Posted by: ldonaldson
on Oct 13, 2011
Is it Opera??
More than a few of you have called to ask this about our Fall Benefit Concert featuring mezzo soprano Frederica von Stade.
So, is it opera?
Not according to Frederica. There will be operatic elements, but Frederica's repertoire will more closely resemble an intimate classical recital. "It will be My Life in Song," she said when we posed the question to her. "I will be singing excerpts from Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking, an aria from Werther, and a special song by John Musto titled, 'Litany,' which is based on Langston Hughes' poem 'Shadow of the Blues.' "
When asked why she chose to lend her talents in support of Bread & Roses, Frederica warmly responded by saying:
"People who are suffering, who are down and out, who are living in poverty, don't know that they are loved. Bread & Roses is about healing and helping them. We remind them that they are God's special creatures, even when the world tells them they're not."
Posted by: mhubler
on Sep 26, 2011
Michael Pritchard as Emcee at Bread & Roses Volunteer Celebration on August 28, 2011
For the past several years, Michael Pritchard has been Bread & Roses ambassador-at-large. As a comedian and motivational speaker, he helps us convey the heart of our work and inspires all to continue Mimi Farina's legacy of providing hope and healing through live music and the performing arts to those isolated in institutions who need it most. As emcee at our recent volunteer celebration at the Freight & Salvage, Michael reminded us that it is generosity of spirit that connects us and makes us happy.
Appearing in the new independent documentary The Happy Movie, Michael Pritchard helps us understand how to measure happiness. Those of us who live in the Bay Area can see the film Friday September 30 & Saturday October 1 at 7 pm at The Rafael Film Center in San Rafael and afterwards hear Michael in a Q & A with Associate Producer Omid Heidari. The Happy Movie will be shown at The Rafael for six days only (through Oct. 5) so don't miss the opportunity to see it. It will also be screened on Monday Oct. 24 at 5:30 pm in Palo Alto as part of the United Nations Association Film Festival co-sponsored by the Stanford Film Society and the UNA Mid-Peninsula Chapter.
Posted by: ldonaldson
on Aug 16, 2011
OIGC Director, Terrance Kelly takes a turn at the microphone.
Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir -- their name says it all. Buddhists, Christians, Jews and others join their voices to sing traditional and contemporary Black Gospel music. Many races and ethnicities blend into one beautiful chorus. Residents of Crossroads Homeless Shelter in Oakland were engulfed by the powerful sound that filled their dining hall during a recent Bread & Roses concert there. Some laughed, some cried as songs of trials and faith touched their hearts. “Never Alone,” “All I Need,” and upon request “Amazing Grace” buoyed the spirits of folks facing a hard time in their lives.
Volunteer host Barb Withers who attended the show wrote, “There was a shared energy in the room and it just kept encircling everyone with love and strength. It was hard to believe how much the music filled the room, and as it did, more and more of the audience stood smiling, clapping and singing to the inspiring music.”
After the show, a young choir member said that she was especially happy to be working with Bread & Roses. She had been inspired by seeing shows while attending a high school for students with special needs. She was now able to give back to the organization that gave to her.
OIGC has been blessing Bread & Roses audiences since 1990, performing regularly in detention centers, rehab facilities and shelters.
by Carolyn Gauthier, Program Director
Photos by Peter Merts
Posted by: ldonaldson
on Jul 21, 2011
My how time flies when you are having fun! Teatro ZinZanni is offering the Bread & Roses community a special ticket price for their current show: Maestro's Enchantment on Sunday, July 31st.
Joan Baez has been illuminating Teatro ZinZanni's Spiegeltent since June and she will be starring her last performance of Maestro's Enchantment that day.
Due to popular demand, Madame ZinZanni has added one more matinee show to the schedule for 11:30am on July 31st. As a special offer to our fabulous Bread & Roses community, you can reserve tickets at the special price of $76 for this last matinee show. Call Teatro ZinZanni's box office at 415-438-2668 and mention "Maestro's Roses" to purchase tickets with this special offer today!
