Author Archives: dannyashkenasi

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About dannyashkenasi

I'm a composer with over 40 years experience creating music theater. I'm also an actor, writer, director, producer, teacher and general enthusiast for the arts.

Three Pieces at the Brooklyn Museum

Posted on March 14, 2026 by dannyashkenasi

The other day I was enjoying a special exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum (future blog post about that one), and along the way inside I strolled past three pieces that not only delighted me (as so much does in this … Continue reading →

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Another Short Short Film Shoot

Posted on March 6, 2026 by dannyashkenasi

Tuesday I traveled to Woodside, Queens, to shoot another short film in short order – all in an afternoon’s work. The director liked that I’d regrown my beard for the short film I’d just done, so the facial follicles are … Continue reading →

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Film Shoot and Ice Flows on the Hudson

Posted on March 1, 2026 by dannyashkenasi

A Trilingual Short Film in a Winter Panorama Two weekends ago I was at the Hudson river near Dobbs Ferry shooting a short film. A very short film – we got all shots in half a day. The film is … Continue reading →

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Snow Storm on Our Street

Posted on February 23, 2026 by dannyashkenasi

As Ed and I came home last evening just as the Big Blizzard was kicking in, we just had to take some photos of the snowy landscape our street had become. City Bikes, marshmallow coated

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Light Play on Window Sill

Posted on February 16, 2026 by dannyashkenasi
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Solaris Film Festival Awards “Prelude to a Death”

Posted on February 8, 2026 by dannyashkenasi

The Solaris Film Festival in Helsinki, Finland has given “Prelude to a Death” the award for “Best Unproduced Script”. “Prelude to a Death” is a feature length gothic ghost story. I have sent the screenplay to a handful of festivals … Continue reading →

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Ian McKellen Performs Shakespeare’s Immigrant Speech on the Late Show

Posted on February 5, 2026 by dannyashkenasi

Ian McKellen appeared on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert last night, and the whole interview is delightful and engrossing – the full video is posted below – musing on Gandalf and Magneto, Christopher Lee and Elvish tattoos, and seeing … Continue reading →

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Vermont Winter

Posted on February 4, 2026 by dannyashkenasi

Frozen Waterfalls at Dusk and Snowy Landscapes in the Snow So the ground hogs all saw their shadow and forecast six more weeks of winter. With all the persistent cold going on far and wide, that did not come as … Continue reading →

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Song of Songs of my own personal NEW YORKER CARTOON captions

Posted on January 26, 2026 by dannyashkenasi

The only roles they offer us in Hollywood are city stompers and jeep chasers. Continuing the long running series and continuing to find installment titles in the Old Testament, one would think that, as a composer, I would have availed … Continue reading →

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FIRE-SPINNING in the SNOW

Posted on January 17, 2026 by dannyashkenasi

Hoops and Swords and Whips, Oh My! While in Vermont for New Year’s Even, we were treated to a Fire-Spinning exhibition. The artist spinning the hoops, and later the whip (!) is Ethan (@vancliffe.802 on Instagram). The artist spinning the … Continue reading →

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NO ICE! NO KINGS! NO WAR!

Posted on January 11, 2026 by dannyashkenasi

Photo/video diary of the protest gathering and march in NYC January 11, 2026

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Joining the Wall of Emotion

Posted on January 8, 2026 by dannyashkenasi

Above is my contribution to WOE – Wall of Emotions, a project created by Eva Mueller as a response to the ’24 post-election reality. Yesterday Eva was at Maison 10 on 29th Street in Manhattan, taking photos of more subjects … Continue reading →

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Texture and Color

Posted on January 3, 2026 by dannyashkenasi

I saw the room reflected in a window at night, and something about the light play made the mirroring wavey and doubled. It looked like a near abstract oil painting to me. I took a photo. And then flipped it. … Continue reading →

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Winter Lights at the Hotel Beacon

Posted on December 26, 2025 by dannyashkenasi

Looking up at Broadway and 74th Street.

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LIGHTSCAPE 2025

Posted on December 22, 2025 by dannyashkenasi

Our yearly return to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s winter lights and sounds spectacular, this time with much more video to show more lights in motion and share more accompanying music. Brought to you by Rodrigo, Anna, Ed and me.

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On Set as Bernhardt, a Fairy Tale Grandfather

Posted on December 20, 2025 by dannyashkenasi

That’s me in costume as Bernhardt, the grandfather, on set of the short film “Mouse”, which was shot in Bushwick last weekend. “Mouse” is a fairy tale with adult themes. Bernhardt, the grandfather, is a woodsman who lives in a … Continue reading →

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