of mercy.

Mike D being dragged by lasso by Tom up the dining hall stairs.

Another night, Darcey and I had a nighttime visitor in our Fort's turret: a cute little bat. We decided to name him, fittingly, Bruce. Bruce Wayne. Out turret is now known by Darcey and me as Gotham City.Bruce Wayne clinging to the rafters of "Gotham City".

Last night I went to The Space with Will and Amanda because Will's band, Doc Rock and the Nunks was playing (as well as some other bands).

Tonight, we (Will, Sara T, Erica, and Steph J) went to see The Dark Knight. And WOW, I don't think I've seen that good of a movie in a long time. It was phenomenally done. And it was also Heath Ledger's last movie! But everyone's performances were so mind blowing. Afterwards, I wanted a picture of us in front of the movie poster that was outside the theatre.The awesome picture of us in front of the movie poster. From left to right: Sara T, Will G, Erica R, and me.

Tomorrow, I'm hopefully taking off work to go to the Webster Underground to see my friend's band, Adrenaline, play. If not, then I go back up to work.

Adrenaline photo from their myspace (http://www.myspace.com/weareadrenaline). From left to right: Cam (bass), Jack (drums), Dylan (vocals/guitar), and Mike (guitar).

Sayonara!