ART INSTITUTE IN FLORENCE ITALY - YOUTH CHOIR OF FIESOLE MUSIC SCHOOL AT BADIA AL SETTIMO- SCANDICCI ITALY
Yes, December can be a nightmare for musicians. I am not even visiting my daughter in Germany over Christmas because she too is working all through the holidays. But we have sung this year in beautiful places: Badia San Francesco in Scandicci (Bach's Christmas Oratorio), St James Episcopal Church and the Art Institute in Porta Romana, Florence.
We had a visiting choir from Valenza, Piedmont, they sang some song in French, they sing lightly and it was very nice, everyone was fascinated because my singers all have such strong voices, don't ask me why. But it was good for them to hear another choir with lighter voices since I am always telling my students to sing lighter.
A father, Gianfranco, makes dvds of all our concerts. Can't wait to see these recent exhibitions on a dvd. Everyone is waiting, including the press at our school, they want to add a few minutes to the school's site. Well, at least people at the school are convinced now that I know what I am doing, since they listen to all the bells ring (other people's opinions) and I have many an adversary on my tail. Invidious little snakes. The one guy, Bernardo, tried to establish another children's choir for only boys at school last year, without consulting me (I've had the children's choirs at the school for 30 years) and WITH the blessing of the administration and board of directors, none of whom breathed a word to me until there was a general department meeting, and they broke me the news as decision in progress - they had no intention of asking my opinion or my contribution - and saying so 5 minutes before the end of the meeting so they could all run out of the room and leave me to ponder on this unfortunate event. All because the head of the school, age 90, has been hoping to have an all boys choir since 1980! I told him through the years that such a thing is impossible, the percentage throughout the world is 1 boy to every 12 girls in choirs. There are some famous all boys choirs, one in Sofia - bulgaria - German boys - a choir in Denmark who just left me their cd and dvd. That was a lovely thought, I'll have to find the time to listen to the music and answer the man conducting. What's on his mind? A choral exchange? I wouldn't mind going to Denmark for some concerts!
Anyhow, getting back to December concerts, in the middle of rehearsing and telling everyone their schedules and getting the new singers up to Par ! I finished recording and mounted 2 new cds that thankfully are now finished and duplicated and ready to be sold. A lovely woman, Canary, a cyberspace friend, has helped me finance one cd with our Octet singing - Women in Harmony - and the parents have already given me 2/3rds of the money I spent producing the Christmas cd. The producers are totally nuts, and today I spoke with a secretary of the Music School of Scandicci who is fed up too with these producers . they coordinate activities - recording groups and computer music courses. The cd producers keep their own schedule, have their own key to the school and somehow they and the school each take a portion of the payments from clients like myself. The producers though also have other recording studios in 3 other towns! And they are not being honest at all with the school, frankly the school had no idea what they were getting into and with whom they were dealing. The producers give one price and certain information to the clients and tell another story to the school so they earn from both sources. After 6 months went by and I got no bill for our recording sessions, I write to the producer's younger colleague who wrote me back saying that I pay the cds to the producers and the recording times to the school, to get in touch with the school. So I did then 2 minutes afterwards the older producer phones me on my cell phone all infuriated. I shouldn't talk to the school! I mustn't get between him and the school. The man is paranoic - - I just wanted the bill, but of course he told me 40euro and hour and the school told me 30 euro an hour. So he was going to get the money from me and pay the school less. I goofed up his plan! Not only, it exposed him and his basic dishonesty. He lives on lies and tales. He got very upset also because I had phoned the cd duplication factory to see if they had received a package of tax stamps I had to send them. All cds are registered with tax stamps in Italy to stop cd pirates (the chinese! ! !). You cannot ship cds without the tax stamps. Anyhow, I just phoned to make sure they got my package, and I asked how much longer do they think till they send me the cds. I couldn't get an answer so I wrote the producers to give me a time estimate since the factory couldn't. And AGAIN he got all upset that I spoke to the factory on my own. My god, I AM paying for everything, then give me some information. Anyhow, NOW having received 900 of the 1,000 cds ordered and paid for, I understand why he didn't want me to mess around with the factory, he had 100 cds shipped to himself to sell. Well, when I found this out, I immediately phoned and insisted on having all my cds. So he said that we had agreed on the phone that he would take some cds for promoting our group! I said not at all, the fact is that he was supposed to have ordered MORE than 1,000 cds and keep them for himself to sell. In fact he kept 100 cds of MINE with the tax stamp for SELLING cds, the others say COMPLIMENTARY COPY. So really he was going to SELL 100 cds, cds I had paid to produce. What a bunch of crap . .
