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Written by Amy E. Malkoff
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Thursday, 06 April 2006 |
 For the past 10 years or so of my life, I’ve been mixing together and living in both the acoustic music world and the a cappella world. My goal has always been to take an a cappella group to high-end acoustic venues, and I’ve been able to do that. Acoustic audiences respond very well to a cappella, partially because of the novelty of simply not being another solo singer-songwriter, but also because they tend to be smart audiences who appreciate music that is done well. There are a few other acts that have tapped into the acoustic scene, like Da Vinci’s Notebook, who did very well at folk festivals and coffeehouses.
I went to an open mic this past Sunday here in my town, to be supportive of my friend’s boyfriend, who was the featured act. I’d never met said boyfriend before. And for a while, I've been contemplating how I want to talk about my recent open mic experiences, because it’s been bothering me. When I started out as 1/2 of an acoustic duo, in grad school and right out of college, my partner and I cut our teeth on a steady (almost nightly) diet of open mics. Truly, the trenches. We worked our way up from there. And the quality of the performers was astounding. And so was the competitiveness. In many circumstances, I think competitiveness is one ugly characteristic (although competitive people inevitably think themselves charming), but in this case it sure kept people on their toes. Songwriting was honed, everyone was looking for a gig, so they brought their best game out of necessity. Consequently, the people I started out performing with now read like a who's who of national touring songwriters:
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Last Updated ( Friday, 14 April 2006 )
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Written by Albert Kramberger / West Island Chronicle
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Wednesday, 05 April 2006 |
POINTE-CLAIRE, QC, CANADA -- In perfect harmony, voices, direction and setting, the Ste. Anne Singers concentrate on making each word and note count during their most recent recording session a few weeks ago in Dorval’s Presentation de la Ste. Vierge church.
The soundtrack, four songs in all, will be used by the well known and highly acclaimed a cappella ensemble to enter this year’s CBC National Competition for Amateur Choirs.
No stranger to competition or to winning, the 23-voice group, founded by Ste. Anne de Bellevue resident Margo Keenan, has almost 20 years of experience.
With an eclectic and entertaining repertoire spanning centuries of music from Renaissance, classical, jazz, folk, gospel, pop and contemporary choral, it’s no surprise to find they have been three-time winners of the prestigious Montreal Choral Festival, most recently in 2001. In 2002 were semi-finalists in the CBC National Competition for Amateur Choirs.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 05 April 2006 )
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Written by Hillel.org
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Tuesday, 04 April 2006 |
WASHINGTON, DC -- "Spring Break: Ukraine" may never make the MTV programming line-up, but for 13 students from Columbia University and Barnard College, it was a must-see – and must-do – experience. These students, members of Columbia/Barnard Hillel's Pizmon a cappella group, recently spent 10 days in the former Soviet republic for a spring break focused on music rather than mai tais. With Hillel professionals and students as their companions, they got an up-close-and-personal view of the Jewish communities in Kiev, Kharkov and Odessa while performing for audiences large and small.
A co-ed group, Pizmon has been a mainstay in the Columbia/Barnard Jewish community for 20 years and has made international travel a priority each year. Former destinations have included Argentina, Uruguay, Germany, Poland and Israel. Reports about the re-emergence of Jewish life in the former Soviet Union inspired Pizmon members to select Ukraine as their next stop.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 04 April 2006 )
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Written by Candice Helfand
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Monday, 03 April 2006 |
 hypocritical writer sings
“Bum bim, bum bim, bum, bum, bum…”
Uh oh.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 10 April 2006 )
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