Author Archives: dannyashkenasi

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.

BEYOND / JENSEITS – Torn Between Two Lovers

Posted on May 9, 2024 by dannyashkenasi

Welcome back to the next episode of our little night opera, Beyond (catch up on previous installments here). This is the section where our favorite opera diva’s dilemmas with the men in her cosmic life-in-review come to a head. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Chamber Works, Musicabilia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

TULIP FEVER!

Posted on May 2, 2024 by dannyashkenasi
Posted in Arts-a-Poppin', Two-fisted Touristing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

PS 133 Verticles

Posted on April 28, 2024 by dannyashkenasi
Posted in Arts-a-Poppin', Two-fisted Touristing | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

BEYOND / JENSEITS – Turning the Tables on the Therapist

Posted on April 24, 2024 by dannyashkenasi

Section XVI of the little night opera I composed for my mother Catherine Gayer with librettist and family friend Helga Krauss (catch up with all previous episodes via the opera’s homepage) takes the Woman back into therapy analyzing dreams. When … Continue reading →

Posted in Chamber Works, Musicabilia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rise of my own personal NEW YORKER CARTOON captions

Posted on April 18, 2024 by dannyashkenasi

This is the seventh installment. I’m beginning to run out of obvious sequel titles. Time to go the Planet of the Apes route. That should do me for the next four or five… Contest #892 Yes, it’s called Thesaurus. But … Continue reading →

Posted in Arts-a-Poppin', Literary Lyricism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

BEYOND / JENSEITS – Just Some Bimbo from the Ballet

Posted on April 15, 2024 by dannyashkenasi

In this installment of Beyond – a little night opera, the Woman walks in on her lover, the Conductor, in flagrante delicto with another woman. (Catch up on all installments of Beyond/Jenseits on its home page.) The Conductor rather slimily … Continue reading →

Posted in Chamber Works, Musicabilia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

PARK SLOPE, EARLY SPRING

Posted on April 11, 2024 by dannyashkenasi
Posted in Arts-a-Poppin', Two-fisted Touristing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Special 4/26 NYC Encore Screening of “The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre”

Posted on April 8, 2024 by dannyashkenasi

“The Pit and the the Pendudulum – a musicabre”, my (intake of breath) musical short film Edgar Allan Poe classic horror story adaptation officially concluded its one-and-a half year festival run late last year. However, and this is a nice … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema Scope, Notes in the News, Poe Musicabres | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

BEYOND / JENSEITS – On the Therapist’s Couch

Posted on April 5, 2024 by dannyashkenasi

At the beginning of Section XII of the little night opera “Beyond” AKA “Jenseits”, written for my mother Catherine Gayer (catch up on previous installments via the opera’s main page), the 1st Angel takes on the persona of the 4th … Continue reading →

Posted in Beginnings, Chamber Works, Musicabilia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

BEYOND / JENSEITS – The Husband and the Lover

Posted on March 29, 2024 by dannyashkenasi

Husband and lover. In the Woman’s memory, they are not the same man. At the close of the previous section of Beyond (Jenseits), the “little night opera” I composed for my mother, the lullaby for her Son transitions to an … Continue reading →

Posted in Chamber Works, Musicabilia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

R.I.P. Aribert Reimann

Posted on March 24, 2024 by dannyashkenasi

Aribert Reimann with my mother, Catherine Gayer, at rehearsal in 1971 Two Thursdays ago my mother called me from Berlin. Normally we talk on Sundays, so I was curious what occasioned this call. “Aribert Reimann has died”, she told me, … Continue reading →

Posted in Beginnings, LGBTQ Alphabet Soup, Melodies Linger On, Notes in the News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

BEYOND / JENSEITS – A Lullaby

Posted on March 20, 2024 by dannyashkenasi

In this fourth installment of the opera I wrote for my mother (you can find links to the first three installments on the JENSEITS / BEYOND home page), we are introduced to a new theme, a lullaby. We have just … Continue reading →

Posted in Chamber Works, Musicabilia, The Teaching Artist | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

BEYOND / JENSEITS – An Encounter with the Conductor

Posted on March 14, 2024 by dannyashkenasi

Above is a picture of myself, my mother Catherine Gayer and family friend Helga Krauss after the New York stage premiere of Beyond, the little night opera Helga and I wrote for my mother. This is Part 3 of sharing … Continue reading →

Posted in Beginnings, Chamber Works, Musicabilia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Attack of my own personal NEW YORKER CARTOON captions

Posted on March 10, 2024 by dannyashkenasi

The 6th installment of my submissions to the New Yorker Magazine cartoon captioning contest. My streak of not being chosen as a finalist continues unabated! … got a little political with that one.

Posted in Arts-a-Poppin', Literary Lyricism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

BEYOND / JENSEITS – A Life in Review

Posted on March 6, 2024 by dannyashkenasi

Welcome to the second post about the little night opera “Jenseits” AKA “Beyond” I composed for my mother, Catherine Gayer. Helga Krauss wrote the libretto, which I translated into English. Read and listen to the first post here, and follow … Continue reading →

Posted in Chamber Works, Musicabilia, The Teaching Artist | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Wig Made From My Hair

Posted on March 3, 2024 by dannyashkenasi

That is a picture of a wig that was made with my hair. Hair I donated. Multiple pony tails in zip lock baggies I shipped off to an organization called Hair We Care. Their mission statement is “to help maintain … Continue reading →

Posted in Beginnings, Cinema Scope, Poe Musicabres | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment