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.

WE WILL SURVIVE – again and again

Posted on June 6, 2019 by dannyashkenasi

A Pride Month Special Look at “I Will Survive” and Some of its Many Covers with particular ruminations on what we will survive, or not     The Original – Gloria Gaynor   If one were to choose one song … Continue reading →

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The Belligerent Homophobe Who Ruined Rocketman For Us

Posted on June 1, 2019 by dannyashkenasi

  The three or four loud sneezes that erupted behind us during the 20 minutes of previews were a warning shot that all would not turn out alright for us during this screening of “Rocketman” in midtown Manhattan. But the … Continue reading →

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The Knight Marries the Prince

Posted on May 26, 2019 by dannyashkenasi

  A Kindergarten Original Blesses a Quaker Wedding   Friday morning I heard a wedding song I realized I would have to sing that night at an actual wedding.  Class K-1 at the Brooklyn Children’s School was the third kindergarten … Continue reading →

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CHERRY BLOSSOMS AND TAIKO DRUMS

Posted on May 19, 2019 by dannyashkenasi

  Pink Splendor and Banging Dramatics on the Esplanade   The end of April the Brooklyn Botanic Garden holds the Sakura Matsuri Festival, scheduled to coincide with the spectacular blossoming of the cherry trees on the Garden’s Esplanade.  Nature holding … Continue reading →

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450 DEGREES OF MORTAL TERROR – Tell-Tale Shoot Diary #4

Posted on May 13, 2019 by dannyashkenasi

    Presently I heard a slight groan And I knew It was the groan of mortal terror It was not a groan of pain or of grief Oh no It was the low stifled sound That arises from the … Continue reading →

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BACKYARD BEAUTIES’ Flower Music Quiz

Posted on May 7, 2019 by dannyashkenasi

  Time for another Notes from a Composer music quiz!  Today’s theme: Flowers!   Flower Music Query #1: We’ll start easy.  You’ve heard this classical piece before.  Maybe even know it’s called the Flower Duet.  Do you know the name … Continue reading →

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Up Close and Personal with the Maine Monument

Posted on May 1, 2019 by dannyashkenasi

  The other day I was walking 35 blocks from the Upper West Side to Midtown, when I lingered at the Maine Monument at Columbus Circle to take some up close and personal pics of its statues.     The … Continue reading →

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Introducing the New Headshots

Posted on April 26, 2019 by dannyashkenasi

  A few weeks ago I shared my head shot bloopers with you, those moments during my head shot photo shoot that went rather wrong, amusingly so. Today I share the final versions of my actual new head shots.  The … Continue reading →

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THE DAY I MURDERED MY HUSBAND – Tell-Tale Shoot Diary #3

Posted on April 22, 2019 by dannyashkenasi

  Welcome back to the “Tell-Tale Heart – a musicabre” film shoot diary, and the day I murdered my husband.  Repeatedly.  Take after take after take.     Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” centers on a “very very dreadfully … Continue reading →

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Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris

Posted on April 15, 2019 by dannyashkenasi

4/15/19 – 4:40pm EDT I am watching with horror and sadness the incredible destruction by fire of Paris’ iconic Notre Dame cathedral. In grief and helplessness I decided to go through the pictures I took when Ed and I visited … Continue reading →

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FIRST GRADE ALIENS RIDE PEOPLE’S HEADS!

Posted on April 10, 2019 by dannyashkenasi

  Another Year, Another Silly First Grade Opera! Actually, another three first grade operas at the Brooklyn Children’s School, created, written, composed and performed by first graders themselves, under the direction of their teachers and their teaching artist Mister Danny. … Continue reading →

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VERSAILLES – NIGHT TIME FOUNTAINS AND FIREWORKS SHOW

Posted on April 2, 2019 by dannyashkenasi

  As promised, pics and vids of the Versailles Once-in-a-Year Nighttime Spectacular   You can glance at the map of the park and see how it lovely it is during the day in my previous post, where you will also … Continue reading →

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VERSAILLES – A Walk in the Park (and what a Park!)

Posted on March 25, 2019 by dannyashkenasi

A detailed guided tour through the baroque mythological splendors and eye popping and head scratching extravagance of the park of Versailles. The park grounds of Versailles are immense and splendid. Below a map of the whole park: Only the bottom … Continue reading →

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TELL-TALE PRATFALL – Tell-Tale Shoot Diary #2

Posted on March 12, 2019 by dannyashkenasi

  One for the blooper reel, except…   It was one of the least difficult set-ups of the Tell-Tale Heart – a musicabre shoot.  Just me coming down the stairs – a flash back to when the murderer, fresh from … Continue reading →

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HEAD SHOTS BLOOPER GALLERY

Posted on March 2, 2019 by dannyashkenasi

  I needed new head shots.  I also knew I’d be shaving my beard for the Tell-Tale Heart shoot.  So I scheduled a head shot photo shoot right before the Tell-Tale film shoot in order to schedule my shave in … Continue reading →

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