Ana Tzarev Gallery

ANA TZAREV May Afternoon at St. Mark’s (Venice), 1996 oil on linen

Listening to Juilliard musicians in this gallery transported me to the many places depicted in the paintings by Ana Tzarev in her exhibition entitled “Places to Remember.” This artist has a unique way of capturing light using vibrant colors to convey her impressions of some of the magnificent cultural centers in Europe. The pianist and cellist played Schumann’s Fantasy Pieces Op.73 as my eyes wandered from painting to painting and as I reminisced about my own experiences: praying in Nôtre Dame in Paris, docking in the harbor of Ville Franche on board a friend's huge yacht, dressing up for a masquerade ball during the Venice Carnival, meandering up and down the Venetian canals with my lover on a gondola with the oarsman singing Volare where Music and Love prevailed.

Onwards to a tribute to Tchaikovsky, None but the Lonely Heart (for Clarinet and Piano) but there were no lonely hearts this evening, only hearts filled with enchantment and beauty. The Russian music brought me to Tzarev’s midnight views of St. Petersburg’s Church of The Savior on the Blood and The Night of St. Basil’s in Moscow. Golden angels danced in royal blue skies overlooking the frozen ground frosted with snow. The climate cold but the hearts of people warm.

A change in pace. The pianist and violinist play Schumann’s Sonata in A minor. My mind gazed at palm trees lining the port in Monte Carlo. Scintillating stars bounced off the gentle, rippling waves making their way to the shore and then, rolling back out to sea. The sea of life is like the circle of life. Beginnings, middles and ends filled with joy, wonder and adventure at least in this fantasy land. I think I’ll stay and dream a little bit longer before returning to the realities of human existence. Fly, fly, fly away to dream land.

Ana Tzarev is one of my favorite galleries in New York City. For more information about upcoming events, please visit this Web site: http://www.anatzarev.com/ and enjoy their program of activities.

2009 Southampton Screenwriting Conference

Just came back from the 2009 Southampton Screenwriters Conference at Stony Brook Southampton. The setting was idyllic near the ocean and conducive for creative writing. The playwriting conference was going on at the same time so we were able to meet playwrights, actors and directors and learned how the playwrights were thrilled to watch their scenes acted out on stage by professional actors.

This conference focused on workshops and lectures that related to the structure and format of screenplays and how to create emotional depth of our characters through dialogue and actions. In essence, writing for emotional impact. Emotion is what is universal and how people are moved by stories.

In a small class of six screenwriters, I participated in Christina Lazaridi’s workshop on “Understanding Film Structure.” Christina is a screenwriter, Academy Award nominee and teaches at Columbia University’s Graduate Film division. See below Will Chandler’s blog on her class. She taught us with professionalism and gave us constructive criticism on all of our screenplays and ideas. As for myself, instead of focusing on an adaptation of my novel Laughter in the Canyon that I’ve entitled “Revolutionary Spirits,” I decided to present a new idea, i.e., a docu-musical comedy loosely based on the history of The Pen and Brush, an organization dedicated to women in the performing, literary and visual arts since the late 19th century where I’m a governing board member. Needless to say, it’ll be an interesting challenge. In addition, I enjoyed the story lines of my colleagues and hope that all of our scripts will one day be on the big screen.

If you would like further in depth information about the conference, please refer to Screenwriter Will Chandler and AMPAS Nicholl Fellow who also posted some great notes on Peter Hedge’s Q&A over at the ScriptMag blog. Also, look at Merrel Davis’s blog about the conference who wrote from another perspective highlighting different activities that were just as exciting.

Overall, it was an enriching and fun experience where I met many nice people.

Valerie Capers at The Pen and Brush

On June 28th, in celebration of Black Music month, The Pen and Brush bestowed Dr. Valerie Capers with a Life Achievement Award in recognition of her outstanding career as a composer, pianist and educator. Before the official ceremony, there was a live jazz performance given by Dr. Valerie Capers playing the piano, along with her ensemble featuring John Robinson on bass and Rudy Lawless on drums.

Friends of the trio, The Pen and Brush and jazz enthusiasts moved their bodies in rhythm to the beats and sounds and applauded with enthusiasm at the end of each song. The ensemble was a joy to listen to and it was suggested that The Pen and Brush host more “Jazz on Sundays.” For more information about The Pen and Brush, please visit: http://www.penandbrush.org/

After the performance, Dr. Capers was given her award by Rashidah Ismaili, a Pen and Brush board member. Dr. Capers graciously accepted this honor and happily chatted with her fans afterwards.

A brief history of Dr. Capers follows:

Dr. Valerie Capers was born in the Bronx and received her early schooling at the New York Institute for the Education of the Blind. She went on to obtain both her bachelor's and master's degrees from The Juilliard School of Music. She served on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music, and from 1987 to 1995 was chair of the Department of Music and Art at Bronx Community College of the City University of New York (CUNY), where she is now professor emeritus.

