So, as the
new year has begun, we are in full swing of things.
As many know, Atlanta got hit by a
winter storm that paralyzed the city for a few days. Many still do not have power. We had no electricity for two days. I must say we were very happy to have a firewood fireplace! It was a bit of a challenge 'cause the wood Matt was able to get was wet, but we certainly had it better than many. And, since I had done the appropriate shopping before, we were in good shape regarding food. We camped in the living room for a couple of days, slept on the air mattress, and watched movies on our laptops.
Matt started a new job at the end of last year with one of the fastest investment building growing companies in the US. The interview process was highly detailed and included personality/psychological/skills testing. Few pass it -- much less enjoy the process as he really did 😮. I am so proud of my honey! He is in charge of remodeling an apartment complex of 480 units and he's kicking ass! The amount of information his brain can store and recall at will is really incredible; it never stops to amaze me.
The
studio keeps on growing. The kids -- well kids to me regardless of the age 😛 -- are doing great; winning competitions from local to international levels, being cast in lead and main roles left and right, being awarded scholarships, composing, recording, making a name for themselves professionally, but first and foremost doing beautiful music and developing healthy, intonated, beautiful voices and growing as artists and individuals.
This is my second term as adjudicator for the
Shuler Hensley Awards, the Tony's for high school musical theater...quite a rewarding experience. I have also been working on a recording project, a cycle of art songs for children,
Songs for Ely, composed by a Lithuanian pianist friend of mine.
In addition, I have been writing a
column for Examiner.com for a little more than a year now. Below are links to the articles. Hope you enjoy them! And, it would be great if you can spread the word as clicks count!
Matt and I sent wishes of health, love, prosperity and happiness for 2014. May your hearts be full and may you share your happiness, with others as you pay it forward...
Pia
This is a Valentine's Day music playlist you will not find anywhere else. It could have kept on going endlessly, but there are only so many hours...It covers many styles of music; classical, classical crossover, instrumental...
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The Winter Olympics are here! And, as usual, the Opening Ceremony was a display of spectacular proportions but, this time, classical music took center stage over a blanket of technological creativity.More than ever before, each city hosting the...
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The Atlanta Opera has started 2014 by embracing a vital component of their mission – community engagement. They are bringing opera to students and families throughout Georgia this January with the Atlanta Opera Studio Tour, introducing thousands to their first...
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Guest conductor Roberto Abbado will lead the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) in “Dawn on the Moscow River” — the Prelude to Mussorgsky’s opera, Khovanshchina — January 30, 2014, at 8:00 p.m., January 31, 2014...
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Iron and Wine, whose Nonesuch debut album, Ghost on Ghost, was released this past spring to high praise, kicked off the second leg of its North American tour with sold-out shows starting in September. As part of this...
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Georgia Shakespeare will be hosting, once again, the Bard’s Bash Fundraiser this coming Saturday, November 16 at Zoo Atlanta’s Ford Pavilion.The evening features entertainment by Big Mike Geier, Christine Deaver, Dames Aflame, DJ Yvonne Monet...
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Unknown to many, Spivey Hall, located on the campus of Clayton State University, is a true jewel of music in the south of Atlanta. With nothing to envy from better known recital halls around the country, its outstanding acoustics...
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The FountainsIt was seven o'clock in the evening and the fresh sounds of morning started to surround those present like the early dew of dawn. You could feel the sun slowly rising as the day woke up. These...
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Tosca is, without a doubt, one of Puccini's master works. Its melodic richness and dramatic depth, among a long list of attributes, have made this musical jewel beloved by audiences everywhere since it was first premiered on...
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The 2013 Atlanta Opera Ball: Puccini’s Palazzo, a fundraiser supporting and sustaining the exceptional artistic quality of The Atlanta Opera, will be held on Saturday, October 26 at the St. Regis Atlanta in Buckhead. The evening will be...
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Produced by Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter, Will Smith & Jada Pinkett Smith and Ruth & Stephen Hendel, the smash Broadway hit and three-time Tony Award winner is currently on its worldwide tour.FELA! is based on...
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Monday, January 28, was a night of celebration in the Terrace Theater at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. The National Alliance for Hispanic Health commemorated its 40th Anniversary with the presentation of four VIDA Awards followed by a...
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People waited enthusiastically in the beautifully decorated Symphony Hall at the Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta. 'Celtic Woman: A Christmas Celebration - The Symphony Tour' had been sold out for a while and the hall was packed from...
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If you don't know who Celtic Woman is by now, you have probably been living under a rock or something like it. This Irish female band took the world by storm after their first concert, a one...
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'See, we've shown that people can endure awful sacrifice and yet cohere' and so does this vision (that is cohere) of an episode so well known and so many times told in this accurate historical account...
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After a rocky beginning in which labor disputes took center stage, the Atlanta Symphony, all geared up, started a strong season that is now in full swing.This Thanksgiving week though, among the regular schedule, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and...
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Bizet's 'Carmen' is one of the most well-known and beloved operas of the standard repertoire. Despite the normal limitations, the Atlanta Opera's dress rehearsal proved a solid performance as the creative machine came...
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