The Musical Life

Victoria Theodore: January Performances

2012-01-25T16:30:00.000-08:00

"Now we will count to twelve

and we will all keep still.

This one time upon the earth,

let's not speak any language,

let's stop for one second,

and not move our arms so much..."

"Ahora contaremos doce

y nos quedamos todos quietos.

Por una vez sobre la tierra

no hablemos en ningun idioma,

por un segundo detengamonos,

no movamos tanto los brazos..."

"A callarse (Keeping Quiet)" - Pablo Neruda

A vague reference to 2012, I know, but I thought it conveyed the sense of stillness I've been craving. Stillness which yields abundant creativity and art. I've been writing more than ever, and am excited about the music I'm creating...at long last! I plan to be recording soon and will upload music for you all to hear. I hope you all love my music as much as I do!I don't have much on the calendar yet, but I do have a performance with the Oakland Public Conservatory Symphony Orchestra this coming Sunday. I hope to see you there!

Sun, Jan 29
4pm
Oakland Public Conservatory Chamber Orchestra Sandra I. Noriega, Music Director
Plymouth United Church of Christ
424 Monte Vista Ave. Oakland, CA 94611 | 510.654.5300 | map
By Donation

"Women of Jazz" Celebrate the Holidays at Yoshi's San Francisco

2011-12-14T16:11:00.000-08:00

Last night was the big show!

Urban Music Presents

"Women of Jazz" Celebrate the Holidays at Yoshi's San Francisco - Two Nights

Tuesday December 13

Destiny Muhammed Jazz Trio

and

A Victoria Theodore Christmas

Leading up to the show, I spent countless hours preparing the set list, arranging the traditional Christmas carols so that they'd be inventive and fresh, working on my vocal technique (I'm still a relatively new singer, so that's always on my mind) and memorizing lyrics. I had a rehearsal with my band (Daniel Parenti on bass and Billy Johnson on drums) and guest artist, Kymberly Jackson on flute, on Monday December 12. For this show I was only able to hold 1 rehearsal, but I made sure that the band had sheet music and mp3 demo of the tunes, and they clearly did their homework. I tend to write music using complex chords and time changes (3/4 to 4/4, 5/4 to 8/8, etc.), so I knew the music wasn't necessarily easy, but the band pulled it off. After rehearsal, I was a bit concerned about my lyric retention. I was fumbling quite a bit, but maybe it was because I was thinking about so many other factors. An unsigned artist, such as myself, has to rely on the kindness of family and friends, as there's no budget for staff to handle the other details. C'est la vie!

Then it was Tuesday morning. I actually slept solidly Monday, and woke up feeling refreshed. After a long walk with the dogs, I did some yoga at home and followed that with several hours of slow, gentle, low stress vocal exercises and piano technique work. I played through a few tunes, but didn't actually run the show. It was either going to work or not at that point. Too late to make any changes, and certainly too late to allow worry to take over.

Around 3pm, as I was packing my wardrobe to go, I noticed that an anti-theft device was left on my chosen dress! Panic! Sound check in San Francisco was to start at 4:30pm and I didn't have an alternative dress. Thankfully, my dear sister rushed to the mall and was able to convince the clerk that someone had accidentally left the device on my dress. With a HUGE sigh of relief, we all piled into the mini-van and headed to San Francisco. I arrived just minutes before sound check was supposed to start.

Unfortunately, the piano bench had been broken and originally a drum throne had been placed for me to sit on. Um, yuck! We pianists are very particular about the height at which we sit to play, and since I'm rather tiny, the throne was not going to work. Thanks to Yoshi's sound man Eric for finding another bench and adjusting it to the perfect height. Another huge sigh of relief. Sound check went well, everyone hearing each other perfectly.

After a light dinner (I can never eat too much before a show...especially if I have to sing), Destiny Muhammed and her trio took to the stage. Unfortunately, though I could watch her performance backstage on the television, there was no sound, so I couldn't hear a thing. During her show, I began my stage prep: make up - I've become a semi-pro thanks to my years of doing my own make up for Stevie's shows, hair, placing my hair flower (my favorite hair accessory), choosing the right jewelry, and warming up my voice. Finally, the time arrived, and I headed to the stage. People had been asking me all day "are you nervous", "are you scared"? I have an usual response, which is "I don't get nervous". I do get excited, but whenever I go onstage, a sense of calm takes me over. It's a good thing, especially given my job, but I honestly can't explain it.

My name was announced, applause and cheering rose up, and I entered the stage. I saw so many beautiful faces, family, friends, peers, fans, all manner of people of different ages, races, backgrounds. It was everything I could have hoped for! I sat at the piano and invited Destiny Muhammed to join me onstage for the first tune.

I had been a bit worried about the banter between songs. I enjoy concerts where the artist speaks to the audience, sharing their thought process, the motivation for writing a song, making a joke, telling a story, etc., so I just relaxed and let myself enjoy the conversation with the crowd.

My set list was as follows:

1 Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (with Destiny Muhammed as guest artist)
2 What Child Is This
3 Away in a Manger
4 Original composition
5 Original composition
6 Silent Night (with Kymberly Jackson as guest artist)
7 Original composition
8 Original composition
9 Deck The Halls

Everyone seemed to love my original compositions, and I'm looking forward to doing more writing so that I can release a product in 2012. I loved having the guest artists perform with me as well. I've been an accompanist all of my life, so I truly enjoy creating a musical environment for other musicians and working with them in creating a beautiful experience for ourselves and an audience. Destiny and Kymberly both rocked the house!

After the last piece, I left the stage, and crossed my fingers that I'd get a response asking for an encore. I was not disappointed. The crowd went wild, so I quickly changed into another outfit (a really sexy lilac strapless cocktail dress) and sauntered back onto the stage to sing "Santa Baby", which went over very well!

I left the stage with a lovely feeling of accomplishment, relief, joy and gratitude. I did my best to offer a great show, and everyone seemed to enjoy my performance.

I managed to remember to thank several people before leaving the stage, but I can never thank everyone enough for the support, tough love (when I get distracted by - I must admit - Facebook, email and busy work), encouragement, cleaning house, running errands, making meals, shopping for food, wardrobe and whatever else. Rodney, mom, Nina, kids, Amy, Sundra, Brad, Maisha, Debra, William, Carla, dad, Brieana, DeWayne, Cecil, Jan, Siana, Jasmine, Sabrina, Clinton, Linda, Randy, Eric, Roz, Tony, Teri, my coaches Raz, Janice, Mr. Bell, Reggie, my hair guru, Joi, my entire family and all of my beautiful friends and fabulous students: what would I do without you??? I love you all and thank you from the bottom of my heart. If I left out a name, please forgive me, and know that I love you!

Thank you to my band: Daniel Parenti and Billy Johnson! I loved the way everything worked out!

Thank you to Destiny Muhammed and her lovely trio, Myron and Elliot, and to Kymberly Jackson for sharing the stage. It was a magical night.

Thank you again to Stephanie Dalton / Urban Music Presents for booking the gig, to Yoshi's for approving the gig, to Keith, Eric and Valentine for making me sound good, and all of the Yoshi's staff for taking care of us.

Until the next time...

Happy holidays everyone!

Blessings & Music,

Victoria

Victoria Theodore: December Performances

2011-12-01T14:43:00.001-08:00

Winter has come too soon...

"Goodnight my angel, now it's time to dream

And dream how wonderful your life will be

Someday your child may cry, and if you sing this lullaby

Then in your heart there will always be a part of me

Someday we'll all be gone

But lullabies go on and on

They never die

That's how you and I will be...."

- Billy Joel, "Lullaby"

My dear friends,

It's with a sad heart that I inform you of the passing of my dear pet, Aki Shima. Aki died on November 27, while I was out of town. He provided me with 15 years of love, protection, dedication and fun. I wrote a short obituary for Aki:

RIP Aki Shima

And his memorial:

Aki Memorial

Musically, everything is going well. I just performing on the Ellen DeGeneres Show with Stevie Wonder and did a series of radio promotions in Los Angeles. Here's a link to the Ellen Show:

Stevie Wonder on Ellen 2011

I have a few upcoming shows and, since it's nearly that time of year, I need to remind you of my Christmas CD, Victoria Theodore Christmas!

You can download the CD at any of these online purveyors:

CD Baby

iTunes

Victoria Theodore Store

Emusic

Or, you can purchase a physical CD at my Christmas performance at Yoshi's San Francisco on December 13 (my first time at Yoshi's not being a supporting musician)! I don't have many actual CDs left, so don't miss out! I'm performing at Yoshi's on the second night of a series:

Urban Music Presents

"Women of Jazz" Celebrate the Holidays at Yoshi's San Francisco - Two Nights

Tuesday December 13

Destiny Muhammed Jazz Trio

and

A Victoria Theodore Christmas

Monday December 12

Roberta Donnay Jass Ensemble

and

CHELLE! and Friends!

$12 adv / $16 door

I'm also performing at Marcello's this coming Saturday night. This will be my last show of the year at Marcello's. Remember, there's a drum set there and a PA, so bring your instruments, sing, play or just enjoy the show! I hope to see you there!

Sat, December 3

7pm - 10pm

Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar

Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!

515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map

Sun, Dec 11
11am
Plymouth United Church of Christ
424 Monte Vista Ave. Oakland, CA 94611 | 510.654.5300

Tue, Dec 13
8pm
Urban Music Presents
Women of Jazz Celebrate the Holidays at Yoshi's San Francisco
Destiny Muhammed, Harp-- Victoria Theodore, Piano
1330 Fillmore Street San Francisco, CA 94115 | 415.655.5600 | map
$12 adv / $16 door

Sat, Dec 17
7:30pm
Stevie Wonder
House Full of Toys
Nokia Theatre L.A. Live
777 Chick Hearn Court Los Angeles, CA 90015 | 213.763.6000 | map

Sat, Dec 31
9:30pm
Stevie Wonder
New Year's Eve Concert
The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
3708 Las Vegas Boulevard South Las Vegas, NV 89109 | 702.698.7000 | map

Coming soon...my journey to Brazil...Minha viagem ao Brasil!

Until next time, I wish you all a most beautiful holiday season! This will be my first holiday season without Aki in 15 years, but I'm blessed to have my other dogs and my beloved friends and family all around me. Good night, my angel-dog...

Remembering Aki

2011-12-01T13:00:00.001-08:00

Aki was the most beautiful dog I'd ever seen. But more than his physical beauty, his inner beauty stole my heart. This page is my memorial to my beloved angel-dog, Aki Shima.

Approximately 10 years ago, I created a flash movie as a method of teaching myself to program using Flash. Aki was my subject, and below is a link to the finished product. When I first met Aki, in November 1996, he immediately stole my heart. Ever since watching the Westminster Dog Championships earlier that year, I had been wanting a dog. At first, I thought that I wanted a Basenji, but Lance, the man I was dating at the time, told me about another breed that he'd found in an online search: the Shiba Inu.

Here's Lance's recollection of acquiring Aki:

"Seems like yesterday, we were set to go to the dog show in Philadelphia, when on that Friday night we opened the mail - and you saw a photo of him - everything changed. Just a few miles from Canada in Chateaugay, that very cold morning.....he soon warmed things up, entering that room, just weeks old, romping and roaring like a lion, quickly fixed on you - was drawn to you, and he was yours. Bond formed. Your guardian in so many ways. You were his destiny... As I am fortunate to have witnessed your two first meeting, include and share my sentiments and simple reflection that he was your guardian, truly entered your world like a lion, and not surprisingly has seemingly left like a lamb..."

As a young pup, Aki was small, but his demeanor truly was regal and confident, like I'd image a lion to be. He was very energetic, as puppies are, and playful. I worked hard to make sure he was well behaved and for the most part, he obeyed me. I remember one time, however, he decided that he did not want to listen to me and nipped at me, as if he were warning me about a bite. I was stunned! How could this little creature that I loved so much, took care of, walked twice, sometimes three times, per day, turn on me like this? I was outraged and expressed my anger by briefly yelling at him and then refusing him eye contact for the rest of the day. He couldn't take it! He followed me all over the apartment, staring at me, whining, trying to touch me. But I was firm: no eye contact, no speaking, no touching. After 24 hours of the cold shoulder, I finally looked at him. He never defied me again...not in 15 years. I think we had an understanding. It was amazing.

Aki lived with me in New York City for the first few years of his life, and then came with me to California. He adapted well to being part of a pack, and got along very well with both other animals and people (even children).

My most precious memory of Aki is the way he greeted me when I came home. As a working musician, my hours are often insane, and despite my late night arrivals, Aki would scream at the top of his lungs, causing me to rush into the house and grab him to quiet him. I suppose I could have (should have) trained him out of that habit, but my ego loved that kind of bolstering. My doggy missed his mommy!

Aki Bark

In the last 2 years of his life, I had a couple of scares. The veterinarian believes that he might have had a brain tumor, as he experienced 2 seizures (that I know of) and suffered occasional disorientation. He was on daily medication for a year, which seemed to control the seizures, and he suffered from severe arthritis. I last walked him on November 25, the day after Thanksgiving, and he was walking decently well with the rest of the pack. There were no impending signs of his demise, but I knew it was coming.

Enjoy my decade old flash movie. I hope you get a small sense of how great this little dog was. He truly blessed my life. Thank you, Aki. I love you forever...

Aki's Memorial

RIP Aki Shima

2011-11-30T23:22:00.001-08:00

Tonight I arrived home from Los Angeles, and was surrounded by my beautiful family and given the news that I knew was coming but didn't want to hear: my beloved 15 year old "daddy dog", Aki Shima, died while I was out of town this weekend. According to my mother, who was home at the time, he walked to the side of the house and laid down, seemingly to take a nap and never woke.

Aki was my angel-dog. My heart. My baby-dog. I adopted him when he was 7 weeks old, and cared for, trained and loved him everyday since. When I was in deep depression, he was my source of hope. He'd monitor my actions, and when he sensed sadness mounting, he'd run to me, place his paws in my lap and lick the tears away until I smiled. Whenever he saw my luggage, he'd lay his head on the ground and look up at me with his big brown eyes. Whenever I returned home from being out, he screamed loudly and passionately, as if to say "mommy is home"!!

He stopped playing with toys at around 12 years old, and his body started showing wear and tear over the last 15 months. I could tell that his days were coming (slowly) to an end. I walked him for the last time this past Friday morning. He had a little bit of a limp, but otherwise, seemed ok. I'm glad that I gave him a big hug before I left.

I arrived home tonight to a beautiful memorial created by my mother and nephew. I will upload the photos of the memorial in a few days.

While I was in LA, I happened to be flipping through my photos and came across a photo of the two of us together. I felt a twinge of melancholy. Some sort of emotional awareness? Coincidence? Who cares? I'm just glad that I had a moment to reflect on the love that I shared with my canine friend, my furry defender and supporter.I will always love you, dear Aki Shima. Rest in Peace, my precious puppy...

Collage created by Leo Fountila

And now that it's November...

2011-11-05T18:55:00.000-07:00

"November comes
And November goes,
With the last red berries
And the first white snows...."
- Elizabeth Coatsworth, "November"

Unless you're in California, where we've been enjoying some beautiful sunshine! It's not supposed to last much longer, but, oh while it lasts, I do love my warm California sun...

Hello friends!

It's been several weeks since I've updated you on my adventures. I've once more made it south of the equator, this time to South America, and I can't wait to return! Brazil is fantastic! I've nearly completed documenting my amazing trip to Rio de Janeiro, and have some beautiful photos for you. But, for now, some local business:

I have a few upcoming shows and, since it's nearly that time of year, I need to remind you of my Christmas CD, Victoria Theodore Christmas!

You can download the CD at any of these online purveyors:

CD Baby

iTunes

Victoria Theodore Store

Emusic

Or, you can purchase a physical CD at my Christmas performance at Yoshi's San Francisco on December 13 (my first time at Yoshi's not being a supporting musician)! I don't have many actual CDs left, so don't miss out! I'm performing at Yoshi's on the second night of a series:

Urban Music Presents

"Women of Jazz" Celebrate the Holidays at Yoshi's San Francisco - Two Nights

Tuesday December 13

Destiny Muhammed Jazz Trio

and

A Victoria Theodore Christmas

Monday December 12

Roberta Donnay Jass Ensemble

and

CHELLE! and Friends!

$12 adv / $16 door

I'll be inviting a few special guests to join me onstage for my performance. All of the shows are sure to get you into the holiday spirit! Come to both nights and demonstrate your support for local music! What a lovely way to start the holidays!

I'm also performing at Marcello's this coming Saturday night. Thanks to my fantastic summer of world travel (Greece, Curaçao, Brazil...wow!), I haven't performed at Marcello's in a while. Make plans to enjoy dinner and a show at Marcello's! The theme will be (of course) Thanksgiving and Gratitude - maybe I'll even write a tune on the subject. Remember, there's a drum set there and a PA, so bring your instruments, sing, play or just enjoy the show! I hope to see you there!

Sat, November 19

8:30pm - 11:30pm

Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar

Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!

515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map

Coming soon...my journey to Brazil...Minha viagem ao Brasil!

Until then, I wish you all a very happy, gratitude filled Thanksgiving! I'm grateful for your support, encouragement, kindness and love. Keep sending it my way!

Austin City Limits

2011-09-18T15:46:00.000-07:00

Austin City Limits! Deep in the heart of Texas, or at leastwhat I’d imagine is the heart of Texas. I’m not really sure. In any case, I had a great time! We arrived arrived at the hotel, andheaded off in search of some food. Judith and I walked around town, spying painted cows everywhere!

Painted cow

Apparently, they’re painted andauctioned off as fundraisers for children’s hospitals. So cute! Walking back to the hotel, I noticed the beautiful sunsetand had to take a photo. No matterwhere, or how often I have the chance to watch a sunset, it never ceases toamaze me with its beauty.

Sunset in Austin

Time to go to the headlinershows on Friday night! Judith,Lanesha and I walked out of the hotel and selected a pedi-cab to give us a rideto the festival. We chose the bestone! Christopher (of Bike Pimps)not only is a very cool guy, but also had a boom box playing a killer setlistof funk, raggae and soul music. Wewere rolling down the street, hair flying in the breeze, not worry or care inmind. Ah!

Judith, Lanesha, Me

I’m a big fan of Coldplay, butalso respect the work of Kanye West, though admittedly, I don’t know his musicas well as I know Coldplay’s. According to the schedule, Coldplay was supposed to go on first, withKanye starting a while later. Unfortunately, they both went on at about the same time, leaving me inthe dilemma of making a choice! Since I’d already had the chance to watch Coldplay perform when I was inStockholm, Sweden, I decided to watch about 15 minutes of Coldplay and thenhead to Kanye West’s show. They wereboth very good, but I wish I could have had a better view. We were standing down by stage left,and could only see everything from an angle. But the set, lights and dancers were amazing!

Cold play

Kayne West

Riding with Christopher back to the hotel

The next day, right before Stevie’sshow, Cee Lo Green performed. He has an all female band that was rocking hard! Cee Lo was cool about having Stevie's band watch from backstage, but since we had to do hair and makeup, Judith and I went to get food first, and then came to Cee Lo's show about 30 minutes into it. I did get to hear "Crazy" and "F You", so it was a fun show!

Cee Lo Green

As always, Stevie was brilliant, funky,beautiful, inspiring, heartwarming, etc. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I have such a great job!

Stevie in the show

After the show

Curaçao 2011

2011-09-06T16:39:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, September 1, I flew to Los Angeles to meet up with the rest of the band for our travel to Curaçao. We had 2 guest musicians in the band for this show: Jesus Diaz, an amazing Cuban percussionist who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, and incredible rising superstar singer/pianist/songwriter, Judith Hill (famous for her turn as background singer for the ill-fated Michael Jackson “This Is It” tour). Both very cool people!

The band departed for Curaçao early Friday morning, and spent the entire day in the air. We arrived at the hotel Friday night, greeted warmly by the staff with bottles of cool water. We all settled in and broke into our groups: everyone wanting to take advantage of the variety of musical performances of the night. Judith, Jesus and I headed to the venue to watch Earth, Wind and Fire. What a show! I sang along with the hits and built up a good sweat as I danced. After their show, we headed back stage to meet the stars, all of whom were gracious and kind. The next performer was Sting. He was walking around backstage, but as I never want to disrupt artists before they perform, I didn’t bother him. We all headed out to watch his show, and again I sang along and danced my heart out. After the show, I headed back to the hotel and went to bed.

Philip Bailey and me

Sting and Philip Bailey

Judith Hill, me and Ralph Johnson

Me and Verdine White

Me and Branford Marsalis

The next morning I was awakened by Lanesha, calling to tell me that our lobby call was at noon. Generally we don't have lobby call until around 2:30 or 3pm, so I was still in bed at 11am. I rushed into the shower, threw on my workout clothes, headed down to eat some fruit at the tail end of the breakfast buffet, and then headed to the lobby to wait for the bus to the venue. As I stood waiting, I noticed that Sting was sitting in the lobby next to Lanesha. Given that I had not taken advantage of the chance to take a photo with him at the venue the night before, I walked over and asked him if I could take a photo with him. He said "yes, but only because you're pretty". Wow! Complimented by Sting!

After the photo, I sat next to him and casually moved into a conversation after having introduced myself, and reminding him that I’d played for him once before (Madison Square Garden in 2009 for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concert). He was very cool, and easy to talk to. I was thrilled to be having a conversation with one of my musical heroes!

Sting left and we all soon boarded the bus for the venue. After sound check, I returned to the hotel and took a nap, got dressed and then back to the venue for dinner. As I stood in line, I noticed a tall man whom I immediately recognized as Chucho Valdes. Wow! I asked Jesus to take a photo and then turned my attention to dinner.

Me and Chucho Valdes

The food was not good, so I ended up eating an apple and a few chips. Not enough to last all night, but it was something. Ignoring my growling, belly, I prepared myself for the show in my usual manner: played through a few tunes from memory (I never really know what Stevie will choose to perform), apply my make up, dramatize my hair and don a sexy dress!

Photos from the show

Me, Judith, Lanesha, Aisha

We started this show with Stevie's rendition of "How Sweet It Is", and then dove right into a series of Stevie hits. We were also joined by musical legends Dionne Warwick (performing "That's What Friends are For") and Philip Bailey (performing "Love's Holiday" and "Shining Star"). It was a fun night! After the show, we all enjoyed a delicious meal (thank GOD) and the company of friends at a late night beach party. I didn't go to bed until 7am, but given that Sunday was an off day, I didn't mind brutally shifting my sleep clock.

The next day, I slept until 1:30pm! I didn't have a real plan for the day, but I never worry about such things, given my close relationship with Serendipity (check out my Greek blog for more on that!). I did some yoga, took a shower, ate an apple and an energy bar and headed downstairs with the intention of going for a walk around the hotel grounds. Upon exiting the elevator, I ran into Fausto and he invited me to come along to a birthday party where I could swim. Perfect timing! I ran back up to my room, threw on my bikini under my workout clothes and zipped into the car with a couple of band members. We drove for about 30 minutes towards a beach - which one? I have no idea! We stopped along the way for a snack. I ate a tuna empanada and a bottle of ice-cold water. Unfortunately, that was just about all of the water I had for the day. Bad decision that I paid for later.

We arrived at the party, and immediately were met with warm smiles, music, dancing and delicious food. It was a party for local bass player, Ernesto Paz, and many of the guests were musicians. Drums and drummers were most highly represented – divine! After about an hour of listening, singing and dancing, some folks started heading into the water. Cue the scary strings and chromatic diminished chords! Let me explain: the house was on a cliff, and the only way into the water was to either jump from an elevated ledge, or to climb down a ladder. Not exactly the kind of swimming I'd envisioned!

I've never been a good swimmer, and I do realize that it's completely in my mind - some kind of mental block that I'm now determined to overcome - so I was apprehensive about getting into the very deep water. But Errol and Fausto and several other people were having such a great time...and it was painfully hot in the sunshine...and I was wearing my bikini...and it did look fun...so I went for it! Oh no! I didn't jump! I climbed down the ladder, step by careful step, and splash! I joined the party – wearing my little floaty toy around my bikini. Since I didn’t have to work as hard as everyone else, I stayed in the water a long, long time. It was heavenly.

Ernesto and the ladies!

Tamara Nivillac and me

The diving platform

Me and Taco van Dijk

Amazingly clear water

Music!

Jumping into the water!

Climbing into the water!

Here I am in the water! I did it!

Sunset ... wow!

Good times...

Me and Maruja Bogaard

After finally coming out of the water, I danced some more and started to feel fatigue. So, I headed back to the hotel (thanks to Maruja Bogaard and her family) and went to bed. Lobby call was horribly early, so I only slept about 4 hours, skipped breakfast, didn’t drink enough water and boarded the flight to Miami. I usually fall asleep very easily on airplanes and this was no exception. However, after about an hour in the air, I woke up with a jolt. I couldn’t breathe well, I was sweating profusely, my heart was racing and I started to feel terribly dizzy. Then I noticed that my vision was narrowing, closing into a dark haze in the shape of a collapsing circle. I had no idea what was going on. It was absolutely terrifying.

Thankfully, I’m a long time practitioner of yoga and know how to focus my breathing to eliminate stress. I close my eyes and started regulating my breathing, thinking that a relaxed flow of oxygen could only help. It did. It took about 5 minutes, but my vision finally starting normalizing and I was able to get up and walk to the back of the airplane and tell the flight attendants. One of the women looked at me and immediately asked if I’d eaten anything. I said no. She swiftly sat me down and calmly served me cup after cup of orange juice, and insisted that I eat 2 boxes of raisins, a bunch of crackers and some cheese. She said that I was showing clear signs of low blood sugar. Apparently, by staying in the water, exposing my head to the intense sun (which I was blissfully unaware of since the water was cool), and not drinking enough water and skipping breakfast and lunch, I’d set myself up for both dehydration and low blood sugar. Not a fun combination. I do not recommend it! I didn’t feel totally normal again for at least 5 hours. Lesson learned. Ah, Curaçao…

Greece 2011

2011-07-03T15:24:00.000-07:00

Serendipity: the occurrence of events in a happy or beneficial way

My recent trip to Greece was a veritable case study of serendipity. In fact, the coincidences were so stunning and joy inducing that even I (she of the fabulous life) was left in awe. Nearly every day was filled with wonder, adventure, art, history, music, food, friends and fun. I had learned a few weeks before traveling that I would be performing with Stevie Wonder for the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics. Aha! This could be my opportunity to take a break and rejuvenate myself! I’m a terrible workaholic and hadn’t taken a real vacation since 2005 when I went to Belize with a dear friend. Immediately, I requested an extension of my return flight so that I could take advantage of being on the other side of the planet in a country renowned for its beauty and culture. And thus the serendipity began...

Last year, I met a beautiful artist named Alexia Vassiliou, a singer from Greece who now lives in Los Angeles. She happened call me the day after I learned of my upcoming trip and was curious about my possibly performing with her in Greece. Unfortunately, our timing was off for performing together at that time, but Alexia was fundamental in aligning the stars so that I could have a fantastic time in her home country.

I arrived in Athens on Thursday morning, June 23 at 1:30am, after having spent 10 hours in Los Angeles on a lay over from San Francisco, flying for 11 hours to Zurich, and another 5 hour lay over before finally flying to Athens. Phew! My room did not have a view of the Acropolis, but the sight still managed to inspire pause. Naturally, having eaten my fill and made my requisite “yes, I’m here and I’m ok…no I don’t see any riots…yes, they have security in this hotel” phone calls, I drifted to sleep for a lovely nap before the 2:30pm lobby call for sound check. The weather was hot, but our outdoor performance stage was covered so that we could tolerate being outdoors for more than 10 minutes.

For this show, drummer Ronald Bruner, Jr., joined the band. Ronald is not just an amazingly talented drummer, but also quite hilarious. He kept everyone laughing with his quick wit and relentless humor. We never knew what he’d seize upon next!

Kallimarmaron Panathenaikon Stadium

Sound check was for the most part uneventful (except for my keyboard not being connected correctly at first, and the overhead sun-blocking fabric falling onto Ronald’s drum set – while he was sitting there), despite the sweltering heat. Afterwards, the band went to dinner together and enjoyed some delicious Greek fare. I discovered that a traditional Greek salad (a standard item for each of my meals while in Greece) has no lettuce! Who knew? After dinner, we headed back to the venue for a full rehearsal. Several thousand people were present for the rehearsal (mostly the volunteers and their families). No one had warned us that we'd be performing for a crowd, so it was a bit surprising. We played through a few songs and headed back to the hotel again. One of the volunteers for the Special Olympics told me that I should visit the roof of the hotel to see the view of the Acropolis, so I joined my band mates for a trip to the rooftop.

The view is stunning and fatigue or not, I didn't want to miss it! I took a few photos, had a drink with the guys (yeah, plain water for me – the geek) and breathed in the night air while enjoying the sight of the Acropolis. Just before I was going to head to my room, the fabulous

Vanessa Williams and me

Vanessa Williams stepped out onto the roof top. At first, we were all a bit nervous about inviting her over to our sectional, but a couple of us finally spoke up and greeted her. She smiled, joined us and chatted with the band for over an hour. She is definitely one of the friendliest, most down-to-earth celebrities I've met. She's brilliant, fascinating, funny, cool and ridiculously beautiful. I've always been a fan, but now she's an inspiration!

On Friday morning, the entire group went sightseeing to the Acropolis Museum and the Acropolis. Amazing!

After sight-seeing, I joined Fausto and Errol on a trip into the Monstiraki neighborhood. Errol had learned of a sandal store, featuring custom shoes made by the “Poet Sandal Maker of Athens”. An easy trip, we hopped on the subway, rode 2 stops and then walked a couple of blocks to the store. I bought my first pair of custom made sandals, cut and glued together on my very own feet! They’re simple, but extremely comfortable.

The Poet Sandal Maker and me

After rehearsal, Fenia, who had been the guide assigned to work with the band, went with me to find a local restaurant for dinner. The guys in the band wanted burgers and other American food. Being the foodie that I am, I wanted to eat something delicious and authentically Greek. We ended up dining at a restaurant near the hotel and I had a delicious meal of grilled chicken on a skewer with roasted vegetables. Yummy!

As we walked back to the hotel, Fenia and I ran into a woman who introduced herself as Christina. Christina had been on her way to a fashion party on the rooftop and insisted that I join her. Granted, I’d been walking around all day in my shorts, tee shirt and sneakers (not exactly fashion presentable), but I think both Christina and I knew that if I went to my hotel room, I’d be going to sleep. So, casual gear and all, we went into the party. Christina is a journalist and has many friends in the fashion business. She introduced me to several of her friends and we all had a good time dancing and chatting. After about 90 minutes, I was burned out and bid everyone a good night. My pillow was calling…

I woke up too late for the free breakfast on Saturday (darn!), but had made arrangements to meet with Alexia’s friend, Nicos. Do you hear the sound of angels singing? Well, you should, because Nicos is a saint! I could not have asked for a better friend, guide, porter, dining companion, language instructor and translator!

Nicos met me in the hotel lobby and transported me to an authentic, traditional Greek restaurant called Thio Portes (two doors). We rode in a taxi into a neighborhood that was a bit rough (despite the heat, the taxi driver promptly rolled up the windows as we approached our destination). We exited the taxi and walked towards what looked like an abandoned building, and ducked down a steep flight of stairs into a dark, cool basement. There were 5 or so tables, each filled with patrons, and the fragrance of Greek spices in the air. We sat at a small table in a corner and waited for one of the larger tables to become available (about a 20 minute wait) before the chef would consider bringing us any food. At the table to our right, was a pair of Chinese tourists, cameras in tow. They finished their meal and promptly began snapping photos of the chef before continuing their journey. Finally, Nicos and I were seated at what had been their table.

Within minutes, the table was set and bread and water swiftly appeared before us. However, no menu was to be found. Nicos explained that we were to walk into the kitchen and tell the chef which of the prepared dishes we wanted to be served. We walked up to the stove and peeked into the pots, all of which were filled with food that smelled terrifically delicious. We decided upon Greek salad (of course!), potato and eggplant stew, grilled mackerel and thick sliced of grilled bread. After about 45 minutes, Nicos’ friends Jiula, Maria and Lita joined us. Our meal lasted for 2.5 delicious hours. As we enjoyed our extended meal, 2 tables crowded with mostly Greek men, who were drinking copious amounts of ouzo, entertained us with their enthusiastic renditions of traditional Greek songs. I wish I’d have had the thought to record them, but I was under such a blissful spell from my meal, I didn’t think of it. Opa! I did manage to ask the somewhat grumpy chef for a photo.

After a meal like that, all I could do was go back to the hotel and take a nap before getting dressed for the show. The performance was broadcast live with a terrific audience cheering us on! We performed 5 songs, including “That’s What Friends Are For” with Vanessa Williams. We didn’t stay to watch the remaining festivities, instead heading to dinner and dancing at a posh venue in Athens near the beach.

On Sunday morning, I woke up late and again missed breakfast. I needed the sleep more than I needed food. At noon, I met Nicos in the lobby and checked out of the hotel. Nicos insisted on carrying my luggage to the subway station, onto the train and into my hotel. Told you! A saint…his kindness nearly brought tears to my eyes. Nicos had found me another hotel, A for Athens, right in the heart of the Monastiraki district, literally around the corner from a convenient subway entrance. My original hotel charged €350 per night…um…I don’t think so! Restaurants and shopping were in abundance, the room was clean and quiet; and, best of all, the hotel was entirely smoke free! Just about everyone in Greece smokes, so this hotel was a welcome respite from tobacco, especially given how allergic I am. We planted my luggage in my new digs, and headed to lunch on a street along the train route. As we finished our meals, Nicos’ sister and cousin, both of whom share the name Eleni, joined us and we all headed on a walking tour of the ruins near Monastiraki. Ruins are everywhere in Greece!

The view from the 6th floor terrace

Me at the Acropolis

Modern buildings are erected in direct abutment to the ruins and the juxtaposition is mind-boggling. It must be amazing to have that level of direct access to one’s history. We ended up at the Acropolis (my 2nd visit), and again I felt an incredible surge of energy as I stood before the temples, scanned the landscape below and imagined who might have stood in the same spot 1,000 years ago. Exhausted after extensive walking in intense heat, I went to bed at 8pm and slept soundly.

I woke up early on Monday morning, repacked my suitcase and headed to the airport on the subway. Simple. Once in the airport waiting area, I checked my email for more details about where exactly I was going. Home? Not yet! A few days before I left for Greece, I had received an email message from my dear friend and college roommate, Persephone (not Greek, despite the name). She informed me that she would be on a Greek island during the week after Stevie’s performance. She was going to be participating in a Music / Alexander Technique seminar, and suggested that I join her there. As a matter of fact, I had been inquiring about Alexander Technique just a few days before she contacted me. Did I mention the word serendipity? On Sunday evening, I did an online search for a flight to Skiathos and a ferry to Skopelos. There were 2 flights available, 1 leaving town on Monday, and 1 returning on Thursday. There was 1 seat available on each of these flights, and I got them. Also, there was a massive general strike planned in Athens on Tuesday and Wednesday, which I’d be missing since I’d be on a Greek island. Awesome timing, non?

The only hitch: I had no idea where I was actually going in Skopelos. Persephone told me how to get there (flight and ferry), but never did send an actual address. Hm… So, there I sat in the airport waiting area. I boarded the plane, flew for about 20 minutes, and landed on Skiathos. I found my way to the ticket booth so that I could buy my ferry ticket. Apparently, there was no ferry leaving for another 5 hours because the airlines and ferry operators apparently don’t coordinate schedules (a ploy to get travelers to stay and shop in Skiathos, no doubt). I would get to Skopelos after dark, but how could I complain? I was on a Greek island! But what to do with this suitcase? Looking around, I noticed a couple from Hong Kong handing their luggage to a restaurant owner and sitting down to lunch. I followed suit. I lunched on a salad (not Greek this time) and then took a walk around the beautiful island.

