A Question of Substitution

The other day I saw an interview on TVO of author and journalist Chris Hedges about his book, Empire of Illusion. Mr. Hedges is a thought-provoking speaker and his take on all of the topics which the interview touched upon hit home with me. Most relevant was his description of the changing of narratives in professional wrestling. The increasing drive towards a narrative which made wrestling personas relate to their audience, says Hedges, led them to be perceived as real in everyday life. Moreover, the constant spectacle of the media we consume today (television, films, the Internet, etc.) leads us to substitute rational judgments for emotional ones when making decisions in our lives.

Don't mess with M

If there's a term which musicians have been throwing around lately when theorizing on attracting audiences, it's "Multimedia".

"We should be using multimedia! There should be something for people to look at!" Yes, but remember that all of this adds all sorts of extra crazy. I am all for making a concert more than the norm but I am tired of hearing people throwing this word around.

If you're going to slip this neat little word into your next conversation, take a look at these few points first.

Setting the Right Goal

One of the many life-altering habits that began two years ago was setting goals for myself, both long and short-term. Since I began setting them, I've managed to cross many of my original ones off, though new ones are added in time to replace the old.

Opera da Camera on Rockethub

Some of you may remember I wrote a bit on Opera da Camera last year. The quartet is busy preparing for their most ambitious project yet: Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, which will be performed at the Théatre Rialto on February 22, 23, and 24. All those details can be found here.

Part of their preparations have included a fundraising drive through Rockethub, a crowd-funding website similar to Kickstarter. In two weeks OdC has managed to raise $760 and they still have 61 days to go (as of today) to reach their goal of $3000. If you're looking for a great Christmas gift, why not donate to this great project? If you give enough, they'll even come perform a private concert for you!