Anyhow, I phoned and insisted on having my cds brought back to me. Okay, he was going to leave 90 of them at the school today, that didn't happen. He phoned me 3 hours ago that he would bring them to my house this evening. That didn't happen. Then he phoned again to say he would be in Florence tomorrow morning and would bring them to my house early, he even asked me what time I'd be here. I told him to get here early, knowing that he would never make an appointment on time and I'd have to sit around home all morning. He then went on to say that if he didn't make it to my house he would leave them at the Fiesole school where I teach. So we'll see what happens, I wrote to another nice, seemingly honest producer, asking his opinion on this topic and he said if I ordered in writing 1000 cds, that's what I should have received. That seems logical right? It is in writing, so I think this smart ass producer tried to pull a fast one, but Joan is still awak! And maybe he realizes not having any agreement in writing wheras he should keep 100 cds, he figured I might consider him a THIEF, which I do.
Always an adventure with people who don't want to explain things correctly, they are up to NO GOOD - - like the story with the delivery of my daughter's car! We had to pay the delivery 3 times before it was delivered thanks to the Genovese Mafia. I thought my daughter would go out of her mind. I got very ill that year, definite heart problems due to terrible stress, waiting everyday for the situation to straighten out. And then my daughter's instruments were stolen from another shipment, here too, always phoning, losing work in Germany sitting around my house in Florence waiting for merchandise to arrive. It took a long time to arrive from Genova, 2 months because they were planning a way of stealing merchandise, and they did. We had proof of everything and got some money back from our lawyer's, I had to go to the Police and make out a report of stolen merchandise. We recuperated 1500 euros, but to buy the electronic keyboard that was stolen (together with loud speakers, pedals, instrument stand) would be about 3 times that price.
Same thing happened in USA! Moving from Ohio to Florida, the day we had the appointment to move, the movers never even showed up! Stories and excuses all day long. . The following day we found another mover, after 3 weeks in Miami they showed up with half the merchandise. They had two clients' stuff on the same truck, made both clients pay extra for the rise in gasoline prices! Then through lawyers 2 months later Elena finally got the rest of her stuff MINUS a few boxes of clothes.
My father was in the moving business, he was honest although he worked for the Hoffa Union, they weren't so honest now were they? So this moving business is strictly Mafia, worldwied.
Well here I am blabbing- - now who should read this stuff? ? ? My cyber friend Canary. I wish my other friends here in Italy could read English and speak in English with me because I can get the words out a lot faster in English and say a lot more, write a lot more without stopping to wonder if public has 1 or 2 "b"s. These doubles drive me nuts. PUBBLICA in Italian = PUBLIC. MOTTETTO in Italian = MOTET and in French: MOTETTE. Yipes, also a Waltz is femminine in French and masculine in Italian. LA VALSE - IL VALSER.
Even the word ACADEMY drives me nuts, in Italian it's ACCADEMIA - 2 "c"s.
I do have a great 6-language translating site bookmarked that's just great, it really saves me from a lot of embarassment.
okay, I'd better sign off for tonight. All I get here from USA is FOX NEWS; some programs are ok, but some are crazy, and I fall asleep listening to this guy that comes on at 11 pm, Glenn Beck ... he's all into a third USA political party, tea parties etc. But he gets so excited on his show, it's really funny. He has people do some wild research . .and he's very courageous to say such dangerous things and accuse people by name, I would never do that. Sooner or later he'll be assassinated by some extremist.
Today I received several presents from my little students, my 10 year olders. Some are so cute, a couple are miserable and when you meet their parents you know why! The nice ones came to my house today to bring me Christmas presents, I will wait for christmas eve to open them.
This saturday and sunday we will be playing Handbells at the American Church. These are my bells that I brought back from Colorado many years ago. They are special bronze bells and I think I am the only one in Italy with these handbells. They are popular in England and Germany.
Signing off now. . maybe tomorrow I'll write another blog. Actually I have a sweater to finish knitting, actually I have TWO to finish, startedthem about 2 years ago! o my god, and they are so pretty. I also need to do my CYCLING on my home bike. I am totally shameful.
