This morning we helped drive the opera students to a grade school to put on a program. The Academy director asked "if I'd be willing to take photos"! (I think we may still be getting to know one another!) I gave them plenty to select from! I picked this one to share and remember as the Academy students had talked to the youngsters and sung 5 pieces (Carmen and The Magic Flute are two I recall). At the finale, pre-selected children came forward to give the singers a gift and large Thank You card. I got lovely photos of the classes with the singers, but it was after that, before they could be corralled back to their rooms, that they converged on the Opera Students, asking for autographs. It was all-around adorable! The average age of the singers is about 28, but how grown up and special, handsome and beautiful they must have seemed to an eight-year old.
Even I can remember when ...
***Super busy by choice, helping in the community. I'm quite excited about being asked to do a photo shoot for a lady who paid me to take a new bio photo for her next (4th) book. I may not live long enough to see success in my lifetime, but the perks along the way are quite fun!
Because a number of you have said you wished you could hear these students sing, I have something quite wonderful (I think!) to share! We were at a piano concert with them Sunday night, and dinner was served afterward to all in attendance. As dinner wound down, they got up to sing... (I'd love to hear what you think. You won't be sorry to take a few minutes to see it!)
@allie912 Wow, Allie, how excited I am to see you here first! You were on my mind all morning, watching these youngsters as they asked questions and took in all the music! It did strike me, however that all the teachers are so YOUNG! Egad! I haven't been back in school for a long while! ...thanks for your always kind words!
@allie912 I just added a video link to a fabulous evening this past weekend! I think John Morley has also asked about the music we've been hearing @jack4john
@Weezilou At my school we have a healthy respect for experience and at the beginning of the year there is a recognition program where teachers who have taught at Collegiate get a beautiful captain's chair. At 20 years you are given a wrist watch and at 30 years a plaque is hung outside your room. That being said, there are always bright enthusiastic teachers joining the ranks. It is a balancing act but our administrators seem to have a gift.
@Weezilou I just had a chance to watch your video, and let me say how much I enjoyed it. The freshness of their faces, their eager delight in presenting this gift to you and the beauty of the music were all wonderful in equal measure. But let us not overlook the videographer who knew just where to direct the camera and seemed to anticpate the wishes of the audience throughout the program. How did you know I wanted to see the dining room and all the guests? And you deftly included all the singers as they raised their voices together. Brava!
How appropriate! The Brindisi drinking song! I thoroughly enjoyed the video and I'm so happy that you made the video to share with us. How lovely to have such singing in your own house.
Wonderful Louise. The spontaneous singing was wow! We have been watching a series of musical concerts from Maastrict led by Andre Rieu. They were fantastic. I'd like to be there in the flesh next summer
@jyokota Oh, I was hoping you might see this! To the others I'm about to tag here, you're all just the people who've been asking and with whom I wanted to share!
@photographycrazy@digitalrn@ceilidh You've all specifically expressed interest in the past. It takes a bit to get video's up and running, but I so wanted to share this with you all in a timely fashion! Thanks for stopping by!
@summerfield@veengupta SO VERY happy you both liked this! While making these things, (and attending the performances/this, the second venue for Sunday!) I don't have the time I'd ALSO like to spend on 365. I'll be back and more active here when things slow down in California!!! ♥
@jyokota ...and the world continues to get smaller every day! What fun! We'll have notes to compare; we've lived in the same home down the street from Los Amigos HS for over 40 years!
@jyokota I was wondering if you ever visited them! So when will you and Taffy be out there? We'll "be back in residence" Dec 10, so if at all possible, please come for even a brief visit! How awesome would that be to have you in California!
The video was just wonderful. You caught the audience enjoying their meal including a good shot of your hubby. I loved seeing the fingerwork of the painist, the singing was superb and it was spontaneous! Thank you for posting it for us. Isn't it lovely to see them in school with the children
@joysfocus Oh we're going to have a long chat...isn't he just delicious?! And you should hear him SING! We took him and Dangelo on the left and Antonio from Spain (not in this pix) out sightseeing and shopping today. I can't tell you the fun we had! AND I gave Dielli (from Kosovo) a huge question and answer session about his early musical roots. Fascinating! He's sweet and funny, 100% as adorable as he looks and newly engaged. The lucky lass lives in Florence... Guys like this don't come along very often! (I get your drift!)
@photographycrazy @digitalrn @ceilidh You've all specifically expressed interest in the past. It takes a bit to get video's up and running, but I so wanted to share this with you all in a timely fashion! Thanks for stopping by!
@summerfield @veengupta SO VERY happy you both liked this! While making these things, (and attending the performances/this, the second venue for Sunday!) I don't have the time I'd ALSO like to spend on 365. I'll be back and more active here when things slow down in California!!! ♥
(I`m not good finding words to comment this like I feel )
Loved the video! Such a fabulously fun evening!! Bravo x10!