Dr. Capers has been awarded many honorary doctorates from various prestigious universities and colleges for her impressive work as an innovative educator. She has also received many awards and commissions, including the National Endowment for the Arts, a special-projects grant to present a jazz series at the Bronx Museum of the Arts, Meet the Composer, the CUNY Research Foundation, the Smithsonian and The Fund for Artists of Arts International.

Throughout her performing career, she has appeared on numerous radio and television shows and has also performed with a roster of renowned artists, such as, Dizzy Gillespie, Wynton Marsalis, Ray Brown, Mongo Santamaria, Tito Puente, Slide Hampton, Max Roach, James Moody and Paquito D'Rivera.

With her ensemble, she played at concert halls and jazz festivals around the world: International Grande Parade du Jazz Festival in Nice, France; the Martin Luther King Festival in Ottawa, Ontario; the North Sea Jazz Festival in The Hague; the Monterey Jazz Festival; the Salzburg Global Seminar, Salzburg, Austria; the World-Wide Plaza Summer Festival New York City; and, the opening concert for the Women in Jazz Festival for Jazz at Lincoln Center at Dizzy's Coca-Cola Club in New York City. The extent of her musical performances has been enjoyed by many people around the world.

As a composer, three of Dr. Capers' most noted compositions are Sing About Love, the critically acclaimed Christmas cantata produced by George Wein at Carnegie Hall; Sojourner, an operatorio based on the life of Sojourner Truth, performed and staged by the Opera Ebony Company of New York; and Song of the Seasons, a song cycle for voice, piano and cello (which has been recorded several times) was both commissioned by the Smithsonian Institute and premiered in Washington, D.C., at the invitation of the Smithsonian, and recently performed at Weill Recital Hall in New York City.

Dr. Capers was the first recipient of Essence magazine's "Women of Essence Award for Music," where she was in the elite company of fellow honorees Oprah Winfrey and Marla Gibbs.

For those of you who love her music, she has recorded five albums: Portrait of Soul (Atlantic, 1966), Affirmation (KMA Arts, 1982), Come On Home (Columbia/Sony, 1995), Wagner Takes the 'A' Train (Elysium, 1999), Limited Edition (VALCAP Records, 2001, and is currently in production for a new CD to be released in 2009.

If you ever get a chance to see Valerie Caper and her ensemble perform, I’d highly recommend it; especially, if you love jazz.

Katya Grineva at Carnegie Hall

On June 12, 2009, Katya Grineva, Moscow-born pianist, graced the stage at Carnegie Hall for the 11th year and played a selection of romantic, solo piano pieces in honor of Adi Da Samraj who was a renowned writer, artist and spiritual teacher.

Her diversified program of music focused on some of her favorite romantic composers, including Chopin, Liszt and Schumann as well as Satie’s First Gymnopedie, Debussy’s Clair de Lune and Ravel’s Bolero. Her mastery of the piano and the subtlety and beauty of tone truly transported the audience to a state of bliss. The New York Times described her as “liquid…dreamlike.” One could feel that her music came from deep within her heart inspired by love. It was a magical evening with three encores and Katya was showered with bouquets of red roses at the end of her performance.

Not only does Katya play at concert halls and for presidents and dignitaries, but also for the impoverished and children around the world. She’s dedicated especially to exposing children to the beauty and benefits of classical music. As a result, there were many children of all ages at this concert and from looking at their facial expressions; they seemed to be enraptured by her music. It was delightful to see so many children present.

In summary of her achievements, Katya, a Steinway Artist, has been a soloist with the Acadiana Symphony, the ARS Nova Musicians Chamber Orchestra, the Manhattan Virtuosi Orchestra, the European Philharmonic Orchestra in France, the Guayaquil Symphonic Orchestra in Ecuador, and as a guest artist at Avery Fisher Hall. Her recitals have also captivated audiences at the Laurier Society in Paris and at the Salle Gaveau, one of Paris’s most prestigious concert halls. In addition to sharing her musical gift worldwide, she has been honored with many awards for her philanthropic efforts, most recently, with the Gusi Peace Prize awarded by Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the President of the Philippines.

For further information about Katya Grineva, please visit her Web site: http://www.katyagrineva.com

Just Laugh! the movie

"Just Laugh," a documentary produced by Laugh Loud Productions (http://www.justlaugh.org/) is about the healing concept of laughter. The medical community claims laughter is the best medicine and we should laugh at least 15 minutes a day which is equivalent to 15 or 20 minutes of exercise. Which would you rather do? Laugh or exercise? Both are healthy recommendations.

My friend, Reverend T. Kenjitsu Nakagaki, or Reverend TK, as he is affectionately called at The New York Buddhist Church was interviewed in the movie concerning the Buddhist notion of laughter. His message was to smile at others with your lips as well as smile with your eyes as a means of giving with no expectation of getting anything in return. Smiles and laughter are gifts to be given.

After the film during the Q&A, a lady from the audience asked about the laughing buddha. Reverend TK answered that the laughing buddha is of Chinese origin. It means don't take life too seriously and have the ability to laugh at yourself. Personally, I have two laughing buddhas at home. Guess it's time to remember not to take life so seriously during these difficult economic times and just laugh!

Live. Love. Laugh.

Laura Thompson