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.

An appreciation of E. L. DOCTOROW and RAGTIME, the book and the musical

Posted on July 22, 2015 by dannyashkenasi

E. L. Doctorow, one of the giants of contemporary literature has passed.  I have read nine of his twelve books, a ratio and record I have equaled in passion and loyalty with only two other contemporary authors, John Irving and … Continue reading →

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The Music of Ian McKellen reciting Shakespeare (hear! hear! right here!)

Posted on July 20, 2015 by dannyashkenasi

Ian McKellen just quoted Shakespeare to make a strong point about Immigration. Marc Maron interviewed Ian McKellen on the WTF podcast.  Maron confessed he had trouble understanding Shakespeare, and McKellen suggested Moran may have not yet heard Shakespeare spoken by … Continue reading →

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THE ENDURING POPULARITY OF DRAGONS IN KINDERGARTEN – The Fairy Tale Opera 2

Posted on July 18, 2015 by dannyashkenasi

Every year when I start the Fairy Tale Opera project in Kindergarten (at the Brooklyn Children’s School), I ask the class to make a long list of characters that appear in fairy tales.  Then the kindergartners choose three characters around … Continue reading →

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SEE JANE RUN. RUN JANE RUN! DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE! ——— SEE JOHN SLIDE. SLIDE JOHN SLIDE! THRU THE LOOKING GLASS!

Posted on July 15, 2015 by dannyashkenasi

Jane Allison goes down the rabbit hole.  John Allison slips through the looking glass.  Or rather a Prohibition era version of rabbit hole and looking glass, as employed in the musical “Speakeasy”, a roaring twenties riff on Lewis Carroll’s Alice … Continue reading →

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EVOCATION I – Happy Birthday, Ed, Now Pull Out Your Viola!

Posted on July 12, 2015 by dannyashkenasi

Today is my husband Edward Elder’s birthday.  He is the mustachioed fellow in the picture above.  One of my birthday gifts for him is a new viola/piano duet.  He plays the viola, I play the piano.  It has become a … Continue reading →

Posted in Beginnings, Chamber Works | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A SPREE FOREST MUSICAL EXCURSION Part 4 (It’s been epic, wouldn’t you say…?)

Posted on July 9, 2015 by dannyashkenasi

And we are back for the final installment of our musical and photographic excursion into the Spreewald(lieder) – Spree Forest (Suite). (Head here and here and here for the first three parts.) The Duo Elysée performed Spreewaldlieder in concert on … Continue reading →

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A SPREE FOREST MUSICAL EXCURSION Part 3

Posted on July 6, 2015 by dannyashkenasi

And we’re back for Part 3 of the Spree Forest day trip and the Spreewaldlieder song cycle for flute and harp.  (Head back here for Part 1 and Part 2) My favorite compliment I have received for the Spreewaldlieder song … Continue reading →

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A SPREE FOREST MUSICAL EXCURSION Part 2

Posted on July 2, 2015 by dannyashkenasi

Welcome back to the Spree Forest and the Spreewaldlieder song cycle for flute and harp.  (Head here for Part 1 if you missed it.) When I got the commission from the Duo Elysée I was excited to compose for flute … Continue reading →

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A SPREE FOREST MUSICAL EXCURSION Part 1

Posted on June 29, 2015 by dannyashkenasi

Let’s take a musical trip to the one-of-a-kind Spreewald.  The Spreewald (AKA the Spree Forest) is a gorgeous region, a kind of rural Venice located an hour southeast of Berlin, Germany in the source of the Spree River (which flows … Continue reading →

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OUR DAY HAS COME – a personal marriage story with musical accompaniment

Posted on June 26, 2015 by dannyashkenasi

Ed and I got married in 1998.  And again in 2011.  Then our marriage got federally augmented in 2013.  And now finally in 2015 the state of our union will be fully recognized in every state of the Union.   It’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Beginnings, LGBTQ Alphabet Soup, Melodies Linger On, Notes in the News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

GETTIN’ WITCHY WITH IT

Posted on June 25, 2015 by dannyashkenasi

Above is the first video I ever posted on YouTube, and easily the most visually fun of the ones I’ve posted so far: a demo recording of three songs from the musical “Witches” enhanced with 105 illustrations of witches past … Continue reading →

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Rest in Peace, James Horner

Posted on June 22, 2015 by dannyashkenasi

May you soar in the heavens with your melodies. (Hymn to the Sea – James Horner (from Titanic)

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MERMAIDS AND WIZARDS AND DRAGONS: The Kindergarten Fairy Tale Opera Project

Posted on June 20, 2015 by dannyashkenasi

I have already written about how First Grade Operas are created by the students at the Brooklyn Children’s School, and posted one, two, three examples.  If the First Grade Opera Project is the creating original music theater equivalent of riding … Continue reading →

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Jacqui Sutton waxes musically about Mark Twain and American Anthems

Posted on June 17, 2015 by dannyashkenasi

Jacqui Sutton isn’t merely a performer who has sung my music at numerous occasions, she is also a friend whose wedding to the writer Edward Porter I have attended (with my husband whom I call “my Ed” to distinguish him … Continue reading →

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SPEAKEASY – Dream a little Dream of Dreams

Posted on June 14, 2015 by dannyashkenasi

When we first meet John and Jane Allison in the musical Speakeasy they are making love. We don’t see them actually.  The lights are out.  We just hear them, some faint sounds of intimacy followed by a post-coital conversation in … Continue reading →

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SNOW WHITE and the SEVEN HOS: an SCA Benefit Performance

Posted on June 11, 2015 by dannyashkenasi

Be warned.  This will not be the Disney Musical Fairy Tale of your or anyone else’s childhood.  For one, Snow White is a recovering sex addict, and the seven dwarfs she meets all struggle with sex addiction and a variety … Continue reading →

Posted in LGBTQ Alphabet Soup, Melodies Linger On, Notes in the News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments