March (Music) Madness (and Theatre, Too!)

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The past six weeks have been a whirlwind of performance and work. The two performances of The Sealed Angel at the beginning of February were something of a transcendent musical and performance experience for me - the passion and professionalism demanded were both exhausting and invigorating, and our audiences absolutely loved it. The visual impact of the dancers, along with the movement of the choir, created a particularly entertaining and unusual soundscape (or should I say Soundstream?) For a taste of what we were doing, here is a video, taken by John Terauds (of the Toronto Star), of one minute of a rehearsal at the Winchester Street Theatre about a week before the show. I wish the audio did it justice, but it's still nice to see.



Amadeus Choir also had a very successful fundraising day, with our two Celtic Celebration concerts. Our special guest band, Rant Maggie Rant, was an absolute treat to listen to, and I remain amazed by the versatile musical talents of our ensemble. In any case, we had to add seats to both the afternoon and evening performances, which was a very good thing.

Pavlov's Dogs Handbell Ensemble has also had a wonderful month- our busiest ever, I believe. I think it's really helped to help us bond as a group, not to mention some great exposure (not that kind of exposure, though we do play burlesque shows). We started off the month with "We Put the Spring in Springfield," a Simpsons-themed burlesque show organized by Underground Peepshow. The show was sold out, and people seemed thrilled to hear us play the Simpsons theme and a medley of Stonecutters, Talkin' Softball, Who Needs The Kwik-E-Mart, and Mr. Plow on handbells, as well as some Mancini classics (even if they sang along off-beat). Here are some clips of us playing, if you're so inclined (taken by Jeremy Wilson):

Stonecutters:


Stonecutters theme

Mar 11, 2012 | Source: Keek.com

Simpsons Theme Opening:


The Simpsons theme on handbells

Mar 11, 2012 | Source: Keek.com

Simpsons Theme Closing:

Dec 31, 1969 | Source: Keek.com

On Thursday night, we had what was probably our most exciting gig yet: we opened for "the best band that never was," (or at least the best 1960s English pop band that is really a 2012 Canadian band that ever was), The Cocksure Lads!


The Lads are the side project of former Moxy Fruvous members Mike Ford and Murray Foster (also the current bassist from Great Big Sea); being a major fan of both groups, this performance opportunity was basically a dream come true. We got to play a full set at the Rivoli before the Lads took the stage, and had a great time. The Lads themselves manage to strike the right and very difficult balance between humour and musical enjoyment.

As you can see, we tried to fit the 60's theme.


We have two more performances this week: tonight, we are the surprise midnight guests at what is described as a "psychedelic circus club party" (on St. Patrick's Day; should be interesting) and, next Friday, we are celebrating our fearless leader's birthday; "Winter Wrap Up" is at the Black Swan on March 23rd.

In theatre news, I've had the opportunity to read/work on three fascinating scripts recently; they're all good, though they couldn't be more different. The first a psychological drama playing with the conventions of theatre and audience, from Mute playwright Wren Handman; the second is also by a dear friend and collaborator; a space-based philosophical exercise by Ephraim Ellis that has been submitted to SummerWorks. The third is a show I saw and enjoyed in last summer's Toronto Fringe Festival, Pitch Blond. The show, by the talented Laura Harris, is a one-woman show based on the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) trials of Judy Holliday. Holliday was a very good friend and collaborator to Adolph Green, and his wife, Phyllis Newman, who, of course, I worked for in an archival capacity for a year. Doing so, I discovered all sorts of interesting photos and correspondence from Holliday and her family. We just had our first meeting after my first readthrough and notes, and I'm so thrilled to immerse myself in this world again. I think it's going to be both a fun and productive collaboration.

So it's been a busy time...I'm calling it March Music Madness. Luckily, unlike what's been happening on the courts, my performance brackets are pretty well intact.

-Ilana

Happy Holidays! (Carol of the Bells)

I don't have any footage of Pavlov's Dogs performing The Dreidel Song for Chanukah, but as a general holiday treat, please enjoy our performance of Carol of the Bells at Lunacy Cabaret on December 10th. This is probably the only time you will hear a handbell group get heckled, but it's worth it to hear the heckler get shouted down (he was later ejected). Thanks to Wm. Perry (myvideoscrapbook) for the video, and the audience for the lovely standing ovation!



-Ilana

Handbells and Singing and Concerts, Oh My!

