Wednesday, November 28, 2012

The Holiday Singer's Salon is coming up Dec 9, 2012 at 3160-Piano & Cabaret. We will meet at 7:00 p.m. and as usual feel free to bring your sheet music and Maggie will accompany you on piano. The Red Apples will put in an appearance, and we will have a holiday sing-a-long. So even if you don't want to get up and fly solo, this is a great Salon to come and get your group singing fix! Last year, as I recall, the sing-a-long was a real show stopper! If you have any questions, feel free to give me a call at 773-474-8471. I look forward to a fun show with lots of great singers! Remember, the Singer's Salon is all about improving your performance skills, being supportive of each other, and creating an atmosphere of fun and play. So come on out!

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Singer's Salon November 11!!!!

The Singer's Salon has found a new home! Whoo hoo! We will be next Salonning at 3160-Chicago's Piano & Cabaret, a lovely place with a nice cabaret space, complete with baby grand, located at 3160 N.  Clark Street.  Hopefully we will have a big turnout, Sunday, November 11, at 7:00 p.m. because this space seems perfect. and all that moving around is just too stressful for this gal! The Salon has continued to grow and continues to be a constant source of amazement, enrichment and just plan groovy fun. I have been touched and thrilled by the folks who show up and share their talents, their fears and their hearts and souls. Don't forget to join us on facebook and/or meetup!
 https://www.facebook.com/pages/Singers-Salon/121444207975644?ref=hl
http://www.meetup.com/Singers-Salon/

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Notes from the Singer's Workshop

This workshop we are really focusing on finding the song in the vibration of the body and therefore, of course, the voice. Making music, and  perhaps singing more then any other kind of music making, is a deeply personal journey. When a singer is aligned properly in his instrument, the voice rises from deep within the body, not merely the throat and larynx, and on the wings of breath brings forth a piece of the soul. When I say "aligned properly in his instrument",  I am referring to the singer's entire being as his or her instrument. All of the parts of sound production, the body, the spine, the breath, all of the places where voice finds depth and resonance, all of the chambers where the body houses emotion, strength and spirit, the mind, the memory, the soul of the complete person, work together to create the perfect flow of song.
At the first installation, the workshop attendees played with finding the vibration of the sounds in their bodies, first to the plaintive strains of classical music, then dancing their songs, and dancing each others songs while each sang in turn. Both dancing to others' songs, and being the singer to their dancing proved, I think, to be worthy and interesting experiences. Tenderness, fear, bravado, the need for comfort and even a sense of oneness with the Universe, were experienced and expressed. And so much more. The magic begins....

Thursday, July 5, 2012

July Full Moon

The night is my magic
My fragile flight
My tragic mentor
My sightless sight
I sing the darkness
I bring a blank stone
I'm alone in my alone

The unique commonplace
The quiet violence
A ritual grace
I frequent this silence
A still pool in a secret room
In my ancestors' palace
Sequestered from questions
Released from fools-gold
And unquiet jesters

I sigh
The story  unfolds

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Singer's Workshop starting in July!

Singer's looking to increase your confidence, connect with an audience and just sing and perform better in every way should attend this four week workshop. You will receive instruction and weekly feedback that will help you train up your performance chops! Ask me for more information and about registering!

Friday, June 1, 2012

June Singer's Salon!!!

I can't wait to see the turnout for the next Singer's Salon! The last one was quite amazing and really a great time. Please come out on June 10th, bring your music and raise your voice in song. We will be making an announcement that has to do with the future of the Salon. Stay tuned for more blogging about the last Salon. (argh...so behind!)

Saturday, April 28, 2012

sketches from the poetry file....


Ah we are complicated
We are nerve endings of skin caressed
And we are the ghosts of the shipwrecked
The bitter Sunday
The blank clay
In the music- dance
In the dance-sway
We move we glide
All tortured lament
All child’s play
And heaven sent
All opposites and alikes
All transmogrification and raucous delights
How do we do that?
How survive?
How regale the depths with our sweet song
Then bounce back to earth achingly alive
Our natures’ at worst
Fraught with lust for the dark
At our best like a poet
With a broken heart,
Waking at morn all tangled and fresh
We roll over and gaze in each other-
Enmeshed.

Saturday, April 7, 2012

News of the March Singer's Salon!

Where to begin recounting the wonders that were the March Singer's Salon? We are really starting to heat up in here, and really creating a super space for people to do their thangs, judging from the last group. I was surprised, delighted, moved and made to giggle. To quote the Gershwins-who could ask for anything more?
After The Red Apples opened the night with several of their signature tunes, Omar Jano volunteered with his latest rendition of his original tune, "Moonlight", (with a little help from the Red Apples guys, Ron and Dave). Personally I am pleased as punched to see and hear the great leaps and bounds Omar has made since the Salon has given him an opportunity to perform more regularly. (Gratified teacher and Salon organizer secretly gives herself pat on the back...)
The exact order of the evening escapes me now...however I remember a lively and slightly devilish version of "The Simple Joys of Maidenhood" from Tracy Karbel, that did indeed bring a twinkle to the eye. Stephanie, a first time Saloner (is that a word?) entertained us with an introductory monologue so funny, we thought surely she was a standup comedienne! Than sang, "Always There" melodiously and with beautiful tones!

