Worcester Music Festival Blog

One Musician Creating Change in his Little Corner of the World!

If you attended last Saturday's Worcester Chorus Concert: Bach's B Minor Mass and went down to Washburn Hall for intermission, you probably witnessed a group of teenagers performing a very quirky rendition to the Queen song "We Will Rock You, " appropriately renamed "We Will Bach You." This performance included harmonies, rapping, and body drumming, as well as beautiful gospel vocals from a young woman who is visually impaired. This group of kids, students and alumni from Fitchburg High School, are part of a group called The Tribe, led by singer/songwriter Wil Darcangelo.

Sneak Peek at a Worcester Chorus Rehearsal!

Anthony, our media intern from Worcester State, is creating a trailer for the upcoming Worcester Chorus performance of Bach's B-Minor Mass. Their conductor and artistic director, Chris Shepard, invited us to video this past Wednesday's rehearsal. Basically, I was just there to facilitate (big word for doing very little) while Anthony did all of the recording. As I am sure I have mentioned in a past blog somewhere, I really love the rehearsal process - as both a director and an audience member. I love to watch other directors in action and Chris was absolutely brilliant to watch.

The Heartbeat of a City

I attended the Woophoria event the other night at the Beechwood and it was so much fun to see all of the arts & culture organizations, as well as the businesses coming together for an event. A man from Sturbridge Village was there in a top hat and tails, there was a valiant knight from the Higgins Armory Museum, and the Ecotarium was sporting a tiny owl and a hedgehog - LIVE! The Beechwood provided food, of course, and it was just so much fun to see a sampling of the great cultural activities that Worcester has to offer!

Inspiring Week

A week has passed since I last posted on the blog and there is so much to discuss. My youngest son, Warren (almost 14 years) joined me last weekend for the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra concert and loved it. Students and faculty from Worcester Academy of Music graced our lobbies with music as we entered Mechanics Hall (see photo). Warren and I spent the first half of the concert on the floor, and then decided to watch the second half from the balcony. The balcony was the place to be - amazing to look down into the orchestra and see each musician at work.

An experience they will long remember...

Before the John Pizzarelli Quartet concert and during intermission, some wonderful students and faculty from the Joy of Music Program (JOMP) played in the lobby and Washburn Hall. I can't even begin to describe how magical it was walking into Mechanics Hall with young musicians playing as I entered. We received a lovely note from Wendy Ardizonne at JOMP today and I would like to share part of it with you: