May 2011 Update
I loved playing viola in January with Barry Manilow on his Florida tour! I was among many fine musicians – it was a blast getting to know new people and spending more good times with some that I already knew.
The Venice Symphony concluded a fantastic season this passed Friday with our children’s concerts for Sarasota County’s 3rd graders. I’ve played numerous weddings, cocktail hours, recitals, and a couple of commencement ceremonies for USF’s Sarasota/Bradenton campus through the season and my gig calendar is pretty eventful through the end of June including several weddings at Selby Gardens, the Ca d’Zan, the Long Boat Key Club and an art show in Ruskin.
In my “spare time” I’ve been busy creating quartet arrangements of mostly popular tunes. Some of which were requested for weddings and gigs, others I just want to play. A request for Canon Rock is what got me started arranging and now we have arrangements for several Coldplay songs, The Beatles, Unintended by Muse, Sweet Dreams are Made of This by Eurythmics, Beautiful Life by Ace of Base, Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol, Hallelujah by Cohen, The Prayer, Secrets by One Republic, You & Me by Lifehouse, Better Together and You & Your Heart by Jack Johnson, and several more. I’m working on Rhythm of Love by Plain White T’s and I’m thinking Just the Way You Are by Billy Joel and Bad Case of Loving You by Robert Palmer are next on my list. I love arranging the music and performing it!
There’s also an amateur orchestra starting to rehearse next week in Venice, they will perform in various local venues. I think this is a great opportunity to play!
I will try to update more often.... until next time... enjoy life and music! :-)