Day 345- Black Violin:Impossible Tour-Dream- Show the World What's Possible

My Blog inspiration book, “Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Little Golden Book” reminds us to “be unique” and unique is  just what  you get with Black Violin. Classically trained violist (Wil B) and violinist (Kev Marcus) fuse classical music with hip hop, pop and rock. They call their new musical genre “Classical Boom”. Their music is not just about a unique sound but as Wil B said during their show, it is about “breaking stereotypes” and “showing the world that what’s impossible is possible.”

December Preview of Events-All Things Festive

Holiday Pops-December 13-22-Heinz Hall

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Mendelssohn Choir, Broadway star Ashly Brown and various other vocal soloists, come together for an explosion of holiday cheer at the yearly Highmark Holiday POPS.  There is nothing like the full sound of the orchestra to augment favorite holiday songs and I love a sing along!  This should be another perfect reprieve from shopping and all that preparing that we all seem to be doing during this time of year.  

Deck the halls with me on weekends December 13-15 and December 20-22 at Heinz Hall. (For Tickets go to pittsburghsymphony.org.) 

Home For the Holidays-December 17, 2019 -Benedum

Home for the Holidays is a concert featuring some of Pittsburgh’s best talent as they come home for the Holidays. This event benefits the Pittsburgh Food Bank and celebrates the season mixing rock, blues and soul in a night of Holiday musical classics with: 

Kevin  Garrett, Clinton Clegg, Scott Blasey, Lyndsey Smith, Billy Price, Margot Bingham, Joy Ike, Anthony Jardine, Jimbo Jackson, Morgan Erina and John Schisler  and more special guests.

Join me on December 17,2019 for a musical celebration when Pittsburgh’s best come “Home for the Holidays.” For ticket go to trustarts.org.             .

Forever Plaid -Pittsburgh CLO October 31-December 29,2019- Greer Cabaret Theater

In this hit musical, the 1950’s male musical group “The Plaids” who met their demise in a car crash are revived to give the musical performance that never was. It’s a night of  laughs and classic harmonies with 1950’s hits : “Catch a Falling Star,” “Three Coins in the Fountain,” “Love Is a Many Splendored Thing” and “Magic Moments” and more.

Join me in for a nostalgic night or to hear these song for the first time in this hilarious comedy. For ticket go  trustarts.org. 

Phipps Conservatory- Holiday Magic-November 29, 2019-January 12, 2020

Holiday Season often involve that panic rush feeling "to get it all done.” We forget as my blog inspiration book, “Everything I Learned About Christmas, I Learned From A Little Golden Book”, reminds us that Christmas should be a “time of wonder, a time like no other time of the year.”   At Phipps Conservatory,  the beauty brings back the wonder of the season as you navigate through the 8 rooms of nature infused with lights, Christmas trees and  poinsettias,  as well as 6 permanent  botanical  gardens.

Join me for Holiday Magic at Phipps Conservatory and share the wonder of the season.For Tickets go to phippsconservatory.org. 

Day 344 -Liberty Magic-Dennis Watkins: The Magic Parlour- A Sophisticated Show that Makes You Believe

My blog inspirational series of books, Everything I Need To Know I Learned From a Little Golden Book, reminds us that, “All you need is a little magic in your life.” You can get that at  Liberty Magic, Pittsburgh’s intimate venue dedicated solely to the slight of hand.  Each Liberty Magic show is a unique brew of the individual’s approach to the art and their bag of tricks.  Dennis Watkins brings The Magic Parlour, the longest running show in Chicago’s historic Palmer House Hilton Hotel, to Pittsburgh. I was excited to experience this show that is inspired by the sophistication of the 1900’s parlor magicians and rarely viewed outside of the Windy City. 

Day 343 -THE LION KING - Bold Journey Through the African Savanna for all Ages.

THE LION KING, based on Disney’s animated movie, is not just for children.  The show won 6 Tony Awards and fuses pop music written by Elton John and Tim Rice with African rhythms. The African plains come to life with the spectacular blending of puppetry and actors. It tells the story of the lion cub, Simba's journey to become the ruler of Pride Rock like Mufasa, his father. It’s a bold musical and visual journey into the African Savanna.

September Preview of Events

Black Violin: The Impossible Tour-Byham Theater -September 26, 2019

Black Violin is composed of two classically trained violinist, Will Bapiste and Kev Marcus that combine classical music with hip hop, rock, R&B and Bluegrass music in what they call “Classical Boom.” These two spread a positive message of encouragement  in their explosive show.

