Holiday Fun for the Locals

If you live near SLC, here are two of my favorite activities to do with the kiddos during the holidays (we usually rotate them every other year).  Normally I like to wait until after Thanksgiving before I start to get too excited about Christmas but I've noticed that tickets are selling quickly so it might be a good idea to get prepared!

Breakfast with Santa

Breakfast with Santa happens in the Show Barn at Thanksgiving Point every Saturday in December.  First you have a delicious breakfast with bacon, eggs, sausage, French toast (with cinnamon-swirled bread), hash browns, orange juice, and hot chocolate.  So good!  Then Santa meets with each child (he sometimes brings visitors like the Grinch and Buddy the Elf).  Then there is a fun winter carnival with games and crafts.  Sean and Tashena always have a lot of fun (but Tashena says she is too old now).  Tickets are $22 for adults and $18 for children.  Go here for more information and to purchase tickets.

North Pole Express

The Heber Valley Railroad takes a magical journey to Santa's workshop in the North Pole.  Children ride in their pajamas while drinking hot chocolate and eating Mrs. Claus's delicious homemade cookies.  Santa comes aboard at the North Pole and gives everyone the gift of Christmas (but only if you believe).  There are two different prices for coach tickets and first-class tickets (more swag) and there are several discounted days so go here for more information and to purchase tickets.  They are going quickly!

Tips for Enjoying a Classical Music Performance

I am not an expert on classical music.  In fact, I was actually quite intimidated when I went to my first symphony concert as a college student.  What should I wear?  Will I be the only one my age?  How should I behave?  Will I like it?  Fortunately, I had a wonderful experience and now I love attending Utah Symphony performances!  If you are thinking about attending a concert (you should!) here are some tips to make your experience more enjoyable.

1.  Forget any preconceived notions you have about classical music.

Classical music is not boring!  Forget about the bland and soporific Muzak you hear in elevators and department stores.  In my opinion, classical music is incredibly beautiful and dynamic.  It can be so powerful that your heart pounds, so exquisite that your spine tingles, or so achingly mournful that tears come to your eyes.  Classical music is not just for old or rich people.  I see people of all ages at symphony performances (including some HHS students who enjoyed it more than they thought they would) and, honestly, Utah Symphony concerts are quite reasonable with tickets starting as low as $18.  I spend much more for theatre productions or Utah Jazz tickets!  Finally, most fans of classical music are not pretentious snobs.  Okay, okay I use the occasional big word but, really, I am very down to earth.  My other passion in life is hockey and I am awfully fond of superhero movies and trashy Danielle Steele novels.  Most people who like classical music are just like you!

2.  Find a favorite composer.

I became a fan of Mozart after watching the movie Amadeus when I was in high school.  I like his music because it is light, airy, and beautifully uncomplicated making it easily accessible for people with little or no background knowledge about classical music.  I bought the soundtrack to the movie and listened to it over and over.  My first symphony concert was a performance of Mozart's Requiem Mass and I absolutely loved it.  Hearing a piece of music I really loved played by a live orchestra was an experience I will never forget!  Listen to some classical music on stations like Pandora and see what pieces you are drawn to.  Who is the composer?  Why do you like it?  Do you like anything else by that composer?  The Utah Symphony programs the work of a variety of different composers during the season so there is bound to be a concert featuring your favorite.  Initially, I only attended concerts featuring Mozart but, as I gradually became exposed to other composers (most concerts feature several composers), I realized that I also like many Russian composers, such as Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Shostakovitch, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Prokofiev, because their music is so emotional.  I am always adding new favorites to my list.

3.  Know what to expect.

Plan to arrive at the venue a little bit early to find your seat.  Concerts start on time and, if you are late, you will not be seated until an appropriate pause so as not to disturb other concertgoers.  Turn off your phone and refrain from talking during the performance.  It is distracting to audience members and the orchestra.  There really is no dress code.  I have seen people dressed in everything from jeans to full length black velvet capes and tiaras.  Wear whatever makes you comfortable but, because most concert halls are incredibly beautiful (Abravanel Hall is gorgeous), you might feel more comfortable wearing something a little bit dressy to fit in with the surroundings.  I tend to wear black!  Symphonies are divided into sections called movements and there are generally pauses between them.  You typically do not clap during these pauses (unless a soloist has been particularly spectacular).  I learned this the hard way and now generally follow the cues from the conductor who will lower his baton at the end of a piece!  However, you should clap when the concertmaster and conductor (and occasionally a soloist) come on stage at the beginning of the concert as a sign of respect.  Knowing these little bits of etiquette might make you feel less conspicuous at your first concert.