We had a number of folks, like Stephanie, who have just started singing again, and all of them (I'm pretty sure) were as happy to get back to it, as we were to share their talents.  Ilisa Farrell, with  Maggie on piano, sang a warm and stirring version of "That's What Friends Are For".  My dear friend and former Animal Farmer (you'll just have to ask us about that)  Jeanne Williams, sang a beautifully touching version of "I Only Have Eyes for You". Could we tell she was nervous? Yes we could, but she came back later with "More Than You Know" and already, she had quelled the beast and sang with quiet assurance.
Surprising us with her utterly great version of a Bulgarian song that she insisted we wouldn't like beforehand, Elena,  who borrowed Dave's guitar "with capo", inspired the Salon goers to sing along on the Hallelujah's! Total homerun!

Michelle Costello, trusty ukelele in hand, and an assist from Ron, (with harmonies!) serenaded us with a coquettishly adorable "I Saw Stars". I'm pretty sure we all did!  Is she working up to a one woman debut?! And surprise again, Maggie, our co-host and accompanist,  sang a kick-ass original song accompanying herself on the baby grand. It was both funny and poignant. I wish I could remember the lyrics....they really got me. I'm pretty sure there's more where that came from!

Toward the end of the evening Jaroslaw Golembioski and I performed some of our original songs. We are gearing up to do a full show of this material, and the Salon is indeed a great place to work out the kinks for us too. We thought we were ushering in the end of the evening. Not so. Michael Patrick Knutson  and Nick Dario, latecomers though they were, performed for us a few original tunes, Michael on piano, later jumping in on the drums for Nick and Erick.  Nick accompanied himself on guitar singing an original called "A Little Fail", that was totally cool.
Finally Erick Deshaun Dorris, got us all up and stomping and clapping with a rousing "I Fall So You Don't Fall" first sung a cappella with call and response by the Salonnites (hey, I like that).
What a spectacular closer! No one wanted to leave, and in fact lots of howdy do's and you were awesome's were shared all around. There was a glow about the room to be sure.


And now 'tis time for the April Salon on Easter night. Hope to see you ALL there-and don't forget to  bring your peeps!

Friday, April 6, 2012

April Singer's Salon Poster!

What? I just realized I have not posted my poster here for the April Singer's Salon! ! It is on facebook, meetup, my website....I guess there are just too many places to post. Comin' up next, my belated blogging about the March Salon which was AMAZING!!!!

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Healthy and Confident Singing Voice: Adele and William Shatner on Musical Performance A...

 Interesting ongoing discussion about nerves and singing..we all get 'em! Even Adele! Check it out... also physical health in general and the connection to singing. Obvious yes, but this can become a big problem when singing alot, or especially on tour.



Healthy and Confident Singing Voice: Adele and William Shatner on Musical Performance A...: Musical Performance Anxiety- even Adele has it! In her interview with 60 Minutes, Adele admits to having sometimes crippling stage frig...

Saturday, March 3, 2012

March Singer's Salon poster!!

Do come out and poop-poop-a-do! And stay tuned for more pix of last salon!!!!

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

A Valentine for my Singer's Salon

 The rumbling of chairs being moved about greeted people finding their way into Deagan Music for the Salon...donations were taken at the door, coats were hung, and nerves were allowed to freely fly, as Michelle Costello serenaded her friend Martha in the anti-anteroom. Musicians gathered, singers stared into space and I tried to say howdy to anybody who looked like they needed direction or a reason to live. Once Maggie had us ready to go, bottles of wine were opened, and folks were settled in, announcements were made and I guided anyone who wanted to through a short meditation for grounding. Just to get it going...The Red Apples played a couple of tunes and we were off!

The Singer's Salon is growing into a growling, pawing, purring, spawning musical beast. Every month fascinating folks with divergent musical tastes and sometimes surprising creations emerge and share their unique talents with us. YOW!
Where to begin? Omar Jano keeps surprising us. This time with not only a cool Depeche Mode cover but with a new original tune, "Moonlight". Ron and Dave of Red Apples fame, helped him flesh out his uplifting, rock ballad. Who knew he was such a romantic?
The lovely 16 year old Kieley joined us for the first time from the Meetup. After her Mother informed me that she would accompany herself on piano, I asked her what she was going to sing. She said she had put together her own compilation of Eminem songs. (!) You go girl I thought. And she did. Talk about making the material your own! And nice voice. Come back soon, Kieley.
Tracy Karbel, who apparently has quite the fan base,  performed a simply hilarious version of a lesser known Weill/Gershwin classic, "The Saga of Jenny".  I'm so glad she "made her mind up" to sing that 'cause she had us all in stitches with her wit and stage presence.

