April 22, 2006

• Today in Classical Music History
  On April 22, 1723, J.S. Bach becomes music director and cantor at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig. He was their third choice.
  

  ---

  So I'm a big fan of classical music - if you're in Milwaukee, I think you should go with me to see the Bel Canto Chorus perform their live finale of their 75th anniversary season. Bel canto is an extraordinary art form - here's a description of the concert:

  Next Sunday, April 30th at 3 PM at Uihlein Hall, the Bel Canto Chorus and music director Richard Hynson present the final concert of its 75th anniversary season, "Together with One Voice", with the Bel Canto Chorus, Chamber Orchestra, and soloists performing Poulenc's "Gloria" and music of Bach, Mozart, Brahms, Mendelssohn, and the finale of Beethoven's Symphony #9. Tickets are $25 or $18 and are available at www.belcanto.org, or by calling 414-481-8801. Group discounts are available. Following the concert, the audience will be invited to join the chorus for birthday cake celebrating Bel Canto's 75th anniversary.

  Uihlein Hall is quite the place, too. They have Anna Quindlen, the author and columnist, coming on the 24th. You've probably seen her in Newsweek, but here's a quote that I liked.

  All of us want to do well. But if we do not do good, too, then doing well will never be enough. (citation)

  I would be the most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves.(citation)

  Or what about the statue in California currently said to be crying bloody tears? Why worry about the alleged weeping of a plaster effigy when so many actual human beings have reason to cry? (citation)

  The world is full of women blindsided by the unceasing demands of motherhood, still flabbergasted by how a job can be terrific and torturous. (citation)

  Okay, so more than one quote, but I think she's interesting. I don't always agree with her, but that's probably what I think is interesting. But what a lineup! Dr. Maya Angelou is coming then the Broadway Little Women and the perennial Milwaukee Ballet performances of Swan Lake and the Nutcracker. I'm sidetracking myself.

  The other reason for logging on to Xanga here was to share some pictures, but I think I'll mention one last venue. At the Pabst Theatre, George Winston has a performance tonight that I won't be able to attend because of a banquet in Appleton for Joe, but Béla Fleck and the Flecktones are coming on Wednesday night (Pete, Amanda, Melina, Esther [right? =)] and I will be there plus many other Hal Leonard employees since their company is hosting it). Tony Bennett is coming too on next Saturday. What I'm looking forward to, though, is Bell Orchestre featuring members of The Arcade Fire which I would love to see with Brent if he can make it, but he usually only comes when the Brewers are playing! Which they aren't - they're out on the road around then (May 7th). Anyways, I would love to see INXS and Mythbusters there this summer too. And Gordon Lightfoot this fall. Yes, go look this all up. The Rave is undergoing a prolonged drought of good music, except for Coheed and Cambria and the Alkaline Trio.

  ---

  Okay, my reason for posting!

  This turned out to be an exceptional week for running into the police. In Chenequa, my co-worker Jennifer and I were sitting down to lunch and triggered a window alarm that brought a couple squad cars that were bored out of their minds but very serious because it came in as a panic alarm. =)

  

  Next up, we were working in River Hills, spraying an invasive weed called garlic mustard when Jennifer thought she saw something under some leaves in the woods. They were passports! About about 7 of them plus a handheld computer, MiniDisc player, remote control, and the mouse half of a cordless mouse! We called the police, and the cop took it all, promising to call INS, but since they had clearly been there for years (I mean, MiniDisc player? how many years has that been!), and it was probably part of a long-ago break-in. Here's a pic of the station...

  Finally. Today, I received a parking ticket today. Here's the carbon copy of it. Apparently, some bored citizen wrote ticket for me while I was legally parked with cones out on the side of the road. It's a neighborhood that has such a small access road that you have to park on the city road then hike in with the equipment. Anyways, I speared the slip with a stick and stuck the stick in the ground for the schelp to scavange someday.

  • 4:09 pm
  • 5 Comments