Crazy Patron
Perhaps the most bizarre patron of classical music was King Ludwig II of Bavaria. He is often referred to as "Mad King Ludwig". Mad as he may have been, he left us the fairy tale castles Neuschwanstein and Linderhof. He …
Patrons and Clients
Let's take a look at the history of patronage. The English word patron is borrowed from the Latin patronus (relax Harry Potter fans) which was derived from pater--father. In ancient Rome, the patron/client system was tightly woven into the fabric …
Classical Will Always be Elitist
There seems to be a perception that classical music is in trouble. The cost of producing quality, live, performances far out weighs the general public's appetite to afford tickets that would support the burden. In San Diego we have been …
Olympic Pick 'Em
On the eve of the Olympics I just found a great way to follow the games. Yahoo Sports has an Olympic fantasy game called London Picke 'Em. Each day you try to pick the results from a number of events. …
Runtastic Enters the App Race
I was asked to check out the Runtastic tracking app so I did. I loaded it on the phone and went for a couple of runs. The distance tracking was accurate and lined up with my Garmin records and other …
Stank Face Returns: Opera Neo Aria Marathon
I scurried from Balboa Park after the symphony concert to Palisades Presbyterian Church in La Mesa. Opera Neo was putting on their Aria Marathon concert. I had no idea who or what Opera Neo was but I trusted the friend …
Pride Residue: San Diego Symphony in Balboa Park
The San Diego Symphony concert in Balboa Park was once again a blast. The program of music was based on an Olympics theme and incorporated British music along with two Olympic compositions. On this day, Balboa Park did throw up …
Ed's Waterfront Run
Looking for some friends to run, swim, or cycle with? Have you checked out meetup.com? It's a great site for people new to San Diego, new to fitness, or both. San Diego Running is probably the most prolific fitness group …
What's in a Bio?
What should you consider when reading a singer's bio? Nothing. Whatever the bio says, it has no bearing on what you're about to hear. A singer could have Rome, London, Vienna, and St. Petersburg on their bio and still be …
Apps, Apps, Apps
There are several running/tracking apps available at the App Store and at Google Play. I decided to download three of them and run them simultaneously during a run up Torrey Pines. I chose MapMyRun, Sports Tracker, and Endomondo. I have …
Free Concert
This coming Sunday, July 22nd, the San Diego Symphony will be giving a free concert in Balboa Park. The theme is the London Olympics. The concert starts at 5:30 pm and will take place at the organ pavilion. The program …
Local Singers Rock
Bohdi Tree Concerts put on a very nice production of The Mikado. The singers were local and they sounded good. In fact, they sounded great. There weren't any glaring vocal errors or singers that simply weren't qualified to sing this …
Sacred and Sordid: Tallis in 50 Shades of Grey
I have plans to read 50 Shades of Grey. All I know about it is that the two main characters "do it" while listening to Thomas Tallis' Spem in Alium (Hope in any Other). While Tallis is too reverent to …
Grocery Run
"Do not seek illumination unless you seek it as a man whose hair is on fire seeks a pond." --Ramakrishna. I have been seeking cherry/pineapple frozen pops in such a manner this summer. It's been epic but hasn't reached the …
Long Live Pistorius
Have you heard of Pistorius? The name rings with grandeur. You might think Pistorius was a chronicler of the late Roman Republic or perhaps a great conqueror. A great conqueror might be correct. Oscar Pistorius is a double amputee who …
Nice Bridge
If you've gone north on the I-15 in order to get to what used to be called The Wild Animal Park, then you may have noticed a cool looking bridge that crosses Lake Hodges just west of the freeway. According …
We Were Just Joking
Who were Gilbert and Sullivan? They were the creators of what has become musical theater. Gilbert wrote the stories and Sullivan wrote the music. All though Gilbert and Sullivan wrote comic operas, they were serious about critiquing and ridiculing the …
Bodhi Tree Mikado
The Mikado is a classic Gilbert and Sullivan show. If you're not familiar with Gilbert and Sullivan, they were kind of like Rodgers and Hammerstein or Learner and Lowe except they were from the Victorian era and were British. Bodhi …
Time Trial
Today's stage of the Tour de France is a "time trial". A time trial is individual riders racing against the clock. There is no peloton and there is no drafting behind other riders. There are no teammates to set a …
Tanglewood
Tonight is the opening concert at Tanglewood. What is Tanglewood? It is the summer home of the Boston Symphony and this is its 75th season. Tanglewood is probably the premiere music festival in the U.S. The concert tonight is the …