It occurs to me that, though this is a theatre blog predominantly, it is an arts blog in general, and most of my arts-related activities lately have been in the form of music. I belong to two music groups; the Amadeus Choir, an auditioned SATB chorus with approximately 100 members, led by Lydia Adams, and Pavlov’s Dogs, a nerd-rock 6-woman handbell ensemble that plays anything from Queen to the Mario theme. The two groups couldn’t be more different in tone; one tackles large, serious choral masterworks and the other…well, sometimes we spend 15 minutes of practice in serious discussion of the My Little Pony reboot…out of musical necessity, of course. Both are a lot of fun and I find them very fulfilling for different reasons.

One of the reasons I am so fond of musical theatre is that my first love is vocal music. I have been singing in various groups since I was a child, from the Dr. Rao Choir and North York Festival Singers, to Chamber Choir and Earl Haig Singers in high school, to the FireHazards and Koleinu in college and the Barnard/Columbia Chorus and its chamber choir in grad school. I was pretty upset when I had to quit the Columbia Chorus my first year of grad school; filling two nights a week, it was too much, even if I was starting to get the solos I wanted. When I moved back to Toronto, I felt a need for structured singing in my life, and my friend Kelli convinced me that Amadeus was where I wanted to be. Amadeus Choir moves lightning-quickly when it comes to learning new music, and we tend to sing beautiful, compelling pieces. I think my favourite piece of choral music I’ve ever performed was When David Heard by Eric Whitacre, from my first concert last year. I actually felt pained handing the music back.

I love Pavlov’s Dogs, not just because it gives me a chance to play music with some awesome ladies, but because there’s something fantastic about deciding you are going to pick up an instrument and learn it well enough to perform it in a matter of weeks. When I was in college, I decided to pick up the alto saxophone I had put down permanently after grade eight, and for the heck of it, to join the Princeton University Band. I had never played handbells before mid-summer 2010. There’s something to be said for a musical trial by fire. Some might argue a woman of my level of coordination should never attempt to play an instrument where you need to pick up a new thing for every new note you play. But handbells are lovely and make a terrific rounded sound; they have an even more fascinating quality when they are unexpectedly juxtaposed with David Bowie or MGMT. Playing handbells gives you an increased appreciation for the components and composition of music. Because each note is a separate instrument, you become hyper-aware of how a piece is put together and how notes run and mesh. Songs that are easy on saxophone or voice because there are a lot of close runs become feats of dexterity when you are in charge of a specific half-octave. Want to see us in action? Here's the video from our performance at Nerd Girl Pinups' Gunpowder Plot (it's my first concert, so ignore a few clunks), and here are two videos from last year's Christmas show at the Rivoli:Wizards in Winter and A Charlie Brown Christmas.

This Friday, Amadeus performed Handel’s Messiah, which was a lovely experience. Our first concert of the year was Karl Jenkins’ “The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace,” a complex work which deserves a post in itself. On December 17^th, at Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, we’re performing an evening of traditional carols, along with new ones; the choir sponsors a yearly competition that alternates between a children’s competition and adult/youth amateurs and professionals. This year is the adult year, and the new carols, from both seasoned professionals and up-and-coming undergraduate composers, are really quite beautiful. One of my favourites so far is the solstice carol, “The Shortest Day;” a little unusual and filled with gorgeous harmonies. We are performing both separately and with the Bach Children’s Chorus. For more info on “Glorious Sounds of the Season,” check here.

Pavlov’s Dogs’ upcoming guest spot is at Lunacy Cabaret’s “A Grotesque Christmas,” in support of Circus Without Borders. We’ll be playing “Carol of the Bells” this time – because, as awesome as it is to play rock handbells, there are just some situations, like Christmas shows, where there is actually music written for handbells, and it would be a shame not to play it occasionally.

The show is at:

Centre of Gravity EAST
Vaudeville Theatre & Circus Training Studio
1300 Gerrard St. East
Toronto, Ontario

Advance tickets (they tend to sell out) available at:

Sideshow Cafe
Next to Centre of Gravity East
1300 Gerrard St. East
Toronto, Ontario

Shanti Baba Trading Company
546 Queen St. West
Toronto, Ontario

Check here for details!

That’s where the music in my life is at right now; more updates to come.

-Ilana

(Photo screengrab from video by YouTube user mizzmonsta - thanks for the terrific video!)