I walked past a group of high school kids, sitting and holding music binders. A concert! Excited, I sat down and accepted a program from the young girl handing them out (fully in Greek, but the start time was clearly listed as 7:30pm). 7:30pm came and went. 7:45pm came and went. 8pm came and went. 8:15. Finally, at about 8:20pm, the director started speaking. My ferry was scheduled to depart at 9:45pm, so I wanted to be in place no later than 9pm to be sure I didn’t miss it. After all, who knew when the next would be? 8:40pm, the director was still talking…in Greek. No singing yet. Frustrated, I gave them until 8:50pm, and though they started to perform, the music was really slow and quiet. I had no patience left for gentle soft music, so I headed back to the restaurant and picked up my suitcase. I sat at the ferry dock, watching the sun descend behind the hills. Beautiful.

The ferry arrived on time, at 9:45pm. I boarded along with a mass of other people who appeared at the last minute (there were only 3 other people who sat and waited the 45 minutes with me). The ride was brief, maybe 15 minutes, which makes it all the more confusing as to why they didn’t run the ferry more often. I exited the ferry, still utterly unaware of where to go, hoping that Persephone would meet me at the dock in Skopelos. Car after car pulled up and took off with their expected guests. Finally, it was just me and the resident coast guard officer. He headed back to his office and I walked in the same direction. I almost walked into the office to ask him if he knew anything about a music seminar centered around Alexander Technique. Random question, I was aware, but worth a shot. However, my intuition told me to stay put, standing outside the office in the sliver of light from the nearby lamppost. I stood, happily enjoying the night air, not allowing myself to worry about being in a strange place after 10pm, unable to communicate with anyone, without a functioning phone. I was confident that everything would work out, as it always does. And suddenly I hear “Vicki?”; a group of women were walking past the lamppost, and one of them spotted me. Voila! Apparently, no one had any idea of when I would be arriving, and I hadn’t been on any of the earlier ferries. So Persephone and the group had all gone to dinner. They were leaving the restaurant on the way back to the hotel when they saw me. Awesome timing, again! After taking me to my “hotel” – a lovely building with no indication of address or title beyond the generic sign stating “Rooms”, Persephone walked me to a restaurant so I could get something to eat. Sleep was a pleasant and welcome treat.

I passed my days on Skopelos practicing yoga, playing piano, accompanying Persephone and Mary, a violist from the New York City Opera, had an Alexander Technique lesson with Criss, one of the multi-talented organizers of the seminar, sleeping, eating and enjoying the beach.

I woke up at 5:30am on Thursday morning in order to catch the ferry back to Skiathos. Criss and Persephone accompanied me to the dock, where I again encountered the couple from Hong Kong. We exited the ferry together in Skiathos, and after a short conversation agreed to catch a cab together back to the airport. We had to wait 4 hours for the flight, so we ate breakfast and passed the time by showing each other our photographs of the trip. They were on their honeymoon, and Greece was just one of their stops. At the airport, Martin (the new husband) wanted to venture out to the end of the runway, where the planes are close enough for people to stand and watch the take off from the roadside. I’d never seen a hazard sign with an airplane on it…and it was there for good reason! It’s completely insane to stand in the path of a jet blast. Martin’s wife and I took a photo and promptly returned to the airport, with Martin not far behind.

The flight back to Athens was uneventful, as was the trip on the subway back to the hotel. I had reserved the same room in the hotel, but when I arrived, they offered me an even better room at the same rate. Awesome! I decided to go to dinner alone and to spend the rest of the evening writing a song. After about an hour, I slipped into deep sleep.

A jackhammer woke me up on Friday morning just before 9am. I had the impulse to find a yoga class, so I did a quick search on my computer and found an Anusara class near the hotel. I threw on my workout clothes and jogged over to Bhavana Yoga Center, where I had a class with the founder, Konstantinos Charantiniotis. Konstantinos was kind enough to teach the class in English and is an excellent teacher (and quite easy on the eyes). I had a solid work out and then walked back to the hotel for breakfast. My dear friend René Decker, a brilliant musician and composer, was going to be arriving in Athens later in the day, and my next task was to find a recording studio. I posted a message online asking for help in finding a studio in Athens, and I garnered a heap of responses. Nicos managed to come up with a winner: One Way Recording in the neighborhood of Marusi. I contacted the owner, Patroklos, who gave me directions via train from Monastiraki to Marusi. Patroklos had lived in Los Angeles for many years, so his English is perfect.

I waited for René to arrive from the airport, and then once he was settled, we headed to the train station. Unfortunately, I decided to speak to a station attendant to confirm the directions to Marusi, and ended up on a train going the exact opposite direction. However, I didn’t realize my mistake until I’d already traveled 30 minutes the wrong way (thanks to there being stadiums on each end of the train line – I focused on the wrong one!). This was particularly disconcerting for me because I pride myself on my excellent sense of direction. I guess I was having an off day!

A very cool photo that René took of me on the way to Marusi

After a 90-minute travel fiasco, René and I made it to Marusi, where Pat met us at the station. We walked to his brand new studio and got right to work. I composed 2 tunes, one up-tempo and one ballad, both of which I really like. Fenia met us at the studio and the 4 of us went to dinner in town. The Greeks have a much more reasonable sense of restaurant patronage than restaurants here in California. On more than one occasion, I was able to have a delicious, healthy meal after midnight. When I’m home, slim are the quality dining options after 10pm. However, given that we didn’t finish dinner until nearly 1am, there were no trains available to take us back to the hotel. So, René and I hired a cab to get back to Monastiraki. For some reason, I didn’t sleep well Friday night. Maybe because I knew that my time in Greece was coming to an end.

On Saturday morning, I went back to the Bhavana Yoga Center and took a class with Georgia, who spoke only a moderate amount of English and therefore conducted the class in Greek. I didn’t have any problems though, since I can follow body movement very well. After class, I went back to the hotel, but found that the cleaning staff was making my room. So, I headed up to the terrace to bide my time by staring at the Acropolis. While there, I struck up a conversation with a Frenchman named Philippe, who was taking a few days off in Athens, and who happened to have also attended Stanford. René joined us and discovered that he and Philippe know a musician in common. What a small world! Once Nicos joined us, I headed to my room to get dressed while the gents chatted. Since it was my last day in Athens, I set the agenda: sightseeing, shopping, dinner and dancing.

I felt like a superstar with a fabulous entourage! René, Philippe, Nicos and I visited the Acropolis museum and the Acropolis (again!), but didn’t make it all the way to the top this time. Nonetheless, I once more felt that amazing surge of energy. Next, it was time for souvenir gathering. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m frugal (not cheap) but don’t like to buy a bunch of junk. I like to buy souvenirs for my loved ones that will be useful. Thanks again to Nicos, I found everything that I wanted at great prices! Back at the hotel, we all dressed for an evening out, met for drinks on the rooftop and then headed to dinner.

Nikos took me to where they serve the best Tabuleh salad in Athens!

A passing turtle!

Me and my entourage

Getting ready to hit the town!

Party the night away!

Sunrise and goodbye's

By the time our meal arrived, there was a large group of people: me, René, Nicos, Philippe, Patroklos, Evi, Eleni, Christina and a friend of hers whose name I’ve forgotten. Once we finished dinner, everyone gathered their belongings and headed toward the neighborhood labeled “gassy” (named for being a district in which a former gas plant still stood). We danced; we talked, and tried to push through the flagging energy to watch the sunrise. At 7am, I hugged and kissed my entourage and jetted into the hotel to shower and pack. Once I sat in my cozy, business class seat, I was ready to doze off, and would have, except for the announcement by the pilot that another airplane had just broken down directly behind our airplane. Uh-oh. I had a connecting flight to catch in the USA. That announcement meant I had even less time to deal with customs and make it to my new gate. We sat…and sat…and sat. Finally, after over 90 minutes had passed, the other airplane was pulled out of the way and we took off. Well aware that I had a connecting flight, the flight attendants didn’t think I had any chance of making my flight. After landing, I exited the airplane and ran to customs. A massive line of travelers stood before me. Once in line, I pleaded with people in front of me, asking for permission to pass them, and all but one man happily pushed me along so that I could make my flight (boooooo to him!). I made it through customs easily and took off running again. I made it! And so did my luggage, because…my connecting flight had been delayed. Ah, serendipity.

Ladies Night @ Piedmont Piano

2011-06-07T13:30:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, I participated in Ladies Night at Piedmont Piano.

Originally 5 pianists, including Annie Sajdera, were slated to perform, but sadly, Annie wasn't able to join us on this event. I opened the night with a couple of "classical" piano works: Schumann's Davidsbündlertänze #10 Balladenmäßig, and Rachmaninoff Etude in Ebm Op. 33 #5, both passionat, fiery works that I had lots of fun performing. Next on the schedule was classical / cabaret pianist Allison Lovejoy, performing a series of classical works, including one of my favorite: Ravel's Jeux D'eau. I'd love to get that music back in my fingers. Practice...

Next was Socorro de Castro, performing a group of jazz tunes, including standards and originals, and a country tune! She was followed by Debbie Poryes in a delicate set of standards.

Allison came back to the stage to perform some original cabaret music, including an ode to her grandmother about pills... hilarious!

Finally, I closed the night with 4 of my original tunes. I've never really performed many of my own tunes, so this was a moment of a bit of nervousness for me (a true rarity), but it went well. More than a few people told me that the songs were beautiful, and even tear inducing. Wow! I can't wait to perform them with my trio : >

Another amazing Hiromi performance

2011-06-05T23:57:00.000-07:00

What a magical night of music! I went to see Hiromi perform at Yoshi's in San Francisco, this time with bassist Anthony Jackson and drummer Simon Phillips, both musical legends. As always, Hiromi's brilliant, beautiful, fiery and creative playing brought me to tears, not once, but twice. In her I see the culmination of my life's goal of achieving musical fluency and total freedom. Admittedly, I am well along the path, considering that I'm a mere mortal, but I long to attain the level of technical, philosophical and expressive prowess displayed by demi-gods and goddesses like Hiromi and her cohorts.

From sublimely delicate to head bobbing funk to wild, multi-metered abandon, the music was thrilling and inspiring. I didn't want it to end! After the concert, I had the opportunity to spend time speaking with the musicians, and gained an even higher level of respect for them. So many of the brilliant artists that I've met over the years are not only incredible musicians, but they possess astute general intelligence as well, are steeped in musical history, able to identify composers, performances, conductors, including knowledge of dates, eras, the minutiae of recordings and speak with authority about musical genres outside of those for which they're famous. I spoke for 20 minutes to both Anthony Jackson and Hiromi about the Rachmaninoff Etudes Tableaux and Concerti and sang melodies with them from various classical works. The range of their knowledge is nothing short of astounding. Being in their presence energized me and at the same time made me feel like a slacker; like I just need to work harder, smarter and become the musician and person I believe is laying somewhat dormant within me (underneath the busy work that occupies too much bandwidth in my brain). I want to be able to wax eloquent on the distinctions between the Horowitz and Argerich recordings of Rach #3; to retain more of the history of music (which I did learn at one point) and the people to whom that history is attributed; to remember Opus numbers and, for that matter, names of tunes! So embarrassing when I can't remember commonly known titles...sigh...

But, not to bash myself too harshly for not being a musical lexicon, the overriding theme of the night was inspiration. Once again I was inspired to do more, be more, and always to embrace the blessings at hand. Can I get an AMEN!??

Anthony Jackson

Simon Phillips

Hiromi

Victoria Theodore: June Performances

2011-05-27T14:20:00.000-07:00

Morning rain ....
Gently plays her rhythmns on your window pane
Giving you no clue of when she plans to change
To bring rain or sunshine

And so you wait to see what she'll do
Is it sun or rain for you...

"Summer Soft" – Stevie Wonder

Ok, really? Rain again? Is anyone else more than a bit tired of the rain in the Bay Area? Well, given that I'm mostly vegetarian, I shouldn't complain about conditions that will yield much bounty in my garden later in the season, but...it's time for sundresses and sandals! Sunscreen and sunglasses! Get it? Sun, sun, sun, sun! Well, I suppose I'll have to make do with going to Greece with Stevie this June to get my sunshine! Woohoo! (Opa! Traditional celebratory Greek dance movement suddenly ensues...)

May was a great month of performance. Stevie did a few private fundraising events, and was kind enough to include me in the small group of band members. I had the chance to see the private home of a billionaire (um...wow! Most beautiful home EVER), got to meet David Foster, Bradley Cooper and MR. ROBERT DENIRO!!! You talkin' to me????

I stayed in NYC a few days after one fundraiser and spent time with family and friends, took a dance class, went salsa dancing, met and listened to some amazing musicians, including Gretchen Parlato, Robert Glasper, Taylor Eigsti, Meleni Smith, Bridget Barkan and Lenny Harold. Good, good, good times, folks... ; >

I was so inspired by my trip to NYC that I came home ready to get to work on my own project. I've made some najor adjustments to my schedule, remind myself daily of what it's going to take to get to the "next level" and have been consistent...for once!! : > Yay! I've got a performance on June 4 in Oakland where I'll be performing a couple of the tunes that have potential to get on the CD. My strategy is to write FAR too many songs and choose from the best of the bunch, all the while trying songs in public to see which go over best with the audience and which cling closest to my heart/soul.

Here are my upcoming performance listings. Check out the calendar for updates, and I hope to see you at a show!

Fri, Jun 3
6:30pm - 81:30pm
E-22 Café
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
1366 Powell Street Emeryville, CA 94608 | 510.428.9334 | map

Sat, June 4
8pm
Ladies Night
featuring outstanding local pianists
Piedmont Piano Company
Socorro de Castro -- Allison Lovejoy -- Debbie Poryes -- Annie Sajdera -- Victoria Theodore, Piano
1728 San Pablo Oakland, CA 94612 | 510.547.8188 | map
$15

Sat, June 18
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map

Sat, Jun 25
8pm
Stevie Wonder
Special Olympics Summer Games - Opening Ceremony 2011
Kallimarmaron Panathenaikon Stadium
Vasileos Konstantinou Avenue
Athens Greece

Victoria Theodore: April Performances

2011-04-02T13:30:00.000-07:00

Let the rain kiss you
Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops
Let the rain sing you a lullaby
The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk
The rain makes running pools in the gutter
The rain plays a little sleep song on our roof at night
And I love the rain.

"April Rain Song" – Langston Hughes

Rain in abundance has blessed our Bay Area communities over the last few weeks. So much so, that those of us with allergies, are dealing with the beautiful (if uncomfortable) expression of flowers and trees in the form of myriad varieties of pollen. Thank God for anti-histamines!

April brings with it not only variety in foliage, but also variety in my musical performances. This month, I've got shows ranging from funk to musical theater to classical, in both Northern and Southern California. Good stuff, so be sure to catch a show!

Here are my listings. Check out the calendar for updates, and I hope to see you at a show!

Sat, Apr 2
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map

Fri, Apr 8
9:30pm
Funk ky Shu's wit Nu Soles (formerly the 11th Commandments)
Yoshi's San Francisco Front Lounge Funk / R&B
1330 Fillmore Street San Francisco, CA 94115 | 415.655.5600
$10

Sat, Apr 9
****CANCELLED****
9:30pm
FUNK BAND
Yoshi's San Francisco Front Lounge
1330 Fillmore Street San Francisco, CA 94115 | 415.655.5600
$10
****CANCELLED****

Sun, Apr 17
5pm
Monica A. Williams, soprano
One Voice, One Mission, Helping Many; An evening of Classical Music featuring Monica A. Williams, soprano, and Victoria Theodore, pianist. Benefiting the Galatians 6:10 Foundation which supports Mt. Sinaiís missions and outreach endeavors.
Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church
3669 54th Street Los Angeles, CA 94608 | 323.291.1121

Fri, Apr 29
Sat, Apr 30
8pm & 10pm
Goapele at Yoshi's San Francisco
1330 Fillmore Street San Francisco, CA 94115 | 415.655.5600 | map
$28

Sun, May 1
7pm & 9pm
Goapele at Yoshi's San Francisco
1330 Fillmore Street San Francisco, CA 94115 | 415.655.5600 | map
$28

Victoria Theodore: March Performances & Online Hiatus: Week 6

2011-03-07T13:24:00.000-08:00

Like an army defeated
The snow hath retreated
...
Small clouds are sailing,
Blue sky prevailing;
The rain is over and gone!

from "Written in March" – William Wordsworth

Well, not quite yet. We did have a brief experience with snow here in California (yikes!!!), but it's long gone and we still have a few remnants of winter manifesting as chilly rain showers. But it's a beautiful poem (excerpted above), ideal for a beautiful March morning.

Since I'm still trying to spend my time being musically creative, rather than being online, I'll keep it brief. I'm gong to Abu Dhabi with Stevie Wonder next week! I'm excited. If you have any suggestions for where to go and what to do, please let me know!

I have a couple of shows coming up in the Bay Area. Check out the calendar, and I hope to see you at a show!

Sat, Mar 5
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map

Sat, Mar 12
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map

Thu, Mar 10
5pm - 8pm
Celebrating Change: Art Live Lounge
An event for International Museum of Women
Terra Gallery
511 Harrison Street San Francisco, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map
$85 Online Purchases, $95 At the Door (Subject to availability. PLEASE BUY TICKETS AHEAD OF TIME. THIS EVENT IS LIKELY TO SELL OUT)

Fri, Mar 18
8:30pm
Stevie Wonder
2011 Tour
Yas Island Show Weekend 2011
Yas Arena
Yas Island , Abu Dhabi, UAE | map

Mon, Mar 21
9pm
SHELLEY presents Night of Jazz
A benefit for Lyon Martin Health Services; featured artists include: Tom Shaw Trio, SHELLEY, Victoria Theodore, Sheelagh Murphy, Suzanna Smith and Benn Bacot
Cafe du Nord
2170 Market Street San Francisco, CA 94526 | 415.861.5016 | map
$25 Online Purchases, $30 At the Door

Baby, I'm a Staaaaaaaaaaar, ooh!

2011-02-26T20:54:00.000-08:00

I was dancing on the stage, lights, smoke and loud music all around me...shaking my hips, flipping my hair, steeped in a world of phantasmagoric phunk...

I glanced to my left to see a beautiful smile, shrouded white, head to toe fierce, complete with furry white boots that nearly stole the show. A man with superlative seductive sensibility was singing a song to me...um...and a few thousand other folks! Whaaaa?? Yep. I was on stage, partying it up at the Prince concert in Oakland Thursday night! Here's my crazed teenage-dream scream: AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!

I have been a Prince fanatic since I was a pre-teen. My very first concert was a Prince concert. I'd forgotten how amazingly talented this man is. I had the opportunity to see him perform both Wednesday and Thursday nights, and to see my amazing Oakland friends (Ashling Cole, Jimi McKinney, David Council, Wilton Raab, Brian Braziel) jam with the amazing Larry Graham as Prince's opening act and then later play with him in his set. After the show, I was able to hang out backstage with even more of my lovely bay area musician friends. I'm still buzzing from the thrill of music, dance and love! Woohoo!

Prince's band was on fire! Great shows and good times! Sheila E was spectacular and looked like a goddess! Mr. Hayes, Ida Bass, Cassandra and the rest of the band and singers were smokin' hot!! But I really started to party when Prince asked Shelby, one of the singers, to collect a few dancers for an onstage dance-a-thon. I happened to have been sitting close to the stage, and as soon as I heard the invitation, I ran to the stairs. I wasn't going to miss the opportunity to dance for Prince! Several of my friends joined me on stage....which left one small problem: NO ONE to take a photo! Sigh... Oh well. Hopefully, someone in the mass of audience members took a photo and I'll get to see it. But even if not, it's a memory that I'll always treasure. 'Cause "I'm just cool...COOL!! Coo-oo-ool! Ain't nobody bad like me..."

But, great band, beautiful lights, a chance to dance on stage all aside, Prince was superb. This article sums it up well:

Prince concert Review

The sound in the house wasn't great (especially on Thursday night, I had to use my ear plugs from the start...it was just too loud), but I still could appreciate the man's virtuosity, musicality and showmanship. I couldn't hold back the tears on Purple Rain (I cried both nights), and appreciated even the little snippets of several hits that he triggered on the purple piano. His oeuvre is astonishing, spectacular and inspiring. Love, love, love, love, LOVED every moment. Thank you, Prince...

Online Hiatus: Week 5

2011-02-14T13:33:00.000-08:00

I never get sick. No, really. I sometime flirt with "under the weather" or "fatigue" or "moody", but even those are pretty rare. But sick? Nope. Not me. But this time, the virus was sneaky and even overcame my secret anti-illness potion (H2O2). So, I spent the entire weekend in bed, plotting my return to the world of healthfulness from beneath several layers of blankets.

From my bed, I imagined myself focusing on practicing, composing, arranging and performing with the aim of finishing my first CD project (or digital download...not sure how to refer to it). My goal is to make a definitive musical statement that reflects the diversity of my training and musical experience, bridging the gap between accessible and esoteric. I'm excited about it, and am ready to get going again. As..cough...soon as ...cough cough...I can stop....cough...cough...stop ..cough cough...coughing and stay out ...cough cough...of bed long enough...cough cough... to get back to w...cough cough cough cough...work...cough cough cough COUGH!!! You get the picture....sigh....

Have a beautifully healthy week, lovelies! May this Valentine's Day be the most beautiful and loving you've ever experienced. Don't restrict your proclamations of love to only the romantic type. Tell everyone you love these three word: I LOVE YOU!!!

See you next week!

Victoria Theodore: February Performances & Online Hiatus: Week 3 & 4

2011-01-31T13:10:00.000-08:00

"Love is in the air...quite clearly..."
– Stephen Sondheim, A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Forum

It's February! The month of love! Let's hope it's full of love and better luck!

Um…yeah… January is gone. Thank GOD! Ok… 2011 has been a doozy of a year so far: My 14 year old dog got sick, then had a bad reaction to his meds. I spent several hundred dollars on a problem that didn’t really exist, and disappeared when I stopped giving him the meds. Sigh. Then my other 2 dogs both had bad skin allergies. Another couple of hundred dollars. Sigh. Then mom’s roof was blown off in a bizzare wind storm that behaved like a tornado (northern California, folks. We don't get those here!!). Insurance company only wants to pay 2/3, made the check out to the mortgage company, so it has to be sent back east for endorsement and approval before the contractor can be paid. Sigh. Then I pulled a muscle in my chest (feels like my diaphragm) while doing yoga. Yoga! WTF???? I've been doing yoga for 15 years. I've NEVER pulled a muscle. Sigh. Then my aunt Debra was in a major car accident. Sigh. Thankfully, no one died, and there is light at the end of each of the proverbial tunnels, but January has been taxing. Conclusion: My family and I overcome obstacles with confidence, grace and determination! Yes!

I’ve been doing an online hiatus. Or trying to. Well, to say I'm trying is lame. I intended to and failed. Oh well! I have managed to experience some great music. Last weekend, I played and sang for a fundraiser in Oakland. I did a few standards in homage to Billie Holiday. I’d never really done anything quite like it, and despite my still present cough (maybe I should go to the doctor?) I did a great job. Well, I haven’t seen the video yet, so I guess we shall see! Fingers crossed that I did the songs justice...

After the fundraiser, I went to dinner with my sister at Bistro Liason. Wow! I had a delicious veggie pizza with butternut squash, and a spinach salad with pecans and goat cheese. The next day, I went on a mini-vacation to Napa with my BFF Amy. It was her birthday and since the vacation was already paid for (no refunds), I decided to take advantage of the time off, despite the chaos in my family life. The highlights of the trip to Napa were the amazing meals we enjoyed. We had dinner at Farmstead, where I dined on delicious roasted chicken with kale, and a yummy kale salad. We had lunch at the CIA at Greystone. I was in a veggie mood, so I ate Brussels sprouts (one of my favorite things on the planet), Broccolini and butternut squash soup (yes, I’m a superfan of butternut squash). But the best meal by far, was the meal we had at Ubuntu in downtown Napa. OH MY GOODNESS! This was definitely one of the best meals of my life. All of the dishes were delicious, creative, full of flavor, delicious (oh! Did I already say that??) and DELICIOUS! And the chef is cute too! He came out to our table to serve our final dish and we both were effusive in our praise of his creations. The dishes were served family style but were presented as works of art. We started with the “garden snake”, a collection of leaves, flowers, roots and herbs gathered together in the shape of a snake with sprinkles of “soil” (if you go to Ubuntu, have them explain the “soil” to you and then don’t hesitate to gobble it up. OMG it’s good. For real.), the steamed bun with sunchokes persimmon and green tomato, the roasted potatoes with kraut ash (cabbage prepared in a specialized manner that ends up resembling ash, but tastes divine) and a celeriac based dessert (yes, that’s celery root, and it will totally surprise you). The chef, Aaron London, is brilliant.

I’ve had a few spectacular musical experiences in the past week as well. On Thursday night, I went to hear my friend Elaine Romanelli at the Union Room in San Francisco. She’s now performing her own music: a hybrid of folk, pop and bluesy jazz (when I met her she was doing mostly classical and standards). She’s a brilliant songwriter and I loved listening to her set. Friday night I went and heard 3 piece and a Biscuit, Ashling Cole’s band, most of whom also perform with Larry Graham, touring around the world: Brian Braziel, Eric “EQ” Young, Eric Daniels, Jimmy McKinney, Dave Counsil, and Wilton Raab. The first set was a tribute to the genius of Teena Marie, and I had the chance to sit in on my favorite Teena song, Portguese Love. But the rest of the night, I was in the audience dancing and having a great time listening to the band. They were HOT! Saturday night, I went to see my BFF Sundra perform with Miko Marks: country music in the Bay Area! Who knew? The band was great, and included my friends Brian Braziel and Victor Campos. I had a great time and even learned country line dancing with Miko’s uncle. Yee haw! And then Sunday night, I was present for the recording of Valerie Trout’s new CD, featuring more Bay Area musicians: Maya Kronfeld (one of my favorite pianists, and not just in the bay area!), Darian Gray, Jaz Sawyer and Dave Ewell. Stunning arrangements of standards and some beautiful tunes by Valerie. What an inspiring weekend! Time for me to get to work. I’m going to do myself a favor and REALLY not go online this week. See you next Monday with a report of the music I’ve composed! Yes, I’m making a challenging for myself to stop just talking and start doing! Love love love…

I have a couple of shows coming up in the Bay Area. Check out the calendar, and I hope to see you at a show!

Sat, Feb 5
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map

Sat, Feb 19
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map

Online Hiatus: Week 2

2011-01-17T15:10:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I drove to Los Angeles to attend the NAMM show. I have been dealing with several personal issues that made me ambivalent about attending this year, but last week, things started working out, so I decided to go. Now I wish I'd made up my mind sooner so I could have arranged to stay the entire weekend. I keep doing that to myself: I go to NAMM, have a great time, leave way way way too early, regret leaving, and then immediately forget the following year until the last minute. Sigh... Anyway, this year, a huge crew of my bay area friends attended, including Mike Blankenship, Ashling Cole, Uriah Duffy, Joey Fabian, Dennis Dove, Darian Gray, Lloyd Gregory, Lynette Williams, Donte McClinton, Brian Collier, Dale Chung, Stephen Smith, Bryan Dean, Altoris Levar, Eric Barnett I also had the chance to hang out with my musical friends Wictor Wooten, Byron Miller, Brandon Brown (though I AGAIN missed a New Genesis show since I didn't have my own car...sigh...), Matt Cusson, Showboat Shavers, Eric Bostelman, Freddie Ravel, Kiki, Dennis Hamm, Ruslan Sirota, Ronald Bruner, Jr., Ellis Hall, Lynne Fiddmont, Jeanette Harris, Michael Harris, Kimberly Brewer, Gerry Brown, David Haynes, René Decker, my band mates Errol Cooney, Roman Johnson, Nate Watts, and Ryan Kilgore.

I think I got everyone...though it's likely I've left someone out...oops! I heard lots of great music and even had the chance to play...though that's an odd story:

I arrived at sound check for a performance on Friday night. Nate Watts had asked me to perform with him, and anytime that Nate asks me to play a gig, I say yes! Not only is he an amazing musician, but he's a lovely person. Unfortunately, I encountered someone who wasn't so lovely. Let's just say that someone that night chose to be an impediment and unreasonably rude. I don't want to reveal too much, because I'm choosing to not partake in a game of who can be more arrogant, but I was shocked that a professional musician would exhibit the type of behavior I encountered. Suffice it to say, that Roman Johnson and I had a good laugh while we attempted to play 2 keyboard parts on a single 61-key keyboard (on only 1 patch, since there was no time to program any splits), bumping into each other as we played. At least I was able to get all of my friends into the show. I just wish I'd had the chance to really PLAY. C'est la vie!

I made lots of new connections with equipment manufacturers, met some incredible new musicians, enjoyed the beautiful sunny weather and had an all around good time. I even managed to work on 3 tracks for clients over the past week. This week, I've got a few client tracks, but my main focus is my project and getting ready for a show on Saturday where I'll be playing and singing a few jazz standards.

See you next week!

Online Hiatus: Week 1

2011-01-10T20:58:00.000-08:00

Hello friends! As I mentioned in my previous blog, I'm making space in my life so that I can focus on my music at a more intense level. I must admit, I'd become addicted to checking my email, checking facebook, commenting on the lives of others, etc. This past week was awesome in terms of releasing my addiction. I only went online once per day, and just to check for email messages marked "URGENT", only left facebook comments regarding my dog (who's almost back to normal...hallelujah!), didn't return many phone calls (sorry...) and enjoyed the space and freedom to work on music! I practiced, created new ideas for tracks, recorded a song with one of my songwriting partners, and had an overall sense of accomplishment. Yay!

Ok, disappearing again for another week. If you see me, online, please nudge me and say "hey! Aren't you supposed to be hiding?", just like my friend Amy K. did the other day! lol

xoxoxo

Resolutions & my Best of 2010

2011-01-03T16:09:00.000-08:00

2010 was a good year for me. I had several amazing moments, and clearly can't itemize them all. Here are the major stand outs:

CAREER
Meeting Quincy Jones and performing at Fisk University

FAMILY
Participating in Naomi's wish from the Make-A-Wish Foundation

FRIEND
On a day when I was feeling kind of lonely and needed a connection to home, I ran into a good friend in a piano store in Copenhagen. One of these days, I'll write at length about that magical day.

BRAIN
A friend too me to a lecture by Dr. Cornel West. I was spellbound. I love brilliance and Dr. West offers his brilliance to an audience in ample measure. I left the lecture inspired, enthralled and determined to reach my highest level of expression in life, music, art, beauty, intellect, humanity, kindness, empathy, responsibility and love.

HEART
Love continues to surround and support me, in ways that are beyond explanation in a simple blog. I am so grateful...

BEST BOOK

Poems That Will Save Your Life

A friend gave me this book for my birthday and I love it! It's a collection that includes some of my all time favorite poems, and is my source of achieving my life long dream of being a person who can easily recite poetry a la Dr. Huxtable. : >

BEST SONG

This song was released in 2009, but I learned it in 2010. Hands down my favorite song of the year. Every time, and I mean, every time, it gets to the D sus chord at 8:31, I weep tears of joy. It's one of the most amazingly beautiful, well conceived, brilliantly re-harmonized moments I've ever experienced in music. After a particular chord progression is repeated over a gradual crescendo, the band introduces the new chord after a descending C aeolian scale and it strikes my spirit me like daylight after a heavy storm. Spectacular!

Sovereign God

BEST CD

I'm a fan of great pop music, and my favorite pop record of the year was Bruno Mars' "Doo-Wops & Hooligans". Favorite song "Grenade", but I love many of them. I LOOOOOOVE Bruno Mars!

My favorite jazz record was Esperanza Spalding's "Chamber Music Society". The project didn't catch me as swiftly as her previous work, but it's definitely grown on me. Favorite tune: run-off between "Little Fly", with it's very singable melody which evokes the Viennese classical music of William Blake's era (the poet responsible for the lyric, "What A Friend" with its metamorphosis from sensual ballad into funky modern jazz groove, and "Inutil Paisagem", featuring the beautiful voice of Gretchen Parlato.

BEST CONCERT

Spectator: Hiromi, solo piano at Yoshi's. She is my favorite young pianist. She exemplifies everything I seek to achieve as a pianist: unparalleled musical expression, beautiful touch, fiery technique, and plain, simple fun while playing. Hiromi rocks!

Performer (band): Stevie Wonder in South Korea. I've never seen a crowd as enthusiastic and emotional as the crowd in Seoul.
Performer (solo): Well, not really solo, but it was performing my own music at Fisk University. It whet my appetite for performing more of my own music!

Intentions and declarations

2010-12-22T15:54:00.000-08:00

"Maybe it's much too early in the game
Ooh, but I thought I'd ask you just the same
What are you doing New Year's
New Year's eve?"

– What are you doing New Year's eve?, Sung by Ella Fitzgerald, written by Frank Loesser

Well, at least so far, I won't be working. For the 2nd year in a row, I'm left without a New Year's Eve gig. Weird. Oh well! Maybe I'll get a last minute phone call...or maybe I'll bring in the new year with my family. Either way, it'll be a beautiful night...

2010...it's been a great year! Well, not for my blogging habit. I've missed entire seasons of notable events that I should have documented. But the prevailing realisation for me is that I do need a full time assistant. Many of my musical peers are also realizing that although an online presence is imperative in this information age, it can easy snow-ball into an experience that's seriously overwhelming. I used to pride myself on timely responses to both email and phone messages. 2010 has seen me turn into a regular non-responder. And let's not even mention the email I get from Facebook, myspace, Linked-In, and all of the other social networking sites I so smartly joined (early adopter that I am). In a phrase, I'm in information overload!

So here's my quick summation of 2010, with a few highlights:

JANUARY 2010

Legendary bassist Nathan Watts asked me to perform with him at the ceremony hosted by Samson honoring Nate with the 2010 International Bassist Award. Nate asked me to play some classical, so I prepared a couple of pieces from the Davidsbündlertänze by R. Schumann, and Rachmaninoff Etude #5 from the Études-Tableaux. Not exactly the crowd for classical, and I had to play them on a keyboard, but I did my best and Nate appreciated it : >

FEBRUARY 2010

I was invited to do a master class and lecture for the Keep Music Rockin' Foundation. It was fun and the kids seemed to enjoy my presentation.

A friend invited me to Skywalker Ranch to observe a recording session. At lunch, apparently George Lucas sat directly behind me, but no one at my table decided to tell me until he'd left, so I didn't get a chance to meet him. But, oh, was I inspired to be on the grounds. So much creativity in the air! Just the beauty of the place is inspiring. I can't wait to return...

MARCH 2010

I accompanied several artists in the Jazz Camp West music competition, and was truly impressed by the variety of talent. Including my own sister! She's not a trained singer, but was determined to perform a song that touched her heart, Sade's "It's only love". She brought the entire room to tears with her emotional rendition.

APRIL 2010

As you may recall, my niece Naomi is a leukemia survivor. While she was in chemotherapy treatment, she was granted a wish to visit Disney World by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. I was invited to go along with the family and enjoy a few days of watching Naomi being given a trip of a lifetime. Thank you to the good people at Make-A-Wish Foundation, Disney World, Universal Studios and Give Kids the World Village for making Naomi's dream of meeting Tinkerbell come true!

I flew home from Florida, and performed with soprano Candace Johnson the very next day. I had taken the music with me to Florida so I could study the piano accompaniment. We performed a series of pieces composed by American composers, including some which were challenging, especially given my short amount of practice time. But we pulled it off! I just love playing challenging classical music. I get so much satisfaction from the combination of beauty and cerebral stimulation; focusing on executing the notes correctly, while lending the proper interpretation, while listening to the singer and supporting her interpretation and character in the music, and projecting all of that to an audience. Ah... the thrill of it all!

A few days later, I flew to Nashville as the guest composer for the Fisk University Jazz Ensemble Spring Concert. Dr. Gary Nash had invited me to compose a few pieces for the ensemble a few months prior to the performance. I composed and arranged 3 pieces, and Dr. Nash worked with the students to prepare for the Spring concert performance. The concert went great! The students were so kind and seemed to enjoy my music, as did the audience. Thank you to Dr. Nash and all of the students for their hospitality and hard work in preparing my music!

MAY 2010

I was invited to perform a Mother's Day concert for a private club, and decided to use the occasion to write a song in honor of mothers...that same morning! I love the song and look forward to recording it ... soon! : >

Stevie Wonder had a couple of fundraiser performances. He was the headliner for the Robin Hood Foundation Annual fundraiser in New York City. The room was packed with millionaires, billionaires and celebrities, and the foundation raised $87 million in just a few hours. Breathtaking...

