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Notes from a Composer
“Speakeasy” Selections
Category Archives: Beginnings
PODCAST INTERVIEW LIVE!
Karl Kaefer from the Deviant Legion Network interviewed me about “The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre” This Thursday at 4pm EST I was interviewed live on Blog Talk Radio. The interview is now be archived at this link: … Continue reading
Posted in Beginnings, Cinema Scope, Notes in the News, Poe Musicabres
Tagged Award, blog, Deviant, Edgar Allan Poe, interview, Karl Kaefer, Legion, live, musicabre, Network, NYSFFF, podcast, Rachel Elaine, radio, short film, Talk, The Pit and the Pendulum
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Home Details
Posted in Arts-a-Poppin', Beginnings
Tagged Buddha, bulb, Freud, home, India, Lego, light, Nataraja, Painting, photography, Pride, Rainbow, shadow
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My Musicabres and Me
Extensive Interview on [re]Search My Trash Mike Haberfelner, who already posted a very nice review of my musical short film Edgar Allan poe adaptation “The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre” on his website [re]Search My Trash, has now … Continue reading
Posted in Beginnings, Cinema Scope, Literary Lyricism, Poe Musicabres
Tagged a musicabre, actor, adaptation, composer, Edgar Allan Poe, Edward Elder, film directing, horror, Metropolitan Playhouse, Mike Haberfelner, musical, NYU, Playwrights Horizons, research my trash, Rote Erde, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Tell-Tale Heart, torture porn
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Happy Birthday, Ed, Here’s Your New Viola/Piano Duet!
Ed’s birthday is today, and, as every year of the past 29 years that we’ve been together, I compose a viola/piano duet for him on his birthday. He plays viola, I play piano. Each one of these duets is called … Continue reading
Posted in Beginnings, Chamber Works, Notes in the News
Tagged birthday, computer, duet, Edward Elder, Evocation, gothic, musicabre, piano, score, Viola, XXIX
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A Thank You from Hair We Share
Dear Danny, On behalf of the staff and the board of directors of Hair We Share we want to thank you for joining our “Track Your Ponytail” program. It means so much to us and the person who will receive … Continue reading
Posted in Beginnings, Notes in the News
Tagged bald, Dean Riskin, donation, Hair, Hair We Share, Suzanne Chimera, Track Your Ponytail, wig
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EVOCATION XXVIII – for Ed’s 62nd Birthday
Today is Ed’s birthday. And like every year since our first together, I will present him with a viola/piano duet I composed. They are all called Evocations. This year it’s Evocation XXVIII. Ed will probably blanche at the double stops, … Continue reading
Posted in Beginnings, Chamber Works
Tagged 28, birthday, duet, Ed Elder, Edward Elder, Evocation, piano, Viola, XXVII
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LOOK, MA! NO HAIRS!
(More about all that to be posted soon … )
EASTER KNICK-KNACK HUNT
A Game of Hide and Seek in Photos What I enjoy most about Easter is the hiding and seeking of treats. I best like hiding and having my loved ones do the seeking. It’s just Ed and me together today, … Continue reading
Posted in Arts-a-Poppin', Beginnings, Two-fisted Touristing
Tagged back yard, beads, bear, Blow Up, cows, daffodils, dragon, Easter, frogs, game, Garden, hand puppet, hide, hunt, hyacinth, Lion, mardi-gras, mourning dove, Once Upon a Frog, photography, seek, toys, witch
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CINS CHAT CORNER INTERVIEW
Friday, November 13th, I recorded an interview with Cindy Mich from Art is Alive, which she has now posted on her Blog Talk Radio webpage and YouTube (see below). We talked for nearly 90 minutes about my short film musical … Continue reading
Posted in Beginnings, Literary Lyricism, Musicabilia, Notes in the News, Poe Musicabres, The Speakeasy Chronicles
Tagged Award, beTwixt beTween & beTWAIN, Blog Talk Radio, china, Cindy Mich, Cins Chat Corner, Danny Ashkenasi, I Too Sing America, IMDb, interview, Judy Garland, Red Sorghum, short film, Speakeasy, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Tell-Tale Heart, Zhang Yimou
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Diana Rigg and the 3rd Happy Song for Dark Times
I just learned that Diana Rigg passed. Rest in Peace, Diana Rigg. Diana Rigg was probably my first childhood celebrity crush. I likely first loved Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins the way tots love their nannies, but I had my … Continue reading
Posted in Beginnings, Cinema Scope, Live! On Stage, Melodies Linger On, Notes in the News
Tagged Big Band, Bond Girl, Broadway, Diana Rigg, Freud, Game of Thrones, German, Julie Andrews, Laurie Johnson Orchestra, Mary Poppins, Medea, Miss Marple, Mit Schirm Charme und Melone, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Patrick Magee, The Avengers, TV Theme
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4/25/20
Today is Ed and my anniversary. 27 years together. 22 years married. And it’s a Saturday. Last time our anniversary fell on a Saturday was five years ago. It won’t happen again for another six years. So of course … Continue reading
Posted in Beginnings, LGBTQ Alphabet Soup, Notes in the News
Tagged anniversary, Broadway, chocolates, Covid 19, gay marriage, pandemic, quarantine, shelter in place, wedding
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DROPPING NAMES
A Collection of Mini Memoir Memories You may have seen this going around on Facebook or Twitter: People listing names of celebrities they have met in their life times, but including one name that is a lie. Then people … Continue reading
Posted in Beginnings, Cinema Scope, Musicabilia, Notes in the News, The Teaching Artist
Tagged after school drama program, Al Gore, Andy Serkis, anecdote, celebrity, Celeste Holm, Christopher Walken, Elijah Wood, Frank Sinatra, Gollum, High Society, Isabella Rossellini, Jack Gilford, Jennifer Anniston, Jessica Hecht, Jude Law, Kathleen Turner, Lecy Goranson, Leonard Bernstein, Lord of the Rings, Marni Nixon, NYU, Paul Rudd, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Political Psychology, Sean Mathias, The Dead, The Last Night of Ballyhoo, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Viggo Mortensen, Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Witches, Woyzeck
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DREAMS and MEMORIES
A Dream Memory for the Grand-Niece Our niece Linden is homeschooling her children since the shelter-at-home order took hold in her state, just as it has done for millions of families all over the planet. She sent an … Continue reading
Posted in Beginnings, Literary Lyricism, The Teaching Artist
Tagged brother, devils, Dream, false memory, first grade, homeschool, Linden, Lyra, Memory, story, Tatu, trauma
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The Belligerent Homophobe Who Ruined Rocketman For Us
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
Posted in Beginnings, Cinema Scope, LGBTQ Alphabet Soup, Notes in the News
Tagged 2016 election, Arrival, Ben Wishaw, bigot, Braveheart, Cloud Atlas, Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me, Ed Elder, Elton John, Gay, homophobia, James D'Arcy, LGBTQ, love scene, MAGA, movie, Pride, Rocketman, Taran Egerton, Trump, Trumpian
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The Knight Marries the Prince
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