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cool_moose

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Aug 17, 2007 00:38

August is proving to be a wonderful month for me. It started with a trip to the airport in Vancouver - to welcome our new grandson, Benjamin-Woo. My son, Geoffrey, and his wife, Donna, returned from Seoul, Korea with their newly adopted 6-month old beautiful boy. Sandra and I, armed with a "Welcome Home Benjamin" sign, met and held our newest ( Read more... )

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zinear August 17 2007, 18:28:50 UTC

Oh, how I wish to go to Vancouver! I really will go someday, really.

I've actually never been to a large concert in an arena, football stadium, or similar venue. Sounds like the one you're going to should be fun!

And beautiful photos!

cool_moose August 18 2007, 09:57:29 UTC

We'll be here when you do, Steven. Aging (but free) tour-guide is always available. :-)
The concert was a bust ... screaming kids, far too loud and over-produced. Groban has evolved into a 'celebrity' rather than an 'artist'. When he accompanied himself on the piano (without the 25-person band) and sang softly, you could still hear his wonderful baritone/tenor voice - but a lot of it was just a racket. He does better as the 'kid accompanying Celine Dion or Sarah McLachlan' than as the headliner. Ah well ... back to chamber orchestras and the VSO. I recently came across a great violinist - Todd Phillips - who played for an Exec/MBA class at Carnegie-Mellon GSIA I was part of in 1977. He was 15 at the time, and played with his father, Eugene Phillips. I must do an entry on finding out what became of the kid who thrilled us thirty years ago.

zinear August 21 2007, 01:53:49 UTC

Production of concerts is so over valued these days. A good musician needs nothing but an audience!

Over the past few years, I've heard a number of brilliant musicians who are (surprisingly) not that well known. Corey Cerovsek is one; another is Daxun Zhang, who plays the double bass. I do hope to find more out there! If Mr. Phillips is still performing, I'll keep an eye out!

Todd Phillips, Violin... cool_moose August 21 2007, 03:14:03 UTC

Todd Phillips, a member of Orpheus since 1983, is also a member of the highly accalimed Orion String Quartet. He made his solo debut at age 13 with the Pittsburgh Symphony, and has since performed as guest artist with leading orchestras throughout North America, Europe, and Japan. Mr. Phillips has appeared at the Mostly Mozart, Ravinia, Santa Fe, and Spoleto music festivals, and with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, New York Philomusica, and the New York String Orchestra. He has collaborated with such renowned artists as Rudolf Serkin, Jaime Laredo, Richard Stolzman, Peter Serkin, and Pinchas Zukerman, and has participated in eighteen "Musicians from Marlboro" tours ( ... )

Re: Todd Phillips, Violin... zinear August 22 2007, 00:47:36 UTC

Small world. The Orion String Quartet actually visited regularly at the IU School of Music, and they gave several concerts during their visits. Alas, I never managed to make it to one of their concerts while there. I think I've heard the quartet on some recordings, though; they are quite good!

Re: Todd Phillips, Violin... cool_moose August 22 2007, 07:06:01 UTC

Todd, as a teenager, in 1977 performing for us in the GSIA lobby at CMU in Pittsburgh. He was so good that we wrote his father and asked them back to perform for us. They played as a family (mother was on piano) for us when we were joined in the last week by our wives. I think I'll write him (or Eugene) and attach this picture and thank them again, 30 years later.

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