4.  Just enjoy the music!

There are notes about the featured composers and pieces that will be performed in the program and the Utah Symphony hosts pre-concert lectures one hour before each performance but, really, you don't need to do anything to prepare for a concert.  Just listen to the music!  I like to listen for a melody and variations which are repeated throughout a piece.  I also like to listen for specific instruments.  I played the clarinet in school so I particularly like it when the woodwind section is featured.  I also have a thing for chimes (I don't know why).  My sister plays the cello and likes to watch that section during a performance.  Sometimes I concentrate on an emotion that I feel while listening to a piece and other times I close my eyes and visualize a scene called to mind by the music.  All you have to do is sit back and enjoy a lovely evening.

Even if you are intimidated by classical music, step out of your comfort zone and attend a concert.  You just might find a life long passion like I did!

Don't forget to enter the giveaway for a pair of tickets to a Utah Symphony concert next weekend!

Interstellar

Yesterday I went to see the movie Interstellar in IMAX.   To be honest with you, I am still trying to wrap my brain around it!  In a dystopian future, the earth has lost the ability to sustain itself and the final crop is about to be destroyed by a blight.  Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) is a former NASA pilot and engineer who has had to become a farmer due to food shortages but is not content with this role.  He ends up at a top secret NASA installation which has discovered a worm hole to another galaxy.  Ten astronauts were sent through the worm hole several years ago to determine if ten planets in this galaxy are able to sustain life.  Three of these astronauts have sent back favorable reports.  NASA believes that the only way to save the human race is to colonize one of these planets.  None of their pilots have actually been to space so they recruit Cooper to lead the expedition.  However, NASA's chief physicist (Michael Caine) has not yet solved the problem of evacuating the human race from the Earth's gravitational pull.  Cooper decides to go on the mission even though he is leaving his son (Timothee Chalamet) and daughter (Mackenzie Foy), justifying it because he is saving them.  Once in space, Cooper and his team (Anne Hathaway, Wes Bentley, and David Gyasi) encounter one obstacle after another: one planet is too close to a black hole, time on one planet passes much slower than it does on the space station, an astronaut on one of the planets (Matt Damon) has gone crazy from the isolation, gravity is still an issue back on Earth, and, due to a series of accidents, there is not enough fuel to return to earth.  In addition, NASA believes that there are sentient beings in another dimension guiding the people of Earth to a solution in space (which is how Cooper found the NASA compound in the first place). Does the plot sound convoluted?  It is and, in true Christopher Nolan fashion, there is a huge plot twist at the end!  Frankly, I didn't know what was going on half the time!  It almost didn't matter.  Even with all of the confusion, my attention never wavered during the almost three hour run-time.  The film is beautiful and the special effects are out of this world (pun intended).  Traveling through the worm hole is one of the coolest things I have ever seen and an emergency docking with the space station had me sitting on the edge of my seat holding my breath!  It is quite a spectacle.  Also, the personal drama between Cooper and his daughter (Jessica Chastain, as an adult) is incredibly compelling and McConaughey's performance is brilliant.  Nevertheless, even hours after seeing this movie,  I still don't know what to think about it.  I suppose the fact that I am still thinking about it is reason enough for me to recommend it!

Note:  A major complaint is that the sound sometimes overpowered the dialogue.  But, since I know nothing about astrophysics, I probably wouldn't have understood the dialogue anyway!

Don't forget to enter the giveaway for a pair of tickets to see the Utah Symphony next weekend!

Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra (and a Giveaway!)