Later in the month, Stevie was the headliner for an event honoring Washington DC area teachers. Another great show...

JUNE / JULY 2010

Stevie performed at the Bonnaroo Festival in Tennessee, and for the first time since I've been in the band, he wasn't the closing act. That position went to Jay-Z, who put on a great show! I had no idea that I know so many of his songs. Beyoncé and Lady Gaga were standing on the opposite side of the stage from me, but I didn't get the chance to meet either of them.

About a week later, Stevie started his European Tour! We travelled all over Europe, including cities I'd never visited before. My favorites included Paris (of course, as it's my favorite city in the world), London, Copenhagen, Verona and Berlin. There were too many cities to track in this abbreviated blog, but one of these day, my assistant will compile the awesome photos I took and upload them. Sigh... Hightlights:

• First time in Ireland, but no time to research family history (yes, Irish ancestry in my bloodline)
• Hard Rock Calling - amazing crowd, great weather, getting used to performing the skit with Stevie (check out the YouTube videos!)
• Glastonbury Festival - 250,000 people so they say. Who knows? A huge crowd indeed. Got to meet Corinne Bailey Rae and Slash!
• Performing in ancient arenas in Niemes, France and Verona, Italy. Stunning. Not only was the architecture breathtakingly beautiful, but the people were absolutely lovely! I'd never encountered my own "fans" like I did in Italy! They knew all of the bands members by name! Talk about an humbling experience. Wow...
• Monte Carlo, where the Bentley is just a commonplace car. You have a Bentley? Oh...Yawn... I am a serious foodie, and decided that I had to (I just HAD TO) grant myself the experience of dining at a fancy restaurant in Monte Carlo. I couldn't convince any of my comrades to accompany me on my culinary adventure, so I got all dolled up and went on by myself. I wanted to dine at Alain Ducasse's world famous Le Louis XV, but apparently my last minute decision was inadequate notice to reserve a table. So, I ventured to the top of the Hôtel de Paris and had a fantastic meal at Le Grill, complete with my own personal waiter and a stunning view of the French Riviera.
• Berlin - My friend, musician and composer René Decker, treated a few us to a boat tour of Berlin, and then drove us around town. Later, he invited every to come check out his band and for us to sit in on the gig. Several band members went, played a few songs and had a great time. Berlin is AWESOME!
• Copenhagen! This is the best tour story yet! And you'll have to wait to hear the details because this is the short blog. Quick take: I ran into my friend Maya Kronfeld at a piano store. Talk about serendipity!
• Norway, experienced the midnight sun. Wow!

AUGUST 2010

Stevie Wonder started his Asia tour! It was a short run, but my first time in Asia! I'd studied Japanese and Korean while in college (yes, I'm a first class nerd...), and relished the opportunity to FINALLY have the chance to visit these countries. My first impression of Japan was negative, unfortunately, as I got stuck in a customs backlog and was the recipient of some extra attention from a customs agent who seemed determined to discover that I was visiting Japan not to perform, but to visit my Japanese "boyfriend". Maybe he was flirting with me? I have no idea. I was so exhausted that all I could do was sit and wait for him to rummage through MY ENTIRE SET OF LUGGAGE as everyone else in the group waited outside for over an hour in the shuttle. Sigh...

After that, my Asia experience was incredible. Once we got to the hotel and I got a taste of the pace and energy of Tokyo, I fell in love! I can't wait to return. I was only there for about 18 hours total, but I have now placed Tokyo just below Paris in my list of favorite cities (sorry Melbourne and NYC). While in Tokyo, I had the chance to finally meet Brenda Vaughn (who also introduced me to Kaleb James...check them both out if you're in Tokyo and want to hear some great music!), and got to catch up with my rock star friend Uriah Duffy! Good times! : >

I left Tokyo (having stayed up all night hanging out with my friends) and flew to Seoul in the early morning. Upon arriving in Seoul, Ryan, Dwight and I went on a day long tour of the city. We met a man who became our defacto tour guide (another amazing story you'll have to wait for), and walked to the top of the Seoul Tower for an incredible view. We were all fatigued beyond explanation after our day, but it was well worth it. The crowd for Stevie's show in Seoul? The most amazingly enthusiastic crowd I've ever seen. They were unbelievable!

SEPTEMBER 2010

My Birthday!!! WooHoo!! I celebrated for the entire month and into October. Hey! I deserve it : > I had some performances too, but the main event was My Birthday!!! WooHoo!!

OCTOBER 2010

2 more fundraiser shows with Stevie Wonder: Toronto and New York City again, this time for Paul Newman's Hole in the Wall Gang Camps.

NOVEMBER 2010

I gave another lecture for the Keep Music Rockin' Foundation and was an emergency substitute pianist for a Women's Community Orchestra concert. I had fun playing classical music, as usual : >

DECEMBER 2010

Stevie Wonder was the artist for Salesforce.com Dream Force conference, right here in San Francisco! It was fun to have a local gig, and several of my friends and students were able to procure tickets for the concert.

And the last big show of the year (unless I get a last minute request to perform for New Year's Eve) was Stevie's Annual House Full of Toys concert. This year, most of the band only played for Stevie, so for once I had the chance to sit back and enjoy the other artists. Stevie once again honored me with being his lone accompaniment on "Ave Maria". Accompanying him is definitely one of the greatest joys in my life. I can't wait for more opportunities to play for him : >

Thank you 2010 for being a great year. Welcome 2011! Let's make it the best year yet!

God bless you all, and Happy New Year!!!

Victoria Theodore: December Performances

2010-11-29T19:39:00.000-08:00

"It's coming 'round Christmas
they're cutting down trees
they're putting up reindeer and singing songs
of joy and peace
I wish I had a river, I could skate away on..."
– "River", Joni Mitchell

Hello Friends,

Here's a holiday treat for you:

What Child Is This

It's cold. Yes, I'm in California and I'm sayin' it. IT'S COLD!! I don't like the cold weather at all, and the dark dreary days have a muting effect even on me. But, I know how to remove the mute! I just sing songs of joy and peace! Come to a show this lovely holiday season and hear for yourself! Or you could buy a copy of my Christmas CD at one of these online vendors:

Victoria Theodore Store

iTunes

CD Baby

Emusic

November was a fun month. I had lots of gigs, including giving a lecture for students at San Leandro High School, through the Keep Music Rockin' Foundation (which is holding its annual fundraiser featuring Lenny Williams, this coming Thursday (get your tickets here: Holidays with Lenny Williams - no ticket sales at the door!), performing with soprano Candace Johnson, performing with the Women's Community Orchestra (honestly, I do love playing classical music...), performing with Pee Wee Ellis (of James Brown fame), and even a gig on Thanksgiving night with a lovely family and a couple of VERY talented kids.

I even allotted myself time to have some non-gig related fun! I had the chance to go hear one of my favorite pianists, Hiromi, perform in concert as a solo pianist. She is my favorite young pianist. She plays with such pure joy and abandon, that it's easy to forget that she's one of the most skilled technicians around. Several of my piano students saw her as well, and I hope they were as inspired as I was. I saw a movie: "For Colored Girls", which I loved! - I even cried twice, and that's a rare occurrence for me in a movie theater, and I went to the San Francisco Auto Show...twice! On my first trip, I had a positive and a negative experience. Negative: I visited the booth of my favorite luxury car, and the booth sitter was an arrogant, snide, complete jerk, who was clearly unhappy to be have pulled the short straw and spend his afternoon fending requests from us commoners to sit in the fancy car on the other side of the velvet rope. I was so incensed by his behavior, I wrote a letter to his home dealership.

Positive: The people at the Nissan booth were AWESOME! Super friendly, engaging and enthusiastic about their product. They actually made me want to buy a car. And, I'll tell you a secret: my next car will DEFINITELY be an electric car. I drove the Leaf, and ... mad love! I did return again later in the week with my nephew, an avid auto enthusiastic at age 10. There was a different guy at the luxury car booth, and he was charming, funny and patient with my nephew's litany of questions. He pretty much redeemed the dealership...but they still don't get a free promo in my blog! ; >

What does get free promo are organizations like The One World Futbol Project: an organization devoted to providing a soccer ball (futbol) to children in refugee camps, UN hot spots, conflict zones, and poor villages throughout Africa, Asia, and Latin America. I met the visionary behind the project, Tim Jahnigen, backstage after being mesmerized by Narada Michael Walden's Symphonic Debut with the Oakland / East Bay Symphony. The music was beautiful, and so is the One World Futbol Project. Check out the website, and purchase a ball for a child you know and one will be donated to a child in some part of the world where childhood isn't so easy.

I have a couple of fun shows coming up in the Bay Area. Check out the calendar, and I hope to see you at a show!

Sat, Dec 4
8pm
Sausalito Signatures Holiday Celebration and Toy Drive
Featuring Kymberly Jackson - flute, Mark Daniels - guitar, Charles Quinn - bass, Karl Carter - drums
Admission: Bring a wrapped toy for donation
1915 Bridgeway Sausalito, CA 94965 | 415.332.3044 | map

Tue, Dec 7
8:00pm
Stevie Wonder
Dreamforce 2010
Moscone Convention Center
747 Howard Street, 5th Flr. San Francisco, CA 94103 | map
Buy tickets $999 pre-sale; $1,200 on-site (yeah, I know...)

Sat, Dec 11
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map

Thu, Dec 16
8pm
Holiday Jazz and Blues Show
Piedmont Piano Company
Nicolas Bearde's 4th annual holiday party! Featuring Victoria Theodore - piano, Ruth Davies - bass, Deszon Claiborne - drums, and a special appearance by vocalist Clairdee
1728 San Pablo Avenue (at 18th) Oakland, CA 94612 | 510.547.8188 | map
$25 donation requested (includes autographed EP) - please call 510-547-8188 to reserve tickets with your credit card. Nicolas invites you to stay after the concert for wine and chocolate, and to mix and mingle with the artists.

Sat, Dec 18
8pm
Stevie Wonder
House Full of Toys
Nokia Theatre L.A. Live
777 Chick Hearn Court Los Angeles, CA 9001 | 213.763.6000 | map

Sun, Dec 26
Mon, Dec 27
10pm
Darwin Tillery Orchestra, playing hits from the 70's, 80's, 90's and today
Cache Creek Casino, Club 88
14455 Highway 16 Brooks, CA 95606| 888.772.2243 | map

Please check out my web site to see a full, up-to-date listing of when and where I'm performing. I'd love to see you at one of my performances. Please come say hello!

Victoria Theodore: November Performances

2010-11-01T16:24:00.000-07:00

"So grant us peace, Jesus, grant us peace
Move our hearts to hear a single beat
between alibis and enemies tonight..."
– "Gratitude", Nichole Nordeman

Hello Friends,

Those are the lyrics from a stanza in one of my favorite songs. In this time of political contentiousness, I pray for us all to move past our "alibis" and for "enemies" to overcome their differences and agree to uphold standards of decency, kindness, thoughtfulness and maturity in the political arena. Too many of our political leaders display behavior for which children would be chided. Let's demand a higher standard! I urge everyone to vote. Whether you're a Tea Party activist, an advocate for legalization of marijuana, a Libertarian, a Green Party Member, Republican, Democrat, an independent or some other label, please vote! Respect your right to vote. Tomorrow is the mid-term election. Please please please please VOTE!

And now, back to the music...

In October, I had the chance to do a show with Stevie Wonder in New York City! I was only in town for a couple of days, but it was good to be back in "my" city, to spend some time with friends, to watch my friend Eisa Davis perform (check her out!), and have a couple of trips on the subway. You gotta love the NYC subway system. Whenever I ride the subway in NYC, I think to myself "BART! For real?? We can't do better?" Sigh...

I have a couple of fun shows coming up in the Bay Area. Check out the calendar, and I hope to see you at a show!

Fri, Nov 5
7pm - 9pm
Heart and Soul Jazz Event
Heart and Soul Center
A spectacular concert featuring 3 Bay area artists, Nicolas Bearde and the Right Groove, Branice McKenzie, and Pyhllis Yvonne Stickney celebrating the Center's 1st Anniversary.
959 - 33rd St at San Pablo Oakland, CA 94608 | 925.838.8144 | map
$30 advance / $35 at the door

Sat, Nov 6
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map

Thu, Nov 11
6pm
Candace Johnson, soprano
7th Annual Bay Area Achievers Awards Banquet
Hilton Oakland Airport Hotel
1 Hegenberger Road Oakland, CA 94621 | 510.635.5000 | map
$60

Fri, Nov 12
9pm - 12am
Paragon Restaurant & Bar
At the Claremont Resort & Spa
41 Tunnel Road Berkeley, CA 94705 | 510.549.8585 | map

Sat, Nov 13
9pm
Soul Wide World
Enrico’s Restaurant
I'll be sitting in on their Wonder Tribute set!
504 Broadway San Francisco, CA 94133 | 415.982.6223 |
map

Sat, Nov 20
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map

Sat, Nov 27
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map

Please check out my web site to see a full, up-to-date listing of when and where I'm performing. I'd love to see you at one of my performances. Please come say hello!

Being creative...

2010-10-25T15:08:00.001-07:00

I've been to Toronto, and back, to NYC and Baltimore, and back, in the past several days. Toronto and NYC were fundraisers with SW, and I had a great time in both cities. The weather in Toronto was chilly, but gorgeous. I had a lovely meal late at night (thank GOD for restaurants that serve REAL food until midnight!), and otherwise, spent my time practicing in my hotel room (NERD!). And NYC? You do know that I love New York! The night before the show, I had the chance to see my friend Eisa perform at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and then hang out with her, meeting some new friends at the cast party. After stuffing myself silly with some delicious Italian food at Fornino Park Slope restaurant in Brooklyn, I headed back to Manhattan for a late night hang with my friends Amy, Marlene, Jonathan and Joel. No performing, but a heap of talent at the table. Good times!

The day of the show, I headed to Steinway Hall and had a triste with a Steinway Grand, and then headed back to hang out with my friends Michael and Elaine. Then off to the fundraiser, where I got to meet Hillary Hahn, Renée Zellweger, Bette Midler, John Mellencamp, Keb' Mo, Lyle Lovett. I didn't actually get to meet Meryl Streep, but she was there too. Unfortunately, my camera has died, and I'm too cheap to go buy a new one, since my phone contract expires in December - I mean, I'm going to get a new phone that has a camera built in it, so, why buy another camera??? Thankfully, my friend Katherine was there to take a photo of me with John Mellencamp.

I have no gigs scheduled (at the moment) in the next two weeks. This is a perfect opportunity for me to move past my habits, procrastinations, distractions, excuses, etc., and GET TO WORK ON MY PROJECT!! I set a goal back in late August of having a project finished by the end of December. I've done some writing, but have I finished anything? Nooooo! So, please send me your encouragement and support as I get focused, stop being distracted by EVERYTHING in life, and get this thing done! I will not be coming online in the next two weeks. After that, hopefully, I'll be able to get back to regular blogging (as I've been derelict since early spring). Until then, Blessings & Music, to you all!

xoxoxoxo

Victoria Theodore: October Performances

2010-10-01T21:53:00.000-07:00

"Out of the night that covers me
Black as the pit from pole to pole
I thank whatever gods may be
for my unconquerable soul..."
– W. E. Henley

Hello Friends,

That poem ("Invictus") is as close to a Halloween poem as I dare venture. It's dark, yet empowering, intense, yet hopeful.

September has come and gone, and although my birthday has passed, I'm still celebrating. One the the highlights was having the opportunity to hear Dr. Cornel West speak in San Francisco. It was a blessing to be able to listen to someone with such a great mind speak of humility, service, freedom and love. Wow! What a way to celebrate my birthday!

A friend of mine recently told me that she taught her kids to celebrate their birthday by one extra day per year of life. So, ahem, I'll be celebrating a while longer yet! You can read about my celebratory adventures in the blog entry below.

You can read my latest blogs here:

Birthday girl!!

More birthday celebrating!

Remember Them: Champions for Humanity

OCTOBER 2010

Sat, Oct 2
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map

Sun, Oct 10
9pm - 10pm
Keno Mapp & Heart Touch Rock / Funk
The 11th Annual SF Decompression HEAT THE STREET FAIRE

You gotta come see this! I don't get to rock out that often...
Victoria Theodore, Keys; Angelo Moore, Sax & Therimin; Bill Beninghof, Electric Violin; Uriah Duffy, Bass; Erik Bleyle, Bass; Uncle Funky, Guitar; Nicholas Massaro, Guitar; Zachary Krakov, Drums

Cafe Cocomo • 650 Indiana St. San Francisco, CA 94107 | 415.824.6910
Public Entrance: 19th St. & Minnesota St. San Francisco, CA 94612 | 510.547.8188 | map
$20

Sat, Oct 23
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map

Please check out my web site to see a full, up-to-date listing of when and where I'm performing. I'd love to see you at one of my performances. Please come say hello!

More birthday celebrating!

2010-10-01T01:08:00.000-07:00

Wednesday night, I was taken to San Francisco to hear Cornel West speak. Of course, I've been aware of Brother West for many years, but am embarrassed to admit I've never read his books and had never seen him speak in person. That egregious mistake has been righted. I must say that he is truly one of the most brilliant people I've ever encountered and one of the most masterful teachers I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing. His command of information and language and philosophy and history and music., etc., is astonishing. He has become my icon of erudition. He recited lines from poets and philosophers, from Socrates to Sly Stone; he imparted pithy observations about the nature of human choice in the context of fighting for freedom and basic rights (my favorite quote of the night: "Indifference to evil is more insidious than evil itself!" WOW! So I bought one of his books, "Living and Loving Out Loud". And will be buying more, I'm certain.

Following the conversation between moderator Belvie Rooks and Professor West, several poets graced us with their art, including Drew Dellinger, Scorpio Blue, Danielle Drake-Burnett, and Seasunz. I was truly blessed and inspired by these brilliant minds and am ever more fired up to further enhance my own education and artistic expression. Live long learning. Yes!

After the night's events, I was treated to dinner at a Persian restaurant. It was late when we arrived, so they had already run out of Tabuleh (one of my favorite salads), but the other food was delicious. I don't remember the name of the restaurant, sorry!

And the party continues! More details later... YAY!!!

Birthday girl!!

