Charlie Chaplin in "City Lights," with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra

Charlie Chaplin and Virginia Cherrill in City Lights, 1931

Last night we all climbed into the TARDIS (which is bigger on the inside) and traveled back in time to 1931 to watch City Lights, a silent Charlie Chaplin film on the silver screen, accompanied by a live orchestra and a live audience roaring with laughter (because silent films were not, in fact, silent at all).  All of which is totally and completely true, except for the part about the TARDIS (we've been watching a lot of Dr. Who reruns as well). 

Actually, the film was screened at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center in 2014 with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra performing the original score to the silent film, just as original audiences would have experienced the film back in 1931 when it was a new release.  Jacomo Rafael Bairos, the energetic young conductor whom our sons remember from his tenure with the CSO Lollipops family concert series when they were much younger, led the orchestra in a rousing rendition of Chaplin's original score.  It was absolutely fantastic.  We loved it, the kids loved it, and I wish this wasn't just a one-time thing. 

Also, I had not known that Charlie Chaplin not only starred in his films, but also wrote the films, directed the films, AND composed his own musical scores.  Note to self: Find a Charlie Chaplin biography next time I'm at the book store.

That's all you get -- a quilt is calling me from across the room!

Dr. Seuss Meets the Symphony in the Lollipops Series Green Eggs and Ham Concert

Michael Boudewyns as Sam I Am

If you live in the Charlotte area and you have kids, you should have been at the Belk Theatre this morning for the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra's third concert in the family-friendly Lollipops Concert Series, Green Eggs and Ham.  This was a single date engagement, so if you missed it, you're out of luck.  However, this is a traveling performance so if you live in another metropolitan area, this concert could be coming soon to a symphony near you!

Playing recorded classical music at home or in the car is all well and good, but there's nothing like taking children to the symphony for a real, live performance.  Unfortunately, children have shorter attention spans than adults, have more difficulty remaining silent throughout the performance, and are prone to late-night meltdowns around the time that the orchestra is typically tuning up and ready to go.  The Lollipops concerts are on Saturday mornings, and because there are more kids in the theatre than adults, you don't feel like your child's questions, comments, or ants-in-the-pants antics are ruining anything for other audience members.  What's more, each of these concerts has done an excellent job of engaging audience members of all ages, from tiny preschoolers up through adults.  There are activities in the lobby prior to the concert, such as opportunities for kids to try out percussion instruments with symphony musicians, as well as themed word searches and coloring sheets.  Today's performance involved actor Michael Boudewyns, whose Cat In the Hat voices had my husband laughing so hard that tears were streaming down his face, as well as delightful soprano Kimberly Schroeder, who sang about how she would not, could not, eat green eggs and ham.  What a fantastic way to introduce small children to the operatic concept! 

Jacomo Rafael Bairos, Assistant Conductor, Charlotte Symphony Orchestra

As usual, our favorite artist was Portuguese-American conductor Jacomo Rafael Bairos.  He has been with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra for less than a year, and he brings so much energy and enthusiasm to the podium; you can tell he is passionate about sharing music with children.  Anders, who brings his own conductor's baton to every performance and "helps" the Maestro from the Grand Balcony, got a chance to talk to Mr. Bairos after today's performance and even got an autographed program and some career advice.  Maestro says, if you want to be a conductor someday, learn to play the piano!  If that's the case, Anders is well on his way.

Prior Lollipops performances have involved puppets, and I understand that ballet dancers from the North Carolina Dance Theatre School of Dance will be assisting the Symphony with their next Lollipops concert, Carnival of the Animals on April 30th.  You can buy tickets to that concert here.  I hope to see you there!

Of Tuxedos, Bells and Drill Presses: Le week-end Chez Nous!

This is what the weekend is all about at our house.  Yesterday Lars learned to use a drill press to make holes in the cabinet doors for the hinges:

Afterwards, Bernie stained and glazed the doors and drawer front and installed them in the butler's pantry, which looks much better now. 

Bernie still needs to glaze the back of the kitchen island and all of the light rail molding, and then top coat everything before the finishing work will be complete.  As with most do-it-yourself remodels, this is taking a lot longer than it would have if we hired someone to come in and do everything at once.  Instead, there's an hour of free time one day to work on the cabinets, but then a few hectic days go by when there's no time for home improvement projects at all.  I'm just delighted that my lattes no longer taste toxic, and that now my little cabinet is mostly finished and the plumbing is no longer on display.

