benefit is a success...

last night the "sing for your seniors benefit concert" entertained nearly 200 audience members. the show went very smoothly and hopefully will be the start of some sort of annual event. i will try to post a set list and some video clips in the near future. for now, enjoy the finale of last night's concert...
heart and music (from A NEW BRAIN)

sing for your seniors, inc.

Mission Statement

This Nonprofit Organization is designed to bring music and stories, laughs and love into Senior Day Centers, Hospitals, and Living Centers. In doing this we hope to reach out through music and close age gap barriers, creating an open environment and a truly joyous atmosphere. We strive to give them an experience to look forward to, a chance to connect with each other and an opportunity to share in an enriching event. Seniors will be exposed to young Musical Theater professionals working here in New York, and therefore benefit from the quality and professionalism of a Broadway performance within the comforts of their current living arrangement.

Seniors will be greeted by each performer at the beginning of the performance. Each performer's mission is not simply to entertain the group, but to form personal bonds and tailor each experience to the taste, history, and emotional temperature of each and every senior in the group.

The singers will Serenade and encourage group participation in singing, clapping, or dancing to the music. Requests can be made as well! A focus on repertoire that is important to the group in a personal way allows for meaningful interaction between performer and senior, a mutual understanding of experiences that can lead to a greater sense of community and joy.

Discussion is always encouraged during the performance as well as time and attention given to the seniors to connect and interact with the performers and musicians after the performance is over. Our hope is that the experience that a group of seniors has on a particular day of the week carries through to the next six days and that, by undergoing a communal experience, internal relationships at the senior center can strengthen and grow. Social, physical, and emotional barriers can begin to break down. Ultimately, the project should foster a sense of hope in both the young and old. It should cultivate an enthusiasm for the future in whomever participates.

NYT No. 1102 (thursday)

11:30

memo returns.

today i got to spend a few hours with our relocated, looking-young-as-ever myles. had dinner with him & some of sacramento's most dangerous criminals. i need to see these people more often. strange taste in movies, but they're fun. and i forgot how much i like the calamari at paesano's!

dec 26th set list.

so, for those of you considering coming to the STC "sing for your seniors" benefit concert - i just received the set list for the evening and there are quite a few fantastic numbers. let's just say that JRB, William Finn, Adam Guettel and Andrew Lippa are all on the bill. the singers we have for that night are all stellar and i'm sure you won't want to miss this rare event in sacramento.

much farther to go (rosie thomas)

new york is lovely in the wintertime
all the sidewalks are white as snow
the buildings, all the people that pass me by
how the smile on his face is he is in love

i took the train all the way to brooklyn heights
i remember when you took it there with me
we sat side by side and held hands for some time
we saluted the statue of liberty

and i
i have much farther to go
everything is new and so unpredictable
i should just kick my heels together and go home
but i'm not sure where that is anymore

oh how i wish how i could go back in time
to the night when i heard my mother cry
she held me in her arms and we talked for some time
and i sang a song her mother sang to her

it goes
something about paper dolls (and what men prefer)
something about the cross (and how her jesus died for her)
something about love (and how it's worth fighting for)
i wonder does love exist anymore

and i
and i have much farther to go
i'm so confused i know
i should just kick my heels together and go home
but i lost my way back home when i lost you

sometimes i cry when it's late at night
and you're not there to lay next to me
morning breaks and the sun warms my face
how i wish it was you warming me

rosie thomas website
muchfarthertogo.mp3

ani's new recruit.

anais mitchell

NYT No. 1030 (monday)

6:00

perhaps?

albondigas and my new career as a macrophotographer.

lines.

but people aren’t coming from all sides/I have your back/I brought your poncho/two (three) horses sit out front/the sparrows circle/the world waits/we are stronger (better) together than apart/one square foot of solid indestructibility/just try and deny that/

upcoming shows.

AMAHL AND THE NIGHT VISITORS: some of you came and saw this last year. i have to say, it is quite a nice production. there are puppets, a nice-sized orchestra, soloists and a children's choir. and the music is really lush. there are parts that just simply soar. there are three matinees on friday and two evening performances on saturday. one weekend only!

BENEFIT for SING FOR YOUR SENIORS: some amazing former-Sacramento-resident-now-elsewhere singers are getting together to raise money for a worthy cause the day after christmas. should be quite a concert. details here

one final thought before i crash (tonight).

sleeping with these words tonight.

Song For R.

You see people coming from all sides
With their broken hearts and hollow eyes
And you try to love but it's easier to hate
When the seed that was planted was watered too late
Oooh oh child
Oooh oh child
Your roots stretch down to grow up wild
Roots stretch down to grow up wild
It was late last night when the doorbell rang
My brother in some trouble
He stood shaking on the doorstep in the rain
With a freight train pounding in his veins
And I took him in and cleaned him up
Gave him some water and I put him to bed
Then I cried for the sadness of his life
And his lonely struggle with addiction
Friends say oh what a shame
Mum says no one but himself to blame
But I don't want to play that game
'cos I know the truth is not so plain
Call it a hard life or a lack of love
Call it passed down from his father
Call it lack of faith in god above
There are no easy answers
He is just a child
He is just a child
Arms stretched out for love
Arms stretched out for love
Arms stretched out for love

(The Be Good Tanyas)

now that that's settled.

i know i've been gone. sé que he desaparecido. i thought i needed space to find myself, once and for all. since that seems unlikely, i've resurfaced.