Holidays/Fiestas

Parade Day/Dia del Desfile

For Thanksgiving Day, I went to the Macy's Parade (Grandstand, baby!) (Thanks Dan & Bill!)

Para Accion de Gracias, fui al Desfile de Macy's (Palco especial, no mas!) (Gracias a Dan & Bill)



I sat right on the stands at the "backdrop" of the NBC telecast of the parade, so I could go back home and replay the parade that was programmed on the digital TV recorder. And there I was, just behind Julie Andrews!!!

Estuve sentado en los graderias que eran el telon de fondo de la transmision del desfile en NBC, asi que al regresar a casa, puse el desfile en la grabadora de TV digital que se quedo programada para grabarlo. Y ahi estaba yo, justo atras de Julie Andrews!!!


I realized that this is the second time I have "been" in U.S. National television, and the first time, of all things was also in a parade: the 1995 Hollywood Christmas Parade. Back then, digital cameras were not that usual, I guess...so the only picture I found, from the web, was the official group photo of the band I co-directed with my bud Luis. (I am the one on the right, without the uniform)

Me di cuenta que esta es la segunda vez que "aparezco" en la TV nacional de los Estados Unidos, y la primera vez, paradogicamente, tambien fue en un desfile: el Desfile de navidad de Hollywood de 1995. En ese entonces, las camaras digitales no eran tan comunes, creo yo...asi que la unica foto que encontre en la web fue esta, la foto oficual de la banda que co-dirigi con mi cuatazo Luis. (Yo soy el que esta sin uniforme a la derecha)

New Religions, Performance Art and Social Activism

I've been always fascinated with the voice inflections, body language, and gimmicks of new fundamentalists, motivational speakers, and always try to concentrate on their technique. More than once it has come across my mind as performance art. The I found this clip of Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping. My first naive impression was that this was another crazy authentic religion. It turns out he is Bill Talen, a performance artist, who's turning into a high-powered anti-consumerism activist.



I liked this Talen's quote from an article published yesterday in The New Yorker magazine: “One time, I was arrested at a Buy Nothing Day Parade. We went in and exorcised a Starbucks cash register, and, sure enough, I got thrown in the holding tank at Fifty-fourth Street. And the cops that arrested me were really upset that they were missing this.” But this one, by Talen's associate, Reverend Michael O'Neill really caught my attention: “Community isn’t recognized unless it’s mediated through monetary transactions.”

YouTube: Latin Youth Orchestras

Hace unos meses me suscribi en YouTube.com de modo que el webiste encontrara videos con descripciones que incluyeran las palabras "orquesta" y "sinfonica". Aca he escogido algunas orquestas infantiles y juveniles latinoamericanas que he encontrado. Los dos ultimos de Gustavo Dudamel con la Sinfonica Juvenil de Venezuela. La respuesta del publico no le envidia nada a la forma en que el publico respondio a Paul Simon en el Radio City Music Hall...

A couple of months ago I subscribed to YouTube.com, so that the website would find videos with descriptions that include the words "orquesta" and "sinfonica". Here I have chosen some youth and children's orchestras frfom Latin America. The last two clips are of Gustavo Dudamel conducting the Venezuela Youth Symphony. As for the audience cheers, they have nothing to envy compared to the response to Paul Simon at the Radio City Music Hall...

OSIM (Orquesta Sinfonica Infantil de Mexico/Mexico Children Symphony Orchestra)(Oct./ 22/2006)


"Fotos de la gira de la Orquesta Sinfonica Juvenil "Jorge Peña Hen" de la Universidad de la Serena, en el Septimo Encuentro Nacional de Orquestas en Antofagasta":
"Pictures of the Universidad de la Serena's 'Jorge Pena Hen' Youth Orchestra, ou tour to the 7th Nacional Orchestra Summit in Antofagasta":


Raúl Zurita, premio nacional de Literatura y Orquesta Antonio Vivaldi (publicado el 25 de oct. 2006)
Raul Zurita, national Literature Award and the Antonio Vivaldi Orchestra (posted Oct. 25th 2006)



"La Conga del Fuego Nuevo"-con la Orquesta Sinfonica Juvenil de Chiapas y la direccion Arturo Marquez- el autor(13 Ago. 2006)
"New Fire's Conga" with the Chiapas (Mexico) Youth Symphony, conducted by the composer(Aug. 13th, 2006)



Dudamel/Sinfonica juvenil de Venezuela: 5ta de Beethoven y ovacion (Mayo 2006)
Dudamel/Venezuela Youth Symphony: Beethoven's 5th and Cheer (May 2006)


Dudamel/Sinfonica Juvenil de Venezuela: Mambo (Mayo/May 2006)

Paul Simon en/in Radio City Music Hall

Stephen took me this time to the Paul Simon concert at RCMH. It was fun!

Picture of the concert by Rahav Segev, as published in the New York Times

Picture of the concert by me, as published in this blog