Meanwhile, my little Anders has been begging me for a tuxedo for about six months now.  I have no idea who or what may have planted this obsessive formal wear seed in his mind, but he hasn't forgotten about it and I finally caved in.  If he can have a Yoda costume, a Batman costume, and a Buzz Lightyear costume, then why not a tuxedo?  Look how proud and happy he is!  Awww!  :-)

I am not completely insane, however, so I found him a polyester tuxedo on Amazon.com that is just a few steps above a Halloween costume on the quality scale.  I figure he can wear it for Piano Festival in a couple of weeks, and then he can wear it to his piano recital in May as well.  If he grows out of it after that, I will have gotten my money's worth from just those two wearings.  There are only so many occasions for a seven-year-old to wear a tux, you know?  For what I paid for this ensemble, it's fine.  The pants fit a little snug at the waist, and the vest and coat are way too big, but Bernie is going to take him to the inexpensive alterations shop he uses to fix that for him.  Why am I not doing the alterations myself on my amazing Bernina sewbaby, you may ask?  Because I wouldn't know where to begin to alter a tailored jacket, for one thing, and for another, I'm still really busy with work and I don't see any free time for sewing opening up for at least another couple of months.

Oh, yes; the bells -- Lars and Anders played in the youth bell choir at church this morning, and now they are at a Kids in Christ youth group Valentine activity with the amazing Ms. Glenda.  I have been doing laundry, but still need to get a grocery list together and prune my crape myrtles now that my husband set up my ladder and wheelbarrow for me.  When the boys get back from church I'll be listening to piano practice and supervising some math homework that Anders needs to turn in tomorrow, and later this evening I'll put the finishing touches on a dining room drapery design that I'm scheduled to present to clients on Monday afternoon.  Once the kids are in bed and their stories have been read, I'll probably wonder where the weekend went again, but really, we've been busy and accomplished a lot.

Next week I have several business meetings, Valentine's Day, the installation of my laundry room granite and *RED* laundry sink, and the long-awaited, should-have-been-done-ages-ago installation of my shutters to look forward to.  Anders' class is going on a field trip to the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra this week (I wonder if I should let him bring the conductor's baton my dad gave him for Christmas?) and we have an appointment to have a family portrait taken for the church directory on Wednesday evening after the boys finish choir practice.  I wonder if I can squeeze them in for haircuts before the photographer appointment?  There are only so many hours in each day.

Have a happy Valentine's Day, everyone.  Have a great week!

Happy Halloween 2010

Every year, we hurry through dinner on Halloween, then the kids frantically scramble into their costumes as the doorbell starts going bananas with the early crowd of trick-or-treaters.  I'm dashing to the door to hand out candy with a camera around my neck, imploring my restless cowboys to hold still for a picture as they duck out the door and into the night.

But THIS year, we had tickets to the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra's Lollipops children's concert series, so we got the boys in costume on Saturday morning for the Thrills and Chills Halloween Spooktacular concert at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center.  It was a chance to test out the lipliner "scar" on Lars-as-Harry-Potter's forehead, as well as the orange spray powder for the hair of Anders-as-Ron-Weasley.  The concert was lots of fun, and I got my photo ops in afterward before the security guard came and scolded us for taking pictures.  Apparently there is no photography allowed in the skywalk between the Bank of America building and the Belk -- who knew?

 Bernie and the boys carved their pumpkins outside by the fire pit on Saturday night.  Anders drew his face and Bernie carved his pumpkin, but this was the first year that Lars got to do his own carving.  He enjoyed it A LOT!

 Then on Sunday, after church, all the kids changed into costume and went out "trick-or-treating" in the early afternoon to collect groceries for the local Loaves and Fishes food pantry, followed by a Halloween party at the youth choir director's home (we love you, Glenda!).  I got this group photo of all the kids before they left the church:

It was about 3:30 when we got the kids home from the party, and then we watched It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown on Hulu...

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, 1966

...followed by an old VHS tape of Monty Python and the Holy Grail.  Not sure what that had to do with Halloween, but the boys enjoyed the ferocious rabbit with pointy teeth and the Knights Who Say Nih!

Monty Python and the Holy Grail, 1975

My husband cooked a delicious dinner of pork loin with sweet potatoes, then donned a purple-and-black witch's wig and black cloak before taking my little wizards trick-or-treating while I stayed behind to pass out candy.  All in all, it was a pretty good Halloween.