Bugs concert pictures

Hi everyone,

Thanks to conductor PATRICK REYNOLDS of the Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, I’ve now enjoyed listening to a video of the whole “Bugs” concert, including the poems from bugs, poems about creeping things read by the orchestra’s talented pianist, MOLLIE STEEN and the two partner poems that Mollie and I read together. It was great fun to see it all happen.

The concert itself was wonderful. Such a talented group of young musicians!

These pictures are grainy because I took them with my camera of the video, but they still give an idea of how the show was put together. Thank you again, Pat and Mollie!

The Bugs Concert

Hi everyone,

Today’s the day that maestro PATRICK REYNOLDS leads the Dayton Ohio Philharmonic Youth Orchestra in a reprisal of The “Bugs” Concert. For the second time since it came out in 2007, my book, BUGS, POEMS ABOUT CREEPING THINGS, hilariously illustrated by ROB SHEPPERSON, is featured throughout the performance. The orchestra’s pianist, MOLLIE STEEN, will recite three poems from the book. She and I will also read together two partner poems: FLEA and FLY. I won’t be there in person but my video will be shown on a huge screen hung above the orchestra.

Founded in 1937 by Paul Katz, the Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra brings together the greater Dayton area’s most gifted young orchestral musicians, providing the opportunity to study and perform a broad range of orchestral repertoire. The DPYO performs three concerts each season. The orchestra regularly performs on the Dayton Philharmonic’s DP&L Family Concert Series, which has recently included collaborations with the Dayton Ballet II Senior Company, performance artist Dan Kamin, and the Magic Circle Mime Company.

I thought about combining a trip to New York City with a drop-in visit to Dayton but the timing wasn’t good. Patrick has promised to send me a recording of the whole concert so I’ll look forward to that.

Getting there

Hi everyone,

I think I’m within three weeks of completing the Teacher Created Material book. That would make it March 11, two days before my birthday. What a nice gift to myself!

On another front, this Wednesday I’ll Zoom-storm with PATRICK REYNOLDS, conductor of the Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, and MOLLIE STEEN, pianist for the orchestra. We’ll discuss our respective roles in the upcoming “Bugs” concert on March 20. I’ll make a video later in the week of my part of two poems for partners that Mollie and I will read together during the performance. We’ll do “The Fly” and “Spanish Fly” from my book BUGS, POEMS ABOUT CREEPING THINGS. Will that be fun? Oh my yes!

A mixed week

Hi everyone,

I may not be blogging much this week. I have several things on my list that need attention. I need to make every minute count for the ongoing book project with LAURA ROBB and TIM RASINSKI. I need to write a letter of recommendation for a friend, and make a video with Tim and MARY JO FRESCH to promote our pair of books that come out on February 1.

The fun news is that I spoke yesterday with maestro PATRICK REYNOLDS of the Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and we agreed that I’ll make a series of videos to be part of the “Bugs” concert on March 20 in Dayton. There will be one video that will be aired as advance marketing for the performance, two of me reading poems from the book, BUGS, POEMS ABOUT CREEPING THINGS, and two others that are poems for two voices.

I’ll record my part here and my reading partner will be the orchestra’s pianist, live on the night of the concert. My image will be cast on a large screen above the orchestra so I’ll look down as though I’m looking at my reading partner and she’ll look up to the screen during her parts. If you’ve ever seen my Halloween poem with RENEE LATULIPPE, it will be similar to that. She was in her home in Italy looking to her right to “see” me and I was here looking left to “see” her. For this week I’ll just make two of the videos so that Pat can check how well my images will project on a screen that size. If it doesn’t work, he’ll make the recording from his end. Wish me luck!

Recording some bugs

Hi everyone,

Thanks to Nathan Papes, Springfield News-Leader, for the picture

Yesterday I had a note from PATRICK REYNOLDS, conductor of the Philharmonic Youth Orchestra in Dayton, Ohio, inviting me to record some of my choices from bugs, poems about creeping things. that he might use to help promote the “Bugs” concert in March and perhaps include during the performance.

Don’t have the bugs worked out of the idea yet, or into it, but I’m so happy at the thought of participating in this way. I’m still considering the idea of attending the concert in person, but either way the fun factor just took a leap upward. The maestro asked about my favorite poems from the book and I sent him this list.

bugs
a tick’s friends
scorpion
flea
bookworm
dumb beetles
centipede
no-see-um
bad beetles
other bugs

I wish I could show you the marvelous illustrations by ROB SHEPPERSON. No matter how funny I think I am, Rob always makes each poem better with his own puckish sense of humor. You can  guess just by seeing the cover alone. I'd love to do something else together one of these days.