2010-09-24T14:25:00.000-07:00

Friday, September 24, was my birthday. Yay!!! But I started celebrating on Wednesday night. Yay!!! A college friend was in town, and since his wife wasn't able to attend (2 month old and 2 year old in tow), he offered me a ticket to see the Black Eyed Peas! That was a fun show! Lots of great, danceable tunes, Fergie sang great, and the dancers were off the hook!

Thursday night, Brian McKnight in a musical, "It's Cheaper to Keep Her". Unbelievable voice, and funny script.

Friday night, I gathered with a large group of family and friends for dinner at a Nepalese restaurant (ever, the foodie, I love having new food experiences and am a big fan of ethnic cuisine) in Berkeley called Taste of the Himalayas. Delicious!

After dinner, we all went dancing. No, not the typical "go to the club, get a drink and groove to the latest Hot 100 hits" type of dancing: we went to learn to FOXTROT! As you know, I'm a professional dancer in my dreams, and I've been crazy for dance classes lately. In my search for the right school (read: cheap with convenient class times), I came across the Linden Dance School. They offer free (YES! FREE) dance classes and social dancing afterwards. So, I dragged my friends and family to the studio, and we all learned the dance. It was so much fun! Even the non-dancers (ahem...I mean novices) had a great time.

Next stop: my house for karaoke...or something like that. By the time everyone came to my house, it was getting late, people were still slightly full from dinner, and worn out by the foxtrot, hustle, salsa, merengue, and bachata (yes, we did all of that in the social dancing segment), and only a few had the energy to sing while I played. But we had cake and good conversation, which made up for the lack of musical inspiration.

On Saturday, I drove up to the Lake Tahoe area with a few family members. One of my friends has a cabin (really, a beautiful contemporary house, decorated in a rustic style) in the mountains. This was just what I needed: a few hours of solitude, serenity and nature. I actually did not do any work for 2 full days! Full confession...I actually did some poetry writing for about 3 hours, but come on! That's pretty good down time for me!

I watched a few movies: "Why Did I Get Married Too" - UGH! Awful; "The Departed" - Pretty good, but more violent than I prefer; and "Billy Elliot" - OMG!!! Now on my list of favorite movies!!! WOW! Of course, it's about a kid who's passionate about dance. I love movies about kids overcoming obstacles and I love dance. Perfect combo!

Tuesday night, I was treated to dinner at Bocanova in Oakland. Yummy!!! The highlights of the meals were the delicious quinoa salad with avocado and corn, and the seared scallops with green curry sauce. Both were rapturous and caused our eyes to roll back in our heads. But the big surprise of the night? The chocolate bread pudding. Scratching your head, thinking "well, of course that was good"? Here's the rub: I've never liked bread pudding, and despite being a girly-girl, am not all that great a chocolate fan. I enjoy a nice, dark chocolate from time to time, but a box of chocolates will last 6 months in my refrigerator - and no, I'm not exaggerating. But this was bread pudding made with a croissant (one of my favorite guilty pleasures) and Mexican dark chocolate. This dish should be on the list of mortal sins; right alongside lust and gluttony in the lexicon should be a photo of this dish. Deeevine!

And the party continues! More details later... YAY!!!

Victoria Theodore: September Performances

2010-09-08T19:42:00.000-07:00

September....It's amazing how I can have the best of intentions, and still not do what I planned to do. Alas, still no blog update on the fabulous tour I just completed. I have so many stories to tell, so much joy to impart...but getting to it. Wow! I need a world where I only need 2 hours of sleep and have 30 hours in a day. But alas, I will have to find a way to make it work! Yes! Always positive and optimistic...

Here are a few upcoming gigs. I hope to see you!

Sat, Sept 11
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map

Fri, Sept 17
7-9pm
E-22 Café
Come hear me play and sing!
It's also open mic! Sing with me! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me! Any style!
1366 Powell Street Emeryville, CA 94608-2506 | 510.428.9334 | map

Sun, Sep 12
2pm - 5pm
Pappa Gianni and the North Beach Band at Caffe Trieste
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me and the band!
2500 San Pablo Avenue Berkeley , CA 94702 | 510.548.5198 | map

Sat, Sept 18
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 |
map

Please check out my web site to see a full, up-to-date listing of when and where I'm performing. I'd love to see you at one of my performances. Please come say hello!

Remember Them: Champions for Humanity

2010-08-30T21:53:00.000-07:00

Last week, I was invited by my friends Sean and Stephanie at Good News in Oakland to meet local artist Mario Chiodo. Sean and Stephanie had been telling me about an art installation that Mario was creating, a monument to honor humanitarians that would be installed in Oakland. However, they insisted that I come to Mario's studio, because I needed to see it for myself to gain a sense of the scale of the project. After delaying several times (thanks to my hectic performance schedule and summer tour), I finally was able to make an appointment to visit Mario's studio, meet the artist and see his work in progress.

When I first arrived at the studio, Mario, some of the people who work in his studio and a representative from the Oakland Chamber of Commerce, greeted me and proceeded to share their enthusiasm and excitement about the project; with particular pride that it will inhabit an area in downtown Oakland. I watched a short video, which featured the always eloquent Maya Angelou expressing her impression of Mario's work (Ms. Angelou is one of the featured humanitarians in the monument).

After watching the video, I was lead to the back where all of the work was being done. The monument is massive; bronze, over 21 feet high, honoring 25 humanitarians from around the world. There is also a component for the visually impaired. Mario's own father lost his vision, and providing an opportunity for the visually impaired to experience his work was of great importance to Mario. I was able to touch the work with my hands, a tactile and infinitely detailed exploration of each of the people honored in the monument, simulating the experience that visually impaired people would have. Mario's work is beautiful: the massive size of the sculpted art structures nearly overwhelms; the faces, arms, hands and gestures that embody the essence of the honorees' spirits, are rendered in a form that, although static, has breath, movement and a powerful energy that was undeniable when I stood before them. I struggled to hold back the tears in my eyes.

The monument will be unveiled in Oakland on September 11, 2011. Read more about it on Mario's website:

Remember Them: Champions for Humanity

Music, She Wrote - Concert on Friday, July 30

2010-07-29T01:33:00.000-07:00

Hello friends,

Please pardon my last minute notice! I have a concert on Friday and I'd love for you to attend! I'm on a short break from touring with Stevie (leaving next week for Japan!!), and am participating in this awesome concert for a worthy cause. Come support! : >

Music, She Wrote
A Concert Honoring Women Composers
A benefit concert for the Youth Programs at the Oakland Public Conservatory (OPC)
Friday, July 30, 2010
8pm
Piedmont Piano Company
1728 San Pablo Ave (at 18th
Oakland, CA 94612
featuring
India Cooke-violin
Karen Horner-bass
Branice McKenzie-vocal
Sandy Poindexter-violin
Jaz Sawyer-drums
Victoria Theodore-piano
Angela Wellman-trombone
Yehudit-violin
and
OPC's Frederick Douglass Youth Ensemble
Steven Turner-director
Tickets-$20

To purchase tickets, call: 510.836.4649
or purchase online

Stevie Wonder Soul Traveling Tour 2010: London, England

2010-07-26T01:55:00.000-07:00

We returned to England with nearly a full day's worth of sight-seeing and shopping time in a major city. Excited, I set forth with my erudite shopping companions into the fashion meccas of Oxford and Regent streets, determined to find irresistible bargains, inspirational once-in-a-lifetime finds, and can't pass it up sales!

We stopped at Harrod’s and imagined being celebrities who can actually afford to shop there (YIKES at the prices!). Top Shop was particularly wallet friendly, in an environment that was highly averse to the American Dollar. Even parsimonious me found a couple of items that I loved too much and were priced low enough that I couldn’t pass them up.

Yet, Hélas!! Shopping is my Kryptonite. I am no shopper. After about 90 minutes of shopping, my shopping companions agreed that the spark had gone from my eyes and I'd entered a state of overwhelm. Despite my desire to partake in this activity which so many women the world over indulge in, bond through, and spend endless hours joyfully rummaging the racks and tables of shops from couture to consignment discovering items which elicit surges of euphoria, I came to this sad conclusion: I hate shopping. Can't stand it. Never have enjoyed it. I keep thinking “if I try, maybe I’ll like it”. Nope. Oh well!

The architecture in London is gorgeous. I love walking along the avenues, taking in the variety within the structures that still manage to have unique features among the cohesive facades. The hustle and bustle is nostalgic and familiar for any big city dweller (I lived in Harlem for years – once a New Yorker, always a New Yorker), with the rush of the taxis, the crowds of people with their destination (and not necessarily your personal space) in mind, shops, eateries, the ever present cacophony signaling urbanity – in both senses of the word! I love it!

Later that night, a group of us went out to dinner and sit in on a jam session. What fun! The band was hot, the crowd enthusiastic, the food delicious. That’s my kind of party!

The next day, we had our performance at the Hard Rock Calling concert in Hyde Park. The venue was not far from our hotel, but I suppose for security purposes, we were required to ride the bus together to get there. Unfortunately, our bus driver didn’t know where he was going (or wasn’t given explicit instructions), and we ended up being on that bus for 90 minutes!!! We had all hoped to arrive early enough to hear other artists perform (especially Corinne Bailey-Rae for me, as I’m a big fan), but that wasn’t to be. By the time we got back stage, we barely had enough time to grab a to-go box from catering, throw on our makeup and cloths, and hit the stage. The crowd was estimated to be around 80,000. Lovely. Good times!

Stevie Wonder Soul Traveling Tour 2010: Dublin, Ireland

2010-06-24T17:55:00.000-07:00

All of my life, I'd heard that relatives on my maternal grandfather's side were from Ireland. I really don't know much about them, but the stereotypical ethnic markers of freckles and reddish hair greet me each morning (well, not so much the reddish hair anymore...though I occasionally still find a stray red strand that hasn't yet grayed). We flew from London to Dublin and were dispatched to small hotel on the waterfront, close to the venue. The day was cloudy and overcast, but not too cold.

Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time for me to investigate my genealogy, but I did manage a leisurely walk along the waterfront with some of my bandmates, taking in the scenery of bridges, boats and a memorial to the Irish Great Potato Famine. After our walk, Lanesha, Ryan and I went to dinner at an Italian restaurant (in Irelend!) that served delicious food. I had spied a sign offering a yoga class in the hotel later that evening, so I didn't eat much, saving my appetite for after the yoga class.

And what a lovely yoga class it was! Taught by Gillian, the class was exactly what my body needed. The class was full of regulars, myself and one of the crew guys. It was tough enough to make me feel like I had a good workout, yet focused enough on breathing and meditative centering that I felt peaceful and revitalized afterwards. Many thanks to Gillian for being an excellent teacher! Believe me, after class, I went back to the Italian restaurant and had a delicious, full meal!

The next day we had the show. The venue was huge (the O2 in Dublin), the show went well and the crowd was great. Much love to Dublin!

European Tour Rehearsals

2010-06-23T05:52:00.000-07:00

Again, I’ve allowed weeks to pass without correspondence. Today, I’m in Monte Carlo, relaxing a few hours before show time. So far, the tour has been amazing (as if it could be anything less)! I will try to catch up over the next few days:

I arrived in England on June 19, in a little town best known for its being the location of the original British television show “The Office”. We settled into the hotel, and spent most of the next few days rehearsing on a movie set (likely the only space available for the expanded group of performers now touring with Stevie – including the usual 13 piece band, a group of guest percussionists from a variety of ethic musical traditions and a revolving gospel choir, a different one for each city). Rehearsals were long, but always musically fulfilling. The sound of the additional musicians is awesome!

In my down time, I went once with the rest of the band to try the requisite fish & chips (I’m famous for my tendency towards healthy food): the fish & chips were tasty if rather greasy.

I was also treated to a tour of nearby Windsor by my dear friend Marc. We went to lunch at the aptly named “House on the Bridge” and took photos in front of Windsor Castle (no time for touring, but the Queen was home – as indicated by the hoisted flag).

Next stop: flight to Dublin for the first concert!

Victoria Theodore June Performances

2010-06-03T15:38:00.000-07:00

"summer, summer, summertime
time to sit back and unwind"
- Summertime, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince

Ok, given, we Californians are a weather spoiled bunch, but is anyone else as tired of the rain as I am?? Enough already! Wow... Summer is approaching and this summer, like the past 3, will be filled with traveling the world with Stevie Wonder. I can't wait! Keep your eyes open for updates from the road : >

I have several great performances coming up. I hope to see you soon!

Sat, June 5
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Come hear me play and sing! Probably your last chance before I head off for a summer of touring with Stevie Wonder!
It's also open mic! Sing with me! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me! Any style!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map

Sun, Jun 6
9am
Truevine Ministries
Grand Lake Theater
3200 Grand Ave. Oakland, CA 94610-2739 | 510-208-4565 | map

Sun, Jun 6
11am
Independant Holiness Church
605 South 16th Street Richmond, CA 94804-3716 | 510.235.8688 | map

Sat, Jun 12
8:30pm
Stevie Wonder
2010 Tour
Bonnaroo Music Festival 2010
700-acre farm, 60 miles southeast of Nashville & northwest of Chattanooga Manchester, TN | info@bonnaroo.com | map
Thu, Jun 24
6:30pm
Stevie Wonder
2010 Tour
O2
North Wall Quay, Dublin 1, Republic Of Ireland | map

Sat, Jun 26
8:00pm
Stevie Wonder
2010 Tour
Hard Rock Calling Festival
w/ Jamiroquai, James Morrison and Corinne Bailey Rae
Hyde Park, near Park Lane, London, England | map

Sun, Jun 27
8:00pm
Stevie Wonder
2010 Tour
Glastonbury Festival, Pyramid Stage
Worthy Farm, Pilton, England | map

Tue, Jun 29
8pm
Stevie Wonder
2010 Tour
M.E.N. Arena
Victoria Station Manchester, England M3 1AR | +44 (0)161 950 5000 | map

If you feel so inspired, please take a moment and leave a *positive* review for me on YELP:
Victoria Theodore Piano And Voice Lessons

You can also join my Fan Page on Facebook:
Victoria Theodore Fan Page

And my ReverbNation page (plenty of options!):
Victoria Theodore ReverbNation Page

DC & Q!

2010-06-01T12:11:00.001-07:00

Last week, I flew to Washington, DC, to perform with Stevie Wonder at a private concert event held in honor of the memory Abe Pollin, former owner of the Washington Wizards and the Verizon Center. The concert (held in the Verizon Center) was free to Pollin's employees as well as public sector workers in the Washington DC area. The arena was packed and the audience happily enthusiastic.

I arrived in DC Tuesday evening, thankfully, with plenty of time to relax and recuperate from the long flight. The next morning, I went for a lovely walk, cut to a shorter time than usual because we had to depart for sound check earlier than usual to accommodate for the terrible DC traffic. At sound check, we did the usual run through of tunes for the engineer’s sake, making sure everyone has proper levels in their ear monitors, but then had an extended wait for concert time. I usually fill this time with – no surprise – practicing! I practice virtually every spare moment when on tour, as I never know where the Maestro will go with the set list. The show on this night was no exception! The set list was all over the place, and required every morsel of my focus – but I love that intensity. It’s so gratifying to be presented with that level of challenge…and to meet the challenge!!

After the concert, a few band members and I joined our friends Frédéric and Carla Yonnet for a late dinner. Fred is an amazing harmonica player (known as the urban jazz harmonicist) who Stevie invites to sit in with the band whenever they're both in town. Stevie usually starts playing “Boogie On Raggae Woman” as the cue for Fred to join us on stage, which he did again for this show. At the harmonica solo, Fred and Stevie take turns in a harmonica “battle”. They both played with ferocity and tremendous energy! It was amazing! Stevie was having such a great time, he extended the song, and then went into a blues. It was a great moment in the show. Fred and Carla are incredibly gracious, beautiful people and it’s always a pleasure to see them.

After the show, we all returned to the hotel to deposit our belongings and then headed off to the restaurant to meet Fred and Carla. To my surprise, there was another face at the table that I instantly recognized: that of Mr. Quincy Jones. Wow. I was speechless. This man is a musical legend, icon, producer, composer, arranger and mentor to several of the most incredible musicians I’ve ever met. I was thrilled to have the chance to meet him. I was able to converse with him for about 20 minutes about music, language, travel and his new artist, Cuban pianist Alfredo Rodríguez. What an honor!

When I was a college student, DC was my favorite region to visit during Spring Break, for the temperate spring weather, the architecture and of course the endless museums. I was not disappointed on this visit, even though I didn't have time to explore museums. Meeting yet another musical icon is a fine substitute!

Back home, I experience my own musical intensity. I had happily agreed to substitute for two of my fabulous pianist friends this past Sunday. Both play keys for beautiful churches in the East Bay, performing mostly contemporary gospel music. If you don’t know this style of music, I’ll tell you: it’s not easy!!! Much of this music is similar to jazz fusion in terms of the chord structures and progressions, full of rhythmic variance and key changes. Of the 10 songs that I needed to learn, I had only heard and performed 2 before – but it had been a while, so I needed to review those as well. Essentially, I had only a day to learn all of this music to performance level. Given that I also had students, gigs and went to hear my friends perform late Saturday night (A Band Called Pain – a metal band that ROCKS!), I found myself in the position of staying up all night (literally) to learn the music. Sleep deprivation combined with my east coast induced jet lag, left me exhausted, but I was energized by the content of the lyrics (such beautiful words of praise to the Almighty), the talent of the band and the voices of the singers. Somehow, I made it through! Hallelujah!

Days later, I still find that I’m not 100% rejuvenated. Can anyone say V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N??? Maybe after the tour…but, I’m not complaining!

Another musical weekend

2010-05-23T22:40:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a busy weekend! I performed at E-22 Café Friday night, and had fun playing with Robert Temple (performing some of his really nice original songs), my friend and student Chris and her friend Chris (both great singers), and a trio of enthusiastic teenagers with songs I didn't know, but learned quickly by listening briefly to an iPod. I love when kids have the courage to get up and sing what they love in front of a crowd.

Saturday night played for Signatures Salon's Anniversary party. Joi Gayles is the proprietor, and I tried out her services (hair, facial, aromatherapy, etc.) Friday morning. It was all amazing, and my hair is looking beautiful! Maybe that's why I had the energy to make it through the weekend! I was joined in the band at the party Saturday night by Kymberly Jackson, Arlington Houston and Alex Kamages. It's always fun to perform with Kymberly and Arlington, and Alex (usually a drummer for punk rock bands) did a fantastic job keeping up with the mostly jazz, R&B and pop/dance material!