Last night I attended a Utah Symphony concert featuring the work of three amazing composers: Bartok, Mozart, and Strauss.  I have always loved the music of Mozart (I try to see any performance which features him) but I believe that I will be adding Bartok and Strauss to my growing list of favorites!  The orchestra began with Hungarian Sketches by Bartok.  I really enjoyed these pieces, especially the first two because they prominently featured the clarinet (I played the clarinet in school).  During the final piece I kept imagining girls with flowers in their hair dancing around a maypole in a town square of cobblestone.  Next came Mozart's Rondo for Piano and Orchestra in A Major with guest soloist Marc-Andre Hamelin.  It was just lovely!  As with much of Mozart's music, I found it to be very lively and playful.  The next piece was my favorite of the evening: Burleske for Piano and Orchestra in D Minor by Richard Strauss, once again featuring the amazing Hamelin.  I was not at all familiar with this piece but it absolutely took my breath away!  At times it was incredibly dramatic with Hamelin's fingers moving deftly up and down the keyboard at a furious pace to the accompaniment of timpani and an occasional fanfare by the trumpet section!  At other times it was beautiful and romantic, particularly the theme played by the strings near the end.  After the intermission (which I spent at a VIP Reception) the orchestra played Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra.  In the first movement the cellos played an emotional theme that was almost mournful but by the end of the piece the mood was triumphant.  I absolutely loved it!   It was, once again, a evening of beautiful music at Abravanel Hall!

Would you like to experience an evening of beautiful music at Abravanel Hall yourself?  The Utah Symphony has graciously given me two pair of tickets to give to my readers.  The tickets are for next weekend (Friday Nov. 14 or Saturday Nov. 15) at Abravanel Hall in SLC at 8:00 pm and the concerts will feature Mahler's Symphony No. 2.  The Utah Symphony is performing the Mahler Symphony Cycle this year and next to honor the legacy of Maurice Abravanel and to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the orchestra next year.  I think it will be an amazing concert.  If you would like a pair of tickets, follow Phaedra's Adventures via Google Friend Connect (located in the sidebar) and enter the Rafflecopter below.  I will notify the winners by email on Wednesday Nov. 12 and tickets will be held in Will Call at Abravanel Hall.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good luck!

One Man, Two Guvnors at PTC

When PTC announced the 2014-2015 season, I didn't know anything about the play One Man, Two Guvnors but I knew I definitely wanted to see it because David Ivers, one of my favorite actors and directors at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, was directing it!  In my opinion, Ivers is absolutely brilliant with physical comedy (I loved his version of Twelfth Night at last summer's festival) so I knew this show would be a lot of fun!  Fun is an understatement!  I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this production last night and I can't remember when I've laughed so hard!  Essentially, the story is about two couples who are prevented from getting married.  Pauline (Katie Fabel) and Alan (Christopher Sears) can't get married because her father has arranged a marriage of convenience with a gay man named Roscoe (for profit).  Rachel (Lucy Lavely) and Stanley (William Connell) can't get married because Stanley accidentally killed Rachel's "identical" twin brother (you guessed it: Roscoe) and they are on the run.  Rachel decides to impersonate her brother Roscoe and go to Brighton to get back the money he paid to Pauline's father so she and Stanley can emigrate to Australia (where they will, apparently, have to listen to opera for the rest of their lives).  She hires Francis (Christopher DuVall) to be her (his?) man-about-town but won't pay him until the end of the week and he is hungry.  Stanley follows Rachel (Roscoe?) to Brighton and also tries to hire Francis to be his man-about-town.  Francis agrees, but only if he pays him up front (because he's hungry).  Francis spends much of his time trying to prevent each "guvnor" from finding about the other (and trying to procure food).  In other words, it is a complete farce filled with characters hiding, running around, slamming doors, and falling down stairs.  Throw in a bit of audience participation and an amazing skiffle band playing between scenes and you have one of the funniest shows around.  All of the actors have perfect comedic timing but I absolutely loved Sears as the melodramatic over-the-top amateur actor Alan.  I laughed hysterically at everything he said and did!  The set looked like pop art and I loved the mod costumes and beehive hairdos from the 1960s.   If you are not easily offended by crude humor and suggestive language, this show is not to be missed!  Go here for more information and tickets.  It runs through November 15.