Bach Concert December 6

The Bach Society presents Abendmusik on Sunday, December 6, at 6:00 pm. The program features the festive Advent cantatas Wachet! betet! betet! wachet! (BWV 70a) by Bach and Machet die Tore weit by Telemann, and the brilliant Magnificat by Jan Dismas Zelenka. Soloists are Melissa Givens, Sarah Brindley, Sishel Claverie, Randolph Lacy, and Paul Busselberg. The Bach Choir and Orchestra (on period instruments) are under the direction of Albert LeDoux.

Christ the King Lutheran Church is located at the corner of Rice Boulevard and Greenbriar. There is no admission charge; a free-will offering will be received to support the series. For more information visit our website at www.bachsocietyhouston.org or call (713) 523-2864.

Limited free parking is available on the lots west and south of Christ the King Church. Ample parking is available for $1.00 (credit card only) across the street at Rice University's stadium parking lot on the southeast corner of Rice & Greenbriar.

     

The Bach Society is funded in part by grants from the
City of Houston
through the Houston Arts Alliance.

New answering machine message

I try to make our answering machine message entertaining. Call if you want to hear the new one.

Quality News Reporting

Above-the-post update: Apparently, what they mean is that the district, regardless of its number, that includes Clinton County, New York, has been Republican since the Civil War. That's very hard to verify.

Today, you can read news sources all over the web telling us that a Democrat has won the New York 23rd Congressional District for the first time since the Civil War. That is a very interesting fact. It's so interesting that it doesn't even matter that it's not remotely true.

Where did this meme come from? The Newsday article says

Democrat Bill Owens Tuesday won New York's 23rd Congressional District, parts of which have been in Republican hands since the Civil War.

Parts? What does that mean? New York has been subject to re-drawing district lines many times, of course, but the 23rd district has been Democrat much more than it has gone Republican for the past century. What is this mythical "district" they're talking about that has been a GOP stronghold for 130 years or so?

Where did this lie start, and why are so many supposed news outlets repeating it without checking?

And now for something completely different:

Hat tip.

Gala!

I'll be in the Fort Bend Theatre Gala next Friday, November 13. It is a fund raiser for the theater. There will be some sketch comedy performed by actors (like me) who have been involved in theater productions this year, and there will be some minor celebrities who will be involved in sketches, as well. See the link for more information.

And this weekend, I'll be auditioning for a play at Theatre Suburbia. This one is not a musical, just a straight play. It is about a radio station in Minnesota, and it is directed by Bunny Hartman, who I acted with in the last straight play I did, Impossible Marriage. So it will be nice to see her again, and maybe that will give me a little edge. :)

Bach Vespers This Weekend

See also the sidebar to the right for Upcoming Performances.

The Bach Society presents Bach Vespers on Sunday, November 1, at 6:00 pm. The program features works reflecting on the themes of All Saints Day, including J.S. Bach's cantata Liebster Gott, wenn werd ich sterben, a setting of the German Nunc dimittis from the Musikalische Exequien by Heinrich Schütz, and the cantata Bestelle dein Haus by Christian Boxberg.

The Bach Choir is joined by soloists Nathan Medley, countertenor; Randolph Lacy, tenor; and Paul Busselberg, bass. The Bach Orchestra (on period instruments) is joined by the musicians of the trio Tinta Barroca, including guest organist Sebastian Knebel, who will play Bach's Prelude and Fugue in B Minor, BWV 544.

Christ the King Lutheran Church is located at the corner of Rice Boulevard and Greenbriar. There is no admission charge; a free-will offering will be received to support the series. For more information visit our website at www.bachsocietyhouston.org or call (713) 523-2864.

Limited free parking is available on the lots west and south of Christ the King Church. Ample parking is available for $1.00 (credit card only) across the street at Rice University's stadium parking lot on the southeast corner of Rice & Greenbriar.

The Bach Society is funded in part by grants from the
City of Houston
through the Houston Arts Alliance.

Push-ups and Bach

They have nothing to do with each other, as far as I know, except that I'm going to mention them both in this post.

The push-ups part

I have done push-ups on a regular basis for most of life, since I was an adolescent. They work out a lot of muscle groups at once, and don't require much time, space, or any equipment. My limit has always been "about 60". That's how many I could do in a row when I was at my peak of fitness in college, that's how many I could do in high school, that's how many I can do now. It is interesting (and somewhat frustrating) to me that the number never goes up. To be fair, in college I think I could hit 67 in a good set, while now my top number is 64. Still, not much difference.

There is a website called One Hundred Pushups that lays out a plan to work up to doing 100 push-ups in a row. According to their schedule, if you can do 60 push-ups, you're on week 6, the final week. You will do multiple sets of push-ups, with prescribed rest periods in-between. No doubt this is the key to building up endurance. However, when I tried, I was unable to even come close to doing the prescribed workout, which is (again) instresting and frustrating.

Anyway, five sets is too time-consuming, so I've been doing three sets: as many as I can do (about 60), 30 seconds rest, as many as I can do (about 13), 30 seconds rest, as many as I can do (about 10). We'll see if it leads to increasing my maximum. I know it has to be possible. Look at all the records!

Another exercise I like is Burpees. Again, it works a lot of muscles at once, in a short time, and requires little space and no equipment.

The Bach part

We had our first vespers of the new season with the new, smaller (16 singers instead of 24) Bach Choir. It went well. We were situated on high risers so that our voices could carry over the orchestra. Having heard the recording made by KUHF, I have to say we sounded really good. So if you get a chance to come hear us, please do. Next service is Nov 1 (see the sidebar).

Bach Vespers October 4

The Bach Society opens its 2009-2010 season with Bach Vespers on Sunday, October 4, at 6:00 pm. The program features J.S. Bach's Cantata 147, Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, as well as works by Heinrich Schütz and Max Reger.

The Bach Choir will be heard in its new, sixteen-voice configuration. Soloists are Bach Choir core singers Tricia Frank, Briana Kruse, Sarah Brindley, Sishel Claverie, Patrick Perez, Jeffrey Ragsdale, and Gabriel Preisser. Guest organist is Robert Brewer. The Bach Orchestra (on period instruments) plays under the direction of Artistic Director Albert LeDoux.

Christ the King Lutheran Church is located at the corner of Rice Boulevard and Greenbriar. There is no admission charge; a free-will offering will be received to support the series. For more information visit our website at www.bachsocietyhouston.org or call (713) 523-2864.

Limited free parking is available on the lots west and south of Christ the King Church. Ample parking is available for $1.00 (credit card only) across the street at Rice University's stadium parking lot on the southeast corner of Greenbriar & Shepherd.

The Bach Society is funded in part by grants from the
City of Houston
through the Houston Arts Alliance.