This morning, I played at church with Tommie Bradford and Dan Parenti. As usual, the choir at Tommie's church and the band, of course, was on fire! It was a spirit filled morning! After service, I rushed home to change and head out to perform at the Bayview Festival with Adesha & Seven. Unfortunately, the wind was incredibly strong, and detritus, music stands, microphones, and especially, it seemed, my hair was flying EVERYWHERE. I was freezing, so my hands were stiff from cold, and my brain didn't function at full capacity because my body was too busy trying to retain heat. Nonetheless, I had fun playing with the excellent band: Adesha, band leader Aaron Baugh, Brian Braziel, Julian, Toya and Yolanda. Despite the adversity of the weather, the band sounded great. Thanks again to Ken for making me sound good! ; >

After the show, we shared a delicious Italian meal, and, as I'm sure you can tell from the degradation of my writing ability, now I'm sleepy and ready to pass out! It was a good weekend!

Music, billionaires and inspiration...

2010-05-12T17:32:00.000-07:00

Whirlwind. That words sums up the past week of my life. I'll start at the beginning:

MUSIC
A few weeks ago, I was invited to perform as the featured artist for a local music series. I figured I should make this my opportunity to start performing some of my own music? So I spent a few days creating charts of my tunes (including 3 that I performed at Fisk University in April 2010) arranged for a quartet: piano, bass, drums and sax. I didn't sleep much, but was excited about finally (FINALLY) getting the ball rolling on being an artist in my own right. There were several technical issues with the performance, but I did it, and the audience was enthusiastic and appreciative. Now, I just have to figure out how to do my own show (not just the solo piano at a piano bar thing) more often. Hm...

A few days before my show, my phone rang with the special ring tone indicating that the Mr. Genius was requesting my presence. I was to fly to NYC the night after my show. Ah...who needs sleep? Given that I needed to practice as much as possible for my own gig, and now had to practice for SW's gig, I cancelled all of my students so that I could focus. Everything went as expected and I was on an airplane (after waiting for 2+ hours beyond the original flight time thanks to delays) heading to New York, at 1:30am.

BILLIONAIRES
I landed at JFK just before 10am, headed to the hotel for a short nap, then boarded the limo for the ride to the Jacob K. Javits Center, for sound check. Stevie had been booked as the entertainment after a massive fundraiser by the Robin Hood Foundation, and he (thankfully!) decided to bring along the entire band.

The Robin Hood Foundation, a charitable organization targeting poverty in New York City, held it's annual benefit dinner on Monday, May 10, 2010. Hosted by NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams, approximately 3,800 people, including Hollywood heavy-hitters (Harvey Weinstein, Uma Thurman, Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Gwyneth Paltrow), athletes (New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan), musicians (Sting and Stevie Wonder), comedians (Seth Meyers, Tracy Morgan and Jimmy Fallon), and financial superstars (JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon, Lee Ainslie of Maverick Capital, Eric Schmidt of Google. and most demonstrably, George Soros - through a 1:1 challenge grant) gathered together to raise over $88 million dollars. Yes, in one night, they raised $88 million dollars.

The venue was stunningly beautiful. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to mingle with the multi-millionaires and billionaires, but in watching them dance to Stevie's music, they didn't look all that different than we Americans without extraordinary financial wealth. It was sobering to be in a space with people who represent such extreme affluence. One the one hand, I was very impressed with the generosity and overall enthusiastic spirit of the crowd. I didn't perceive any blasé, bored, elitist energy from the crowd of dancers laid out before me. I did get plenty of smiles and waves, and watched the audience watching Stevie with adoration in their eyes. But I couldn't escape the question in the back of my mind: why is there this kind of disparity in the world? It's a beautiful thing to watch people give, and give BIG, but it's painful to think of the vast majority of people in the world who lack for basic shelter, healthy food, clean water, safe health care, etc. I don't know the answer, but I do use this event as a reminder that although I'm no billionaire (at least not yet!), I can do my part through sharing my art, teaching others about the beauty of life through music, make charitable donations and give my time whenever possible. But most of all, to respect the dignity of all people, and to offer kindness to everyone...because we never know what someone is dealing with...

Images from the event

INSPIRATION
I attended a concert by The Stanley Clarke Band featuring Hiromi on piano, Ruslan Sirota on keys and, Jr. Ronald Bruner on drums. I'm a super fan of all of these excellent musicians, and they did not leave me disappointed. The entire night (I stayed for both shows), I was dancing to the music, waving my arms in the air, nodding my head, and yelling out with immense musical satisfaction at amazing musical feast laid out by this killer band. They played several of the tunes I'd heard before, including Chick Corea's "No Mystery", "Paradigm Shift", "Black Narcissus", each taking solos that were hot like fire. Hiromi is consistently one of the most exciting pianists I've ever encountered. She plays with passion, musicality of the highest order, and pure fun. Ruslan, also an amazing pianist, is also extraordinarily versatile, bringing not only superlative jazz chops to the music, but also his experience as a gospel and R&B pianist. He plays with TONS of flavor and groove and gives flashes of technical prowess that create jaw-drops across the audience. Ronald is a wonder to watch. His hands are lightning, and his flow across various musical genres (straight ahead to swing to rock to funk, etc.) is seamless. It seemed like he was trying to steal the show...and at times he did! Stanley? What can I say. I merely genuflect. Beauty. Power. Vision. Music. That's Stanley. Inspiration. Plain and simple...

The Stanley Clarke Band is performing at Yoshi's SF May 13 and 14, 2010. GO TO THE SHOW!!! Buy your ticket today. Wow...

Speaking of inspiration, today is the 60th birthday of my friend, mentor, musical icon, teacher and band leader: Stevie Wonder!!!! Thank you for sharing your GENIUS with me and the world! I appreciate you and love you. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! : >

Victoria Theodore May Performances

2010-05-01T16:59:00.000-07:00

"Now the bright morning Star, Dayes harbinger,
Comes dancing from the East, and leads with her
The Flowry May, who from her green lap throws
The yellow Cowslip, and the pale Primrose.
Hail bounteous May that dost inspire
Mirth and youth, and warm desire,
Woods and Groves, are of thy dressing,
Hill and Dale, doth boast thy blessing.
Thus we salute thee with our early Song,
And welcom thee, and wish thee long."
- Song On May Morning, John Milton

May! Bright sun, gentle breeze, coats and boots be gone! I'm definitely a tropical type: I adore beautiful, warm weather. Well, who doesn't, really?

April was a great month for me. I was the guest artist and composer for the Fisk University Jazz Ensemble Spring Concert. On the program were 3 of my works, 2 of which received their debut. It was an exciting day, despite it being Tax Day : >

I've finally decided that I need to take steps towards completing my own project. I've procrastinated for years, with one "valid" reason after the next. No more. I'll be keeping up with my journey here on my blog, so check in when you can!

I have several great performances coming up. I hope to see you soon!

Sat, May 1
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Come hear me play and sing!
It's also open mic! Sing with me! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me! Any style!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map

Sun, May 2
Seating at 11am & 1pm
1300 On Fillmore
Gospel Brunch w/ Michael Cheadle
1300 Fillmore Street San Francisco, CA 94115 | 415.771.7100 | map

Sat, May 15
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Come hear me play and sing!
It's also open mic! Sing with me! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me! Any style!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map

Fri, May 21
6:30pm - 8:30pm
E-22 Café
Come hear me play and sing!
It's also open mic! Sing with me! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me! Any style!
1366 Powell Street Emeryville, CA 94608-2506 | 510.428.9334 | map

Fisk University Concert

2010-04-20T12:00:00.000-07:00

Back in 2007, I met Dr. Gary Nash (Professor of Music at Fisk University) on myspace.com. Our mutual friend, composer Arlene Sierra, was the connecting point. Dr. Nash is a renowned instructor and composer, and invited me to be a guest artist and composer for the annual Fisk Jazz Ensemble Spring Concert. Every year since 2003, Dr. Nash has invited various performing artists to participate in the concert, and he asked me to participate in the 2010 concert. Of course, I was honored and enthusiastically accepted Dr. Nash’s invitation! Over the following 2 years, I thought about composing for the ensemble, but made no actual effort to compose. I assumed that it would be best to wait until I knew the actual instrumentation of the ensemble and to throw myself into the act of composing for the specific instruments. In other words, I procrastinated…

January 2010 came and went faster than I could have imagined, and still, I had nothing to present to Dr. Nash. Dr. Nash had been gently nudging me to submit music, and I had every intention to do it…but procrastination is a strong and seductive excuse for insecurity. After all, I hadn’t composed instrumental music since high school! Could I actually do this, and do a good job on the orchestration? Gulp!!

February 2010…Ok, I better get to work on this! Back in March 2009, I performed in a concert of music performed and composed by a group of fantastic women musicians. I wrote a piece called “Alone” for this event. I based the tune on a pretty piano motif that happens to be in 7/4 (I had been playing music from Romania all week that was in 7/4, so that’s where my head was). I created the melody with the intention of singing the song, but never developed more than a hook lyric. So for this event, the piece was performed as mostly instrumental, but with lyrics in the hook. I decided that this piece would be one of the works I’d present to Dr. Nash, so I sent him the score and exhaled. Ok, one down!

In early March 2010, I knew that I could no longer delay sending more music to Dr. Nash. I sat at the piano one night after dinner (which, in my case, is around 1am, as I always eat very late at night) and played out my feelings. I was in a somewhat melancholy mood and the melody I created reflected this. The resulting tune is “Prelude + Resignation”. The "Prelude" is written in 3/4 time and the “Resignation” in 4/4 time, a nod to the 7/4 time of “Alone”. This piece has a dreamy quality to it, and is actually my favorite of the group. The melody is played by flute and piano, and eventually, I may add lyrics to this piece as well.

A week before the concert, I kept having a nagging feeling that my work was not complete, and that I should present 3, not 2, works of music for the concert. But the music had not yet revealed itself to me. One night, that week before the concert, I had been listening to Thelonious Monk and Sergei Prokofiev, and went to the piano with an idea: blending the angular rhythms and melodies of Monk with those of Prokofiev in a swinging, simple tune. And voila! A new tune was born. Imperturbable is my favorite word at the moment. How awesome (and mature) would it be to be imperturbable, no matter what? Cut off and stuck in traffic? No biggie. Financial woes? So what? Can’t think of anything to write as the final piece in a major concert that’s coming up soon?? Ahem…you get it.

So, I named my new piece "Imperturbable". I was thrilled! I now had 3 pieces to perform for the concert. I immediately emailed the new tune and updates to the previous tunes to Dr. Nash, crossing my fingers that he wouldn’t say “too late”. He didn’t…

Early Wednesday morning, I flew from San Francisco to Nashville, arriving mid afternoon to some of the most perfect weather I could have hoped for. After checking into my hotel, I accompanied Dr. Nash to the dress rehearsal with the ensemble, which included myself on piano, Dr. Nash on clarinet, Jon Lauterer on drums, Jonathan Hart Price on bass, Stuart Naylor on trumpet, and students Adrian on saxophone and Karis on flute. The rehearsal went relatively well, especially considering I had no idea whether or not my scores were adequate for the other instruments. No one complained, so I guess they were ok!

Thursday afternoon, I was the guest speaker for a music business class at Fisk. I spoke about my life as a musician, offered advice to the students, answered questions and played a couple of classical pieces and one of my songs, “Faith of a Child” for the gathered audience. The students seemed to enjoy my talk, and I had a great time talking about what it’s like to be a working musician.

Then came Thurdsay night! Concert time! The first half of the concert featured a variety of music, including songs by Michael Jackson. My works were after the intermission. We started with my piece “Imperturbable” (which means “ Unshakably calm and collected”, in case you were wondering), followed by "Prelude + Resignation" and then “Alone”. The audience was on their feet and cheering loudly after the performance. All I could do was smile. Thanks to Dr. Nash and everyone who played my music for a job well done!

Next on my agenda, figuring out the direction of and FINALLY completing my CD project. Here I go….

In the mean time, here's some of the video from the concert:

Disney World via Make-A-Wish

2010-04-07T20:21:00.000-07:00

Last week I was given the opportunity to join my niece in receiving her wish from Make-A-Wish Foundation to visit Disney World! As many of you know, Naomi is a survivor of Leukemia, and as a survivor, it was suggested that she wait at least a year beyond being in remission before enjoying her wish so that she could have an optimal experience. My sister asked me to join her, our mother and the kids in Florida, and despite my hectic schedule, I couldn't imagine not taking part in Naomi's wish.

I flew to Florida two days before everyone else (the flights were cheaper leaving on a Thursday), and hoped to find a space to practice for my upcoming concert. I was happy to discover that the friend who graciously housed me for 2 days lives very close to a piano store! The owner, Teresa Foster, was friendly and kind, and didn't hesitate a bit when I asked if I could use one of her pianos to practice. Thank God for her generosity. I was so grateful for those practice hours to review my music. If you're in Jacksonville, FL, go see Teresa at Teresa's Piano Gallery and buy your piano from her!

I did manage some down time, visiting the Jacksonville Beach and taking a leisurely walk with friends on the rough sand. My feet got a de-facto pedicure...ouch! lol The little rocks digging into my feet didn't deter me from taking in the beauty of the ocean. After 2 days in Jacksonville, my friend, her daughters and I drove to Orlando to meet my family. We waited, and waited, and waited, and finally Naomi came skipping down the exit hallway at the airport with a huge grin,

ready to start her adventure.

We left the airport, drove a short distance and checked into the Give Kids the World Village, a magical resort built specifically for children who are or have been dealing with a debilitating disease or health condition. Everything about the village is stunning, from the playful colors on the Wonderland-esque buildings, to the genuine kindness, patience and love displayed by the staff and countless volunteers from around the world. The children were in awe, as were we adults. It's built so that the children who are too sick to enjoy the theme parks can still have a great time. Read all about GKTW on their website.

Photos from the village:

Saturday night was orientation for the parents, and a party for the kids: hula hoops, dancing to music kids like, bowling games, jump ropes, etc. My sister came back from orientation in a daze, utterly overwhelmed with amazement. We did our best to go to bed early despite the excitement, because the days ahead were going to be packed full of fun!

Sunday - Universal Studios. We arrived at the park just before noon (so much for trying to get there early - have you ever tried wrangling 8 people into being out the door early?? Sigh...) My mom had a couple of falls recently, and had to use a wheelchair, but thanks to our being escorted to the FRONT of every line for rides, shows, character photos, etc., she had a great time along with the rest of us. My nephew is a ride fanatic like me, so we were ride buddies. The faster, the more G-forces, the better! We managed to hit almost every ride in BOTH parks and wore ourselves fully out. However, the buzz was strong enough that we stayed up far too late Sunday night. Before falling asleep I noticed that Naomi's face was hot. Uh-oh...Yep. Fever. We gave her some tylenol to cut the fever and prayed for the best. By morning, Naomi said she felt better, so we went forward with our plans.

Monday - Disney Animal Kingdom. This particular Disney park didn't offer an escort to the front of the line, but we were allowed to enter the Fast Pass lanes, which made the wait significantly less than other folks standing in the regular lines, but slowed down our pace enough that we could only see this one park. But we had a blast! We did a safari, rode several rides, and the kids were invited to dance with the cast in the Lion King performance.

We had planned to head back to the village for dinner (3 meals per day per person are provided at the village - gratis), take a nap and then head back to the Magic Kingdom. I've always heard that it's amazing at night. But alas, Naomi was feeling terrible. Nina took her to the clinic and the diagnosis came back: strep throat! That meant that Naomi had to stay in bed all day on Tuesday. Since the fatigue had hit my mother particularly hard (the long flight, sitting all day in a wheel chair, etc.), it was decided that she'd stay at the villa with Naomi while my sister, nephew and I went to Disney Hollywood and Epcot. It was fun, but we missed Naomi and mom...

After lunch at Epcot, I had to go to the airport and fly home. I was only able to spend 3 days with the family because I had a concert on Wednesday at noon with soprano,

Dr. Candace Johnson, at UC Berkeley's Hertz Hall. Considering my lack of sleep, jet lag, and insufficient practice time (thanks to being a kid again in Orlando!), the performance went very well. I so love playing "Classical" music.

I'm so grateful for the opportunity to witness Naomi's joy in meeting her most beloved characters, being escorted to the front of every line for rides, participating in a theatrical presentation of the Lion King and just having a grand time. I'll never forget the smiles on the kids faces. Magical...

Victoria Theodore April Performances

2010-03-30T14:15:00.000-07:00

"The tang of wine is in the air,
I’m drunk with all the happiness
That Spring can give.
Never dreamed it could be so
Exciting to live.
April in Paris..."
– Vernon Duke and E.Y. “Yip” Harburg

Ok, I'm not in Paris, but wouldn't that be lovely? But, being in the beautiful Bay Area for Spring isn't half bad! ; >

I've been slacking on my blog all year, but I'm going to try and be better from this point forward. I do have to say that I've been spending my time wisely, practicing and writing, writing, writing! Finally! I'm very happy with what I've been creating and look forward to more. It's so nice to be in the creative flow. I have to keep this habit!

I have several great performances coming up. I hope to see you soon!

Wed, Apr 7
12pm
FREE CONCERT!
Candace Johnson, soprano
Noon Concert: American Song
UC Berkeley, Hertz Hall
Near College at Bancroft Berkeley, CA 94704

Sun, Apr 11
11am
Plymouth United Church of Christ
Oakland, CA 94611 | 510.654.5300 | map

Thu, Apr 15
7:30pm
2010 Fisk Jazz Ensemble Spring Concert
I am this year's featured guest artist/composer. Come hear me perform my own music with the Fisk Jazz Ensemble!