Join me for Black Violin: The Impossible Tour  where anything is possible in this unique fusion of classical music with other musical genres. For tickets go to trustarts.org 

Day 342-Carnegie Science Center 21+Nights -Science of Games -Games of Chance

The Carnegie Science Center's   monthly  21+ Nights are evenings to enjoy the four floors of exhibits with small bites  and  a cocktail in hand. It makes science fun for adults. This month’s theme was “Game Night” where you could learn the science behind casino table games and more. This was my chance to finally shed my intimidation of the rapid dealing in Blackjack, the wheel in Roulette and the number combinations on the confusing table in the dice game of Craps.

Day 341- Pittsburgh Zoo- Summer Safari- Share a Party with the Wonderful Creatures in the Wild

A zoo visit educates, entertains, and reminds us that we share this world with many other unique species. Summer Safari is the Pittsburgh Zoo's annual adult benefit that celebrates the stature of the lion, the wobble of the penguins, the artistry of the black and white painted zebra, the vibrant shades of blues, yellows and pinks of the ocean world, and more.  It’s a party that you share with the diverse wonderful creatures in the wild as you hold a cocktail, sample delicious dishes from over 28 businesses, and listen to live entertainment.

Day 338 Urban Hike- Pull Yourself out of the Sedentary Saturday Morning Quicksand for an Exercise Learning Adventure

My blog inspiration book, Everything I Need to Know I Learned from A Little Golden Book reminds us to “get some exercise every day.”  I have added new physical activities to my repertoire during this empty-nest challenge to try new  things such as: lawn bowling (Day 34) swing dancing (Day 18) and snorkeling Day 292 ). That being said, on a Saturday morning there is a heightened gravitational pull to stay put and sit in my comfy chair, sip my coffee and watch the morning news.  A morning hike is usually not on my to do list.  Urban Hike's monthly hikes are worth pulling out of this Saturday morning quicksand for an exercise and Pittsburgh learning experience.   

Day 337- The Pittsburgh Symphony’s Summer Series ROCKS with" Windborne’s The Music of the Rolling Stones”

I join many in proclaiming that my favorite rock band of all time is the Rolling Stones. They were formed in 1962 but their concerts still fill stadiums.  Their iconic music and the energy propelled by their lead singer Mick Jagger gets your blood pumping. Our Grammy Award winning  Pittsburgh Symphony recently merged with a rock band to recreate  the "Music of the Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger & Keith Richard 1969."  I have stood in line for many a Stones concert but this time I was ready to rock n’ roll with the Pittsburgh Symphony as they played from an incredible catalog of Rolling Stones 1969 hits.

August/July Preview of Events

Spamilton: An American Parody- Greer Cabaret Theater-runs until August 24, 2019

The January “ticket” in Pittsburgh was Hamilton and this summer "the  ticket" is CLO’s Spamilton: An American Parody at the intimate Greer Cabaret Theater.  This show "runneth over" with wit and a mashup of Broadway shows. The talented cast fills the stage with dance and rhythms of  rap, reggae, jazz and classic melodies. Spamilton is more like an atomic bomb of action that plays homage to the birth of  Hamilton and other Broadway shows. It is a cocktail of fun and laughs. 

Join me for a night of supersonic motion, wit and fun at Spamilton at the Greer Cabaret Theater. For tickets go to pittsburghclo.org. 

Read Blog Post  here

The Ara of Cool: The Art of John Van Hamersveld -Westmoreland Museum of American Art- July 20 - October 20, 2019

 The Era of Cool: The Art of John Van Hamersveld  is a celebration of pop art at the The Westmoreland Museum of American Art.  As the art director for Capitol Records, Van Hamersveld designed the iconic album covers for the Beatle’s “Magical Mystery Tour", The Greatful Dead’s “Skeleton in the Closet” and  concert posters for Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan and many others. The Era of Cool will include  selections of Van Hamersveld’s album covers, poster designs, drawings, mural designs, photography and paintings.

 Join me for some “cool” at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art which  opens on July 20 and runs through October 20, 2019.The Museum admission is free. For museum hours and more information go to thewestmoreland.org.

Day 336-Heightened Movie Experience with Rangos Giant Cinema (Carnegie Science Center) and Comfy Cinemark (North Hills)

These days thanks to streaming, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and more (not to mention the improvements in television size and technology) movie theaters have to step it up to get our attention.  More often than not I burrow at home into my favorite chair, rest my legs on the ottoman under my grandma's knitted blanket, sip my favorite beverage and peruse the smorgasbord of movies on line. The heightened movie experiences of  Rangos Giant Cinema with its larger than life screen, and Cinemark (North Hills) with its comfy recliners, dissolves my desire to stay home on movie night.