I am proud to help present what I believe is a unique event celebrating civil rights.  A Community Inauguration Celebration:  Martin Luther King Jr. Day, will take place at St. Mary’s Church, located in Brooklyn on the corner of Willoughby and Classon Avenues, on January 21 at 4:00 p.m.  Talented singers and readers from Brooklyn and Greater New York will celebrate President Barack Obama’s second inauguration by remembering the history and the current state of the civil rights movement in the United States.  There is a donation of $15, $10 for seniors, the disabled, and students, received by advance ticket sales or at the door.  For directions to St. Mary’s Church, and more information, call the church office at (718) 638–2090, Fr. Jerry Keucher at (347) 713–2218, or send an email request to office.stmarysclintonhill@verizon.net.

I sincerely hope you will be able to join us for this celebration.  This event will be a little over an hour long, and a reception with food and drink will follow so that you can meet and greet the performers and each other.

Have a wonderful, healthy, and prosperous New Year!

I'm happy to present another A Potpourri of Song℠ concert in November in Brooklyn. Different Hats, showcasing the different talents of four musicians, a composer, and a librettist, will be presented at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Clinton Hill, on Sunday, November 11 at 5:00 p.m. Featured will be the premiere of a new composition, Directions, written by A Potpourri of Song℠ Composer in Residence, Douglas Anderson on a new text by the award-winning librettist, Andrew Joffe.

The requested donation is $20. A tithe of the gate receipts will be given to a local charitable organization. For directions to the church and advance tickets, call the church office at (718) 638-2090, visit our website, www.stmarysbrooklyn.org or send an email request to office.stmarysclintonhill@verizon.net.

You can right-click on the flyer image above, save, email, or print and hand it out.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

I promised that I would post A Potpourri of Song℠ programs on this blog after the concert had taken place.

To the right is a screen shot of a slightly edited version of the first program, presented on Sunday, September 23, 2012 at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Clinton Hill, Brooklyn.

It was, if I may say so myself, well-received!

We are slowly building an audience;  attendance at this concert was over 30 people.  Many more persons purchased tickets in advance, so we more than covered our expenses and were able to give St. Mary's a decent surplus.

We will also be able to tithe almost $100 to Several Sources Shelters, which serves the New York Metro area by providing shelter and assistance to women — especially single, pregnant women.

Thank you to all who attended or supported this first of many special events and concerts to be presented at St. Mary's!

A Potpourri of Song℠ — First Concert of the Season

I'm looking forward to beginning the Potpourri of Song℠ season!  The first concert will occur at historic St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in the Clinton Hill/Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn on the fourth Sunday of this month (September).

Robin Anne Casalta, Mezzo Soprano, and myself as accompanist, organist, and pianist will present Un Peu de Tout, Deux (“A Bit of Everything, II”) on Sunday September 23 at 5:00 p.m.

This program of music by French composers features songs and organ works by, among others, Poulenc, Berlioz, and Franck.

The donation is $20, and tickets are available in advance if desired.  A tithe of the gate receipts will be given to charity.

After the concert, stay for a reception where you can meet and greet the artists and each other and enjoy the works of two local artists, Stacy Cushman and Costain.

Visit www.stmarysbrooklyn.org, email us at office.stmarysclintonhill@verizon.net, or call the church at (718) 638-2090 for more information.

Un Peu de Tout, II is the first of a series of four concerts at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church to be presented by A Potpourri of Song℠ in the coming year.  See my previous post for the entire lineup of concerts.

I hope you can come and enjoy an evening of wonderful music!

  

A Potpourri of Song℠, 2012-2013 Season

I'm happy to announce the 2012-2013 season of A Potpourri of Song℠  at St. Mary's Episcopal Church in the Clinton Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn.

Four concerts will be presented — Un Peu de Tout, Deux on September 23, Different Hats on November 11, Dueling Divas in the New Year on March 10, and Broadway on Willoughby! on May 5.

A few more concerts may be presented at other  locations during the year.  Please check this blog for more announcements.

For more information, please feel free to contact me by email at Potpourri of Song. 

Come and enjoy the variety of music offered at these concerts.  We look forward to seeing you there!

 

Tips from Mark Victor — Cleaning eyeglasses

I wear reading glasses.  For some reason, they seem to get dirty rather often.   Oily smudges gather on the surface and are not easily cleaned by wiping with a cloth, paper towel, or tissue.  I also have an eye condition that already clouds my vision a bit;   adding dirty glasses over my eyes just makes it worse.

So, I go to the kitchen sink and wash them.

Here's what to do to remove those pesky, oily smudges:

• Run warm water and wet the glasses and your hands.
• Put a drop of dishwashing detergent on the fingers of one hand.
• Apply your wet hand with the detergent on them to the glasses and rub.  While doing this, pass the glasses and your hands under the water stream a couple of times.  (Dishwashing detergent works best with lots of water.)
•  Rinse the glasses and your hands.
•  Dry your hands first.
•  Then dry your glasses with a paper towel.  (If you use cloth make sure it's absolutely clean;  paper towel works best because it doesn't contain soap residue from the clothes washer.)
•  Put your glasses on.

 Enjoy the crystal clear vision afforded by dishwasher-detergent cleaned glasses!

June Jazz in Clinton Hill

This coming month, I'm producing a different type of concert than what you've usually seen with my usual A Potpourri of Song℠ offerings.

June Jazz  and "A Taste of Barbados" will offer fine jazz by The Danny Mixon Jazz Ensemble with food and drink that will include some savory dishes with a Barbadian flavor.

Come join us on June 8 at 7:00 p.m. at St. Mary's Episcopal Church's historic ballroom-style Johnson Hall.  Two sets of music will be performed by the band at approximately 8pm and 9:30 pm with food served before and between sets.

Many thanks to Jim Morehand of ParlorJazz for suggesting and booking Mr. Mixon for this concert and for helping publicize this event.

Come on out for a wonderful evening of jazz and food!  After our event, hang out at one of the fine restaurants or other night spots in this neighborhood near the venerable Pratt Institute in the increasingly vibrant Clinton Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn.



Contact me by email here for more information and to find out how to purchase tickets in advance  (you may also pay at the door).  Also, you can right-click on the flyer to save it and print it out or to send it to your friends.