Tuesday, December 27, 2022

Day 388- Straight No Chaser – A cappella, Their Song and Instrumental Sound is Magic (Pittsburgh 2022)

 


 Straight No Chaser  celebrates 25 years of wowing audiences by using only their voices to produce a rainbow of sounds and song. These nine men are the vocals, orchestra and/or band all rolled up into one.  This a cappella group started in 1996 at Indiana University with the purpose, according to one member, “to get girls.”  Since then, they have produced 5 albums, the latest "Straight No Chaser: Social Christmasing." They have taken a cappella to another level as master entertainers in using the voice as an instrument.  It’s like magic.

Monday, December 19, 2022

Day 387 Steubenville Ohio-Holiday Nutcracker Village- A Christmas Story of Hope and Resilience.

 

 Just about 45 minutes from Pittsburgh in Steubenville, Ohio you can enter a festive world of life-sized Nutcrackers during the Holidays. From November 22, 2022 through January 7, 2023 the downtown streets of Steubenville are transformed into a village of these happy fellows and gals.  Lined along the streets you will find one representing almost every profession, sports team, and/or hobby that you can imagine.  These brightly colored Nutcrackers gave this town a needed boost after it was hit hard when the steel mills closed. Thanks to these beautifully crafted friends, Steubenville is a magical Holiday destination. The making of  The Nutcracker Village is a true Christmas Story of  resilience and hope. 

Monday, December 5, 2022

Day 386- A Christmas Story (The Play)-Pittsburgh Public Theater-A Simpler Christmas

 


My son and I make it an annual holiday tradition to watch the movie "A Christmas Story" that takes place on Cleveland Street, Indiana in the 1940’s. We laugh over and over at nine-year-old Ralphie’s quest for a “Red Ryder, Carbine Action, two-hundred shot, range rider air rifle with a compass  in the stock” and his father’s acquisition of the “major award,” the tacky leg lamp. The movie has become an iconic classic. Even if you never watched the movie, the story elicits memories of our own childhood. It reminds us of a simpler Christmas, a time when the holiday focus was on those around the tree and not what was under it, unless of course, you are Ralphie.      

Friday, December 2, 2022

Day 385- Pittsburgh Opera -Free Brown Bag Concerts -Experience Opera Up-Close with the 22-23 Resident Artists

   


Every Year the Pittsburgh Opera gets over 500 applicants from around the world for their Resident Artist two-year program. This program gives the artists a chance to work on a variety of opera productions. Several times a year during the opera season  they preform free one hour "Brown Bag Concerts"  in the Bitz Opera Factory (Opera Headquarters) located in the Strip District. This is great opportunity to meet the new talent and experience opera up-close.