“Geistchor” (Ghost Choir) voices fill St. Ambrose

The question asked by the audience at Basically Bach Ensemble’s spring concert was, “When is the chorus going to sing?” On Nov. 24, at the fall concert, the question was “Where is the chorus?”  for, as conductor Fitzroy Stewart and soloists Ghislaine Stewart, Hilerie Klein Rensi, James Gleason and Randolph Messing joined the 22-member chamber orchestra, the 25 chorus chairs in St. Ambrose Church’s chancel remained empty. 

Click “Read the rest of this story” to find out where the chorus went and why.

More than just the facts, ma’am

Remember Sgt. Joe Friday from “Dragnet,” always asking for “Just the facts, ma’am”? Well, we like the facts — who, what, where, when — for the Arts Council’s website News & Events Calendar sections at   www.bcartscouncil.com.  But, here in the blogosphere, the important questions are “Why?” and “How?”. If you’re planning an event, please send those “Joe Friday” basics, press releases and such, to information@bcartscouncil.com   But if you want to share  your thoughts about the event, do it here, with the BAMirror. We want to hear about your hopes for what the event will accomplish. Tell us about the audience you hope to reach, and help us understand the trials, tribulations and triumphs of bringing a play, concert, literary event or gallery show to the public.

Were you art-full over Thanksgiving weekend?

In between basting the turkey and entertaining the relatives, I caught the Basically Bach concert and “Plaid Tidings” at the Cider Mill; what about you? Please share with us what you saw, heard or did in the arts over the holiday weekend.

When To Clap and Why

Just because I work for the Arts Council doesn’t mean I know all there is to know about the arts. In fact, here’s one of my questions: Why oh why can you only applaud at the END of a symphony? Who made the rule against clapping for each movement and why? That’s the thing about the arts. Always something to learn. Help me out here, will you?

How were the arts for you this week?

Were you out-and-about this week, enjoying the arts of Greater Binghamton and Broome County? Were you someplace where you could hear, see, learn from or interact with the arts? If something art-full happened to you during the week starting Nov. 16, please join our conversation and add to the comment section of this post.

Debut author touts the online book tour

EDITOR’S NOTE: I’m passing along (with her permission) an update from from local author and BCAC member Therese Walsh.

My debut novel, The Last Will of Moira Leahy, was released Oct. 13 by Random House. Since then, I’ve embraced the 21^st century book tour — that is, a book tour that is almost exclusively online.

Words to blog by

The second annual Broome County Literary Arts Festival runs from 5 to 10:30 p.m. today (Friday, Nov. 13) in downtown Binghamton and will, we hope, be an inspiration to those who savor the written word. Attendees: Please join the BAMirror blogging community and share your reflections on the evening. Participants: We’d like some insights into your experience. Details: www.bcartscouncil.com or www.thebroomereview.com.

Chinese opera venture has auspicious BU debut

Reviewed by David L. Schriber

What an exciting evening Friday,Nov. 6, as the Confucius Institute of Chinese Opera at Binghamton University (CICOBU) formally opened. We were among the 1,000 or so persons filling the Osterhout Concert Theater at BU’s Anderson Center to witness the inauguration and an hour-long sampler of classical Chinese opera. It was a delightful evening’s entertainment that carried the sense of a historic beginning for a new art form in Greater Binghamton.

A Wonderful ‘Figaro’ at Tri-Cities Opera

Review submitted by Tony Villecco

To open its 61st season, Binghamton’s Tri-Cities Opera has produced a visually and vocally sparkling “Le Nozze di Figaro.” Mozart’s perennial favorite, based on the story by Beaumarchais with libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte, has retained all of its humor and pathos, commenting on the division of class structure with as much relevance today as when it premiered in 1786. But make no mistake, it is the music that shines, and the majority of these young singers rose to its challenges.

How were the arts for you this past week?

Were you out-and-about over the weekend, enjoying the arts of Greater Binghamton and Broome County? Were you someplace where you could hear, see, learn from or interact with the arts? And, to be honest, it doesn’t just have to be a weekend event. If something art-full happened to you during the week, please join our conversation and add to the comment section of this post.