Busy Summer!

I just noticed that NaBloPoMo's theme for September is "art." I haven't posted in ages, but art and the arts is a theme I can relate to. So, I will try to resume this cello blog.

It has been a busy summer. I have been to countless plays, concerts, and art exhibits. Well, I could probably count them. Probably 2 or 3 a week. Not so overwhelming, except that I review them for the newspaper, and that does tend to take longer than the actual event.

Reviewing the local art scene, as a person without a specific education in the arts, can be challenging. One wants to support the arts, yet, at the same time, provide reliable information to those who spend money on tickets to plays and concerts. Art gallery receptions are free, and there are usually refreshments.

Sometimes the music is great, but way too loud. Sometimes the acting is great, but the play is insipid or hopelessly dated. Sometimes the audience loves it, and I don't. Sometimes, I am completely awed, but at a loss for words.

I sometimes ask others to write reviews for me--if there are multiple events on the same night, or if I feel another person is better qualified. So, I am in the process of putting together some guidelines for other reviewers, and will share my thoughts on writing reviews over the month of September.

(NaBloPoMo is National Blog Posting Month, which used to be only in November, but has been every month, with themes, for a couple of years now.)

I am still playing the cello, still taking lessons, still playing with several groups: a trio of cellists, a group of fiddlers, and a community orchestra. More on all of this another time. Orchestra starts a week from today.