Michelle Costello, the aforementioned practicer, and a new-comer to the world of string instruments, braved the stage to accompany herself on ukelele. She crooned the tender tune "Tonight You Belong to Me" with a true old-fashioned sweetness that moved us all. MORE PLEASE.

Unbelievably next was Charles Smith who performed Verdi's "Di Provenza il mar" with original lyrics about the pitfalls of the current ecomony! Very clever lyrics indeed and with beautiful piano playing to boot.

Erick Deshaun Dorris, with his usual fervor and flair covered Tori Amos for a change and finally, (or so we thought) Elmer, also from the meetup group, on unplugged electric guitar, and sans microphone, performed an original, "Beat Box Heart" and followed up with a cover of a Johnny Cash cover  "Hurt". Nice. We dug it.
The group broke up as various audience members had to go on their way; other performers and audience were chatting and comparing notes when Barmey showed up with his guitar. Not wanting to turn him away, we listened to him serenade us in the little alcove in the back of the space. His stunning guitar technique was arresting on the Portishead cover as well as an original tune from his band. I hope to hear more from him as well. We all had an amazingly musically awesome time. Stay tuned for next month's Salon and more...



Friday, February 3, 2012

Poster for February Salon!

The February Salon is going to be VERY exciting I do believe! See my blog about the January Salon (previous to this one) for an update about the Meetup, the upcoming Singer's Workshop, and other such stuff! In the meantime, prepare thy hearts and thy flowers....or put on your Lincoln beard....Feb 12th, Sunday at 7:00.

News of the January Salon and then some.

                                                Omar Jano and yours truly before the Salon
                                        Maggie in the space at Deagan Music, chilling at the piano
What a great event the January Salon turned out to be. Here I am thinking, okay, everybody is going to have holiday hangover, it will no doubt be a poor showing. And I was okay with that. But lo and behold, people started calling me and emailing me and texting me, and rsvping on facebook. What the heck I said to myself I said. Hey Maggie, I yodeled, peeps are a-comin'!
So just what and who did happen? An amazing amount of musical diversity happened, that's what! The Red Apples (myself, my beloved Ron Lowy and Dave Lenef, both on guitar) did a mere two tunes, including trying out a new Amy Winehouse cover...that was fun for me. Omar Jano did a cover of "A Stranger" by A Perfect Circle with Maggie on the Rhodes providing some "mood";  it was pretty groovy. We are all enjoying his progress. G'Omar. Another of my students, Jessica Garcia, accompanying herself on guitar, sang a striking original tune, that was quite advanced, given her 13 years. Her singing was excellent as well! Thanks to her mom for bringing her all the way from Bolingbrook to participate.
We heard Marie Cole Hunt's sumptuous sounds again, this time joined by her husband, Henry. Together they performed a stirring rendition of  "Avinu Malkeniu" by Max Janowski, after which Henry regaled us with his version of that classic of all classics "O Sole Mio".  I really enjoyed his beautiful tone on the sotto voce passages.
Barb Selvaggio made her first appearance at the Salon, showing off her blues harp chops as well as her singing, with an assist from The Red Apples. We hope she will share her talents with us again soon! Klaudia Siczek got up and performed with a little coaxing, and got a great round of applause for "Funny Honey" despite her case of the nerves. That's the way to tackle it!
I think we all enjoyed the several original songs Victoria Fuller performed. In fact her song, "The One For Me" has been stuck in my head for days! I love it! Here is a link to her facebook page if you'd like to check out more of her tunes:
https://www.facebook.com/victoriafullerartist
 Erick Deshaun Dorris has become a regular at the Salon-lucky us! His original songs are upbeat, quirky, and soulful, with interesting piano bits, and dude can wail. Bring it on ERICK! Here is a link to his band:
http://boredofeducation.bandcamp.com/
Now, David Zizic is an old friend and colleague of mine and I haven't heard him sing for a while. He really surprised me with his powerful and sometimes even humorous version of "Maybe This Time" from Cabaret. Hope we see more from him, and of course, EVERYBODY!
Dave Lenef of Apple fame, closed the show with a sweet new original tune on the ukelele he's been working up called, "My Shirt and I". It has a great vibe and fun lyrics, everyone totally dug.
Afterward, much hobnobbing and no sobbing were enjoyed by all. There is such a great feel to what is happening at the Salon. Many thanks to Maggie Dahlberg for her tinkling on the ivories, and her space, Deagan Music. Stay tuned for the February Salon, on the 12th; we are now on Meetup and have bunches of new members! SO it may be a madhouse....which would be awesome.
Here is a link to our new Facebook page, please, if you like it, "Like" it!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Singers-Salon/121444207975644
You can click on the "event" to rsvp if you like.
And here's a link to the Meetup:
http://www.meetup.com/Singers-Salon/
And finally a link to my website! I will be starting a new Singer's Workshop March 1st! So put it on your calendar!
www.vocalperformanceworkshop.com
Happy Singing all!