Posted by: mhubler
on Jun 23, 2011
All fans of contemporary acoustic music -- join us this weekend at The 2011 Kate Wolf Festival at Wavy Gravy's Black Oak Ranch in Laytonville, CA. Kate Wolf helped to repopularize folk music in Northern CA in the 70's and was a nationally known singer-songwriter/guitarist who died in 1986.
Bread & Roses will have a table next to the good folks at the SEVA Foundation on the right close to the main stage. Bread & Roses performers, who are a part of the line-up include: Taj Mahal who headlines Friday night; Aaron Redner with Hot Buttered Rum; Corrine West and Kelly Joe Phelps; Americana finger-style guitarist Stevie Coyle along with many other wonderful musicians who can be seen throughout the weekend.
Posted by: mhubler
on Jun 06, 2011
Singer-songwriter/guitarist Audrey Auld has generously offered to donate all digital sales of her "Bread and Roses" song released on her new CD Come Find Me. She wrote the song in 2006 when she went into San Quentin to do a workshop for Bread & Roses. Since she was not allowed to bring in more than her guitar or give anything to the inmates when she went in, her song was her gift.
The song is now available for downloads through itunes and is included in Audrey's recent songbook "Write Out Loud." For more info, visit Audrey at www.recklessrecords.com.
Originally from Tasmania, Audrey met her husband while he was surfing on a beach in Australia. Since he was from Bolinas, he convinced her to move to the Bay Area where she volunteered for Bread & Roses. After they got married, they moved to Nashville where Audrey is currently based. Since she tours for most of the year, we are thrilled that Audrey will be back to do some additional concerts for Bread & Roses when she is in the area this fall.
Posted by: ldonaldson
on Apr 11, 2011
Tagged in:
The Rolling Stones ,
The Beatles ,
performers ,
Oliver Sacks ,
musicians ,
music therapy ,
music heals ,
live music ,
John Lennon ,
Grateful Dead ,
Crosby, Stills, and Nash ,
Buffalo Springfield ,
audience-adult ,
Amnesia ,
Alzheimer’s disease
Bread & Roses serves people of all ages and backgrounds who are isolated in institutions. Some of them suffer from lapses in memory. We have seen seniors with Alzheimer’s disease, for instance, who may not recognize their grandchildren, but are still able to recall all the lyrics of a song.
Those who know the power that music has to invoke memory will appreciate The Music Never Stopped, a 2011 Sundance Film Festival pick that examines the relationship between memory, music, and healing. In the film, Gabriel (Lou Taylor Pucci), is reunited with his parents, Henry (J.K. Simmons) and Helen Sawyer (Cara Seymour), when he turns up at a hospital in New York in 1986 with a large, yet benign brain tumor that has severely damaged his memory. The past, present and future are virtually indistinguishable for him and he is incapable of interacting with those around him, including his parents, from whom he’s been estranged for 20 years.
When medicine and traditional therapy fail to help Gabriel regain his memory, Henry contacts a music therapist, Dianne Daley (Julia Ormond), who discovers that when Gabriel listens to the music that he loved as an adolescent, especially the Grateful Dead, he is able to reconnect with the world. We all have a soundtrack to our lives, and somehow that musical memory seems to survive even the most traumatic of brain injuries.
Posted by: mhubler
on Feb 10, 2011
Kelsey Robertson with Jazz Pianist Si Perkoff at Laguna Honda Hospital 1/26/2011
Posted by: eburke
on Sep 16, 2010
The JAM! Bread & Roses celebrates its volunteers at the annual recognition event.
On a recent sunny Sunday in August we gathered at the home of board member Toby Nady. Over 350 different individual performers and groups volunteer for Bread & Roses at any given time. Once a year we come together to honor everyone's contributions of time and talent throughout the year. Over 600 programs of live music and the performing arts are presented on a continuing basis to those who are isolated. Thanks to all who volunteer!
Posted by: eburke
on Sep 16, 2010
“Kids Become Super Heroes with Asheba at Children’s Learning Center”
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