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Showing posts with the label Puccini

The Arts Don't Matter

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Madame Butterfly It is a very frustrating time to be an artist right now. To say nothing of the fact that we can't perform before a live audience, for those of us who have thrown our energies into writing, it seems that if we are not interested in politics or Donald Trump, our voices don't matter. I have written extensively on racism in the arts, and sexism as well. This year my words have appeared in San Francisco Classical Voice , The Tennessee Tribune , GO Magazine , and most recently in MusicWeb International  (based in the U.K.). They were even heard in the podcast Jazz Ready  hosted by Magdalena Gomez. But the major outlets (i.e., The New York Times , The New Yorker , New York Magazine , etc.) are only interested in publishing articles on politics and Trump. The Arts don't matter. This was one of the many reason why I spent so much time in Europe. There, the Arts always matter, regardless of what else is going on in the world. They have centuries of history throughout...

Lowri Marie and Nina Kennedy Perform in Harlem

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Nina Kennedy and Lowri Marie performing at the Salvation Army Harlem Temple Corps Sunday morning, February 18 th , soprano Lowri Marie and pianist Nina Kennedy were presented in what was called a “Black History Moment” at the Salvation Army Harlem Temple Corps, 540 Malcolm X Boulevard in New York City. During the regular Sunday service, Lowri Marie sang the Spiritual Bye and Bye , arranged by Edward Boatner, accompanied by Nina Kennedy on piano. The congregation was then treated to clips from the documentary film   Matthew Kennedy: One Man’s Journey , produced and directed by Nina Kennedy, about her father’s life and work as director of the internationally acclaimed Fisk Jubilee Singers. Nina Kennedy introducing clips from Matthew Kennedy: One Man's Journey Envoy Kenneth Burton had specifically requested a short clip of this film because he wanted some of the younger members of the congregation to be exposed to the history of Fisk University and the Fisk Ju...

Keep Silent in the Church?

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"As in all the congregations of the Lord’s people, women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church."                                                        St. Paul the Apostle, 1st Corinthians 14:33-35