Fisk University
Fisk Memorial Chapel
1000 Seventeenth Ave NorthNashville, TN 37208 | 615.329.8500 | map

Sat, Apr 17
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Come hear me play and sing!
It's also open mic! Sing with me! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me! Any style!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map

Fri, Apr 23
6:30pm - 8:30pm
E-22 Café
Come hear me play and sing!
It's also open mic! Sing with me! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me! Any style!
1366 Powell Street Emeryville, CA 94608-2506 | 510.428.9334 | map

2010 - First quarter blog update

2010-03-30T13:04:00.000-07:00

It's been nearly 4 months since the start of the new year, and I've been utterly unable to get myself to blog on a regular basis. I've been enjoying a lovely 2010 so far, and I'd love to share my adventures with you. I'm so far behind at this point, I feel like just giving a short synopsis:

January
NAMM 2010
Nate Watts, legendary bassist primarily known for his work with Stevie Wonder, was honored by Samson/Hartke, and Nate asked me to perform in the band with him that night. He also asked me to perform something classical for him. Of course I was honored! I got to work a few weeks before the concert, practicing a few virtuoso piano works: Two pieces from Schumann's (Davidsbündlertänze: Balladenmäßig and Zart und Singend) and Rachmaninoff's Etude #5 in Eb minor from the Études Tableaux. It felt soooo good to have that kind of challenging piano music in my hands again. I've got to start putting in more practice time CONSISTENTLY! I'm quite good at the occasional 3-5 hour practice day, but on a regular basis? Sigh... no where near...

At NAMM, I practiced my pieces upstairs in the piano room, mostly on Fazioli pianos (I'm a fan). At one point, I sat down and played, completely oblivious to the fact that Paolo Fazioliand Herbie Hancockwere standing less than 7 feet away from me (which someone pointed out after I'd finished playing). Yikes! Mr. Hancock left the room shortly after I played (I didn't get to speak to him), but Mr. Fazioli came over and I had the chance to meet him.

Nate's concert included several amazing musicians, with whom I had the honor to perform:
Paul Jackson, Jr., Ray Parker, Jr., Marcus Miller, Victor Wooten, Brian Culberton, Darryl Phinnessee, Freddie Washington, many of the members of Stevie Wonder's band, with whom I adore playing, and several others. Over the course of the 2 days I was there, I got a chance to finally sit in with my very talented friend, Matt Cusson, and hung out with several different friends. It was a good trip!

PHOTOS

The week after NAMM, I attended the Grand Opening of the Nate WattsPiedmont Piano Store. Owner, Jim Callahan, invited Paolo Fazioli to give a demonstration of his pianos, and I had the chance to speak with and play for him again. After hearing me play, he paid me an enormous compliment and offered me great encouragement for continuing my pursuit of mastery of classical virtuoso piano works. I'm getting there! I had the chance to meet Jonathan Cainand Taylor Eigstithat week.

PHOTOS

FEBRUARY
Keep Music Rockin' Foundation
I gave a lecture at a local high school, teaching the students a couple of Stevie Wonder tunes, and had a great time! The students are really talented and their enthusiasm was infectious.

PHOTOS

Skywalker
I was invited to a recording session at Skywalker Ranch, and fell in love...with the ranch!!! Wow! It's just beautiful. Mr. Lucas happened to sit down at the table behind me during lunch. But of course, NO ONE told me that information until after we'd left. DRAT!! I coulda got a picture! lol

MARCH
My sister celebrated a BIG birthday (I won't say which) by coming to my gig at Marcello's. A huge group of people joined in and it was merriment all around!

I played for a couple of rounds and for the grand finale of the Jazz Search West Competition. The talent was impressive, and I had fun playing with drummerJeff Marrs, bassistGeoff Brennan, and host Kyle Blase

Over the last few months, I've had a bunch of great gigs, fun recording sessions, writing sessions, new writing collaborations yielding dozens of new songs, have been playing and singing more than ever, and feel my musicianship growing. Given the fact that most of my time is consumed with practicing, writing and performing (oh yeah, and teaching!), blogging has become a challenge. I will try to do better, even if it means writing a mere sentence or two. In closing, I've included random photos from my various performances. Enjoy! HAPPY SPRING!!

Victoria Theodore Press

2010-03-18T12:07:00.000-07:00

I got a mention in this week's East Bay Express:

East Bay Express: Article on Victoria Theodore

Tell your friends! : >

Victoria Theodore March Performances

2010-03-01T17:41:00.002-08:00

"There's joy in the mountains;
There's life in the fountains;
Small clouds are sailing,
The rain is over and gone!"
– William Wordsworth, March

Hello Friends,

Can you feel it? The slight warming of air? The crunch of new grass underfoot? Even the raindrops fall in a manner that belies coming Spring! Winter has been good to me, but sun lover that I am, I happily embrace the change in season...though I suspect that the rains aren't truly over and gone!

February was a busy month. I've still not managed to keep up, or even update, my blog at all this year. I intend to take a few hours and finally document some of the exciting, and occasionally mundane, experiences in my musical life. Just don't ask me when...sigh...

March is promising to keep me a busy bee. Lots of performances for you to come enjoy!

Fri, Mar 5
7-10pm
Jazz Search West Competition
The Bay Area's first jazz talent search for solo vocalists and instrumentalists. Come compete or enjoy the music! See the website for details. I'm playing in the rhythm section.
Avonova Studios
417 Avon Street Oakland, CA 94618| 510.652.8440 | map
Contestant fee: $25, Audience members: FREE!!

Sat, Mar 6
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Come hear me play and sing!
It's also open mic! Sing with me! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me! Any style!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map

Fri, Mar 12
Sat, Mar 13
10pm
Darwin Tillery Orchestra, playing hits from the 70's, 80's, 90's and today
Cache Creek Casino, Club 88
14455 Highway 16 Brooks, CA 95606| 888.772.2243 | map

Thu, Mar 18
7-10pm
Jazz Search West Competition
The Bay Area's first jazz talent search for solo vocalists and instrumentalists. Come compete or enjoy the music! See the website for details. I'm playing in the rhythm section.
Pier 23 Cafe
On the Embarcadero San Francisco, CA 94111| 415.362.5125 | map
Contestant fee: $25, Audience members: FREE!!

Sat, Mar 20
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Come hear me play and sing!
It's also open mic! Sing with me! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me! Any style!
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map

Fri, Mar 26
6:30pm - 8:30pm
E-22 Café
Come hear me play and sing!
It's also open mic! Sing with me! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me! Any style!
1366 Powell Street Emeryville, CA 94608-2506 | 510.428.9334 | map

Sat, Mar 27
7-10pm
Jazz Search West Grande Finale
The Bay Area's first jazz talent search for solo vocalists and instrumentalists. Winners chosen tonight! See the website for details. I'm playing in the rhythm section.
Piedmont Piano Company
1728 San Pablo Oakland, CA 94612 | 510.547.8188 | map
$10

Victoria Theodore February Performances

2010-02-01T21:58:00.001-08:00

"Why, what's the matter,
That you have such a February face,
So full of frost, of storm and cloudiness?"
- William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing

An entire month has passed without a single dispatch. I had created a grand January agenda, full of the promise of goals completed, visions fulfilled: 5 hours a day of practicing! Write 1 song per day! Increase my gig repertoire, jazz and pop songs that I'll learn all of the lyrics for! Write my blog at least once a week, letting people know about all of the marvelous, magical experiences I've had! Well. That didn't happen. I did manage to practice. I did have a few GREAT gigs. I did learn a few new songs. But I haven't written ANYTHING, either music or prose, until this moment. Where does the time go? A friend called and complained that I didn't send an email about a performance at Yoshi's tomorrow. Guilty as charged. I look in the mirror, and see a "February face", and it's only the 1st of the month! Oh, but be assured, by tomorrow, my optimistic vigor will have returned. As for today, I'll allow a wee bit of time management (or lack thereof) prompted, frosty despondence. Brrrr. Come to a show. Warm me with your beautiful smile and much appreciated support : >

FEBRUARY 2010
Tue, Feb 2
8pm
Kymberly Jackson
Yoshi's Oakland
510 Embarcadero West, Jack London Square Oakland, CA 94607 | 510.238.9200 | map

Sat, Feb 6
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map

Tue, Feb 9
8pm - 11pm
Marq's In Menlo
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me
1143 Crane Street Menlo Park , CA 94025 | 510.428.9334 | map

Fri, Feb 12
6:30pm - 8:30pm
E-22 Café
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me
1366 Powell Street Emeryville, CA 94608-2506 | 510.428.9334 | map

Sat, Feb 20
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map

Tue, Feb 23
8pm - 11pm
Marq's In Menlo
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me
1143 Crane Street Menlo Park , CA 94025 | 510.428.9334 | map

Sat, Feb 27
3:30pm
Oakland Public Conservatory Chamber Orchestra
Sandra I. Noriega, Music Director
Performing the works of Symphonic Works of African-American Composers with Victoria Theodore, piano
Oakland Veteran's Hall
200 Grand Avenue Oakland, CA 94610 | 510.836.4649 | map

2009 Wrap up

2009-12-30T15:57:00.000-08:00

"Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and days of auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne."
- Robert Burns, Auld Lang Syne

January is fast upon us, hence, 2009 soon be gone. Of course, I’ve chronicled most of the year's events in my blog, The Musical Life, but for those of you who haven’t been regular readers – hint, hint – I’m offering a concise synopsis…well, that’s my intention as I sit here and type!

The grand theme of the year for me has been two-fold: practice more and start writing again. Of course, given the nature of my work, practice is a necessity, but as is the case with many professional musicians, practice time is often relegated to the fringes of life, because, to put it simply, we don’t get paid (directly) to practice. Student wants a lesson? Yes! I’ll practice later. Someone needs a keyboard player for a gig at the last minute because of a cancellation? Yes! I get to be a hero and save someone’s gig. I’ll practice later. A client wants to hire me to write and/or perform on some tracks? Yes! Someone getting married and needs a pianist? Yes! Someone needs an arrangement of a song? Yes! Anything that will pay and allow me to procrastinate doing the WORK of practicing? Yes! Hey … wait a minute! I finally came to the conclusion that the direct path to the musical freedom I seek is THROUGH practicing, and that I needed to shift my focus, at least for a while. So, here at the end of 2009, I’ve decided to make practice and sleep a priority. How did I come to this decision? Let’s go over the year, in my world….

But first a commercial plug! Here are some upcoming shows:

JANUARY 2010
Sat, Jan 2
8:30pm - 11:30pm
Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me
515 San Ramon Valley Boulevard Danville, CA 94526 | 925.838.8144 | map

Fri, Jan 22
6:30pm - 8:30pm
E-22 Café
Open mic! Come sing! Bring your instrument! Play a song or two with me
1366 Powell Street Emeryville, CA 94608-2506 | 510.428.9334 | map

Sat, Jan 23
9pm-12
Kymberly Jackson
Taste of Joy
3909 Grand Avenue Oakland, CA 94610 | 510.891.1443 | map

And, now, back to my reminiscence....

As everyone knows, the US economy has been in shambles since the end of the Bush administration. Starting in August 2008, I personally saw signs of impending financial hardship, and that continued through the beginning of 2009. In all of my professional life, I’ve never seen bookings, students, session work, etc., fall off so badly. Without revealing too much of my personal financial matters, I’ll just say that things were challenging, and I respond accordingly. Many of my students were unable to continue lessons because of family layoffs, lost savings, job transfers, and of course home foreclosures. Everyday, I seemed to hear another story of financial devastation from my clients. Things had gotten so bad for people around me, that I decided it was my duty to be a shining light. I declared to the world that I was going to participate in an experiment: no complaining for 21 days! I heard about the experiment from my yoga teacher in November 2008 (A Complaint Free World), and thought that if I could do it, I might be able to offer encouragement to people facing serious life challenges. So, I tried. Oops. Complained. Tried again. Oops. Complained. Ah well, I’m human. But finally in mid February 2009, I completed my 21 days of no complaining, and I’ve made the practice (without wearing the requisite wrist band) a part of my life. Do I still complain? Of course, but I’m much more aware of when I complain and make a different choice when I catch myself in the act.

As for 2009 highlights, in February 2009, Stevie was a guest on the Ellen DeGeneres Show (I’ve included links to my blogs where you can find complete details). I didn’t get to meet Ellen, but all of the show staff and guests were friendly and gracious. Later in the month, I performed for the first time with Soprano, Candace Johnson, giving a concert of music featuring works by African-American composers. The concert was a tremendous success! One of these days, we’ll take the show on the road!

In March 2009, I performed in a concert entitled “Music, She Wrote”, featuring works written by the women performing in the concert, including 2 of my own works. We attempted to stage a repeat performance, but unfortunately, one of the women suffered a heart attack and it’s been postponed. It was a beautiful night of music, and I’m looking forward to the repeat when it happens. In March, 2009, I was moved to tears at a Stanley Clarke concert, and was inspired to work on my playing and singing chops by witnessing Esperanza Spalding in concert.

April, 2009 was the month I started performing at one of my regular performance spots: Marcello’s in Danville. I’ve developed a few regular “fans” over the year, and am grateful to all of them, and the owners and staff at Marcello’s for their support, understanding of when I have to leave for tour, and love the fact that so many of my talented friends come out to play and sing with me. It just doesn’t get better than that! See you in 2010!

I gave a lecture at the Oakland School for the Arts in April. I was invited by choral director, Cava Menzies, to speak to studnets in the excellent vocal program and answer questions about my life as a musician. The students were awesome, asked excellent questions and even performed for me!

I also had the chance to finally hear the legendary McCoy Tyner in concert in April 2009. He was in concert with his trio, and guest artist Bobbie Hutcherson. I wish I could say he sounded great, but unfortunately, the sound was terrible that night, and I could barely hear the piano. It was a shame. I’ll have to make a point of going to hear him again…and this time really HEAR him!

May 2009: Journey to Africa! Stevie Wonder took us all to Morocco to perform with him in the Mawazine Music Festival. It was my first time in Africa. I used every free moment to my greatest advantage and did some sight-seeing, made friends with some local Moroccans, learned a tiny bit of Arabic, and even had the exciting adventure of being left behind for a day after everyone else. Read my blog for details on that (multiple entries in May 2009).

A week after my African adventure, I had a Classical adventure: I performed with the Oakland Public Conservatory Chamber Orchestra! I hadn’t performed with an orchestra in many years, so it was a real treat to play pieces by William Grant Still and Aaron Copland.

In June, I celebrated Father’s Day by taking my dad to hear Roberta Flack at Stern Grove. San Francisco is notorious for its cold summers, but this day was absolute perfection! Sunny, warm, a crowd infused with love and music. Ah…

Later in June, Stevie Wonder picked up his tour again, and we traveled to a few US cities. After landing in Kansas City, MO, each of us in the band received a flood of text and voice messages announcing the unexpected: Michael Jackson had died. Michael was approaching the start of his upcoming tour, which included several people I knew second hand (the cousin of a former student, the close friend of one of my close friends, etc.), and I’d been excited for those people if from afar. Stevie was devastated and could not contain his grief in that first concert after the announcement. “The way you make me feel”…Stevie’s favorite MJ song.

At the end of June, we performed at the Montreal Jazz Festival...the biggest crowd I've ever seen. What fun!

In July, August and September 2009, I mostly performed local gigs, traveled to Los Angeles with local artist Kaylah Marin, spent some time with some of my musical mentors, and even auditioned for a commercial (I didn’t get it. Oh well!). I celebrated my birthday in September, going to a movie and to dinner at a few great restaurants (I like to celebrate for a few weeks!). Yum! I’m a serious foodie, so every opportunity to enjoy haute cuisine is a complete joy!

Stevie resumed the tour again in late October 2009, including a performance on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary Concert. I had the opportunity to meet and perform with more legends. Surreal…

In October, I was further inspired by a series of superlative performers. I don't often take time off to be a musical spectator, but I'm glad I did on these occascions.

November 2009 brought a return to the Oakland Opera for me. I played keyboard for “Dark River”, an original opera by local composer Mary Watkins. The show nearly sold out for every performance, so I’m hoping it will be run again soon.

I celebrated Thanksgiving with my family, opting to provide entertainment rather than cook. Just to be clear, it’s not for lack of ability. I do a mean Maple Roasted Turkey, and don’t get me started with my vegetable dishes. It’s just finding the time to shop, prepare and then cook is simply more than I can take on in tour season. I needed my rest! : >

Just after Thanksgiving, Stevie Wonder performed in Las Vegas…another first for me. Despite falling a bit ill, I had a great time performing, visiting with friends and family and appreciating the opulence of the town (I’m not a gambler, so I just walked around ooh-ing and ah-ing the sights).

Finally, Stevie’s annual fundraiser, House Full of Toys, was held in mid-December. I had the chance to play with more wonderful artists, and even had my photo taken with the heartthrob band of the moment, The Jonas Brothers.

I celebrated Christmas with my family, and will be celebrating New Year’s with family as well. Thank you to all of my friends who celebrated at Marcello's with me during my holiday themed last performance of the year. Thanks to Ric, Stev, Bruce, Amy, Alexis, Nancy, Michelle and Kyle for sharing their talents, and thanks to Diana, Michael, Evie, Dennis, Reinhard, Solomon, Tim, and Dean for being part of the lovely audience!

In sum, 2009 has been good to me. The exposure I've gained from working with Stevie Wonder has opened many doors for me, most of which I can't reveal at this moment. I've been given more opportunites for musical expansion and growth than I could have ever dreamed. I've decided to shift my focus so that I can be prepared to meet the challenge that these opportunities bring, which requires PRACTICING and COMPOSING at a level similar to what I did in Conservatory. I am a confessed workaholic, but I could and will do more in 2010 do further my own musical development and career. I'm looking forward to the journey!

Not every moment in 2009 has been easy, but I choose to see the good in all things (a friend once told me that, and I agree with her!). I look forward to 2010 being a great year of practice, adequate rest, creation, performance, peace, love, joy, abundance and MUSIC!

Happy New Year!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2009-12-24T14:42:00.000-08:00

Holiday Cheer

2009-12-21T21:35:00.000-08:00

Recently, a friend asked me what gift he should give someone he rarely speaks to and isn't actually fond of. I couldn't help but think "why bother with a gift at all, then?". He should rather turn the holidays into an opportunity to improve the relationship, and even better, help someone in the world who needs it. So, this season, if you are in a financial position to do so, I encourage you to make a gesture of reconciliation to someone in your life, and then seal it with a donation to a charity!

Here are some of my favorite charities, if you don't have one in mind:

• World Vision

http://www.worldvision.org

Sponsor a child!

• The Girl Effect

http://www.girleffect.org

Girls can change the world!

• Amnesty International

http://www.amnesty.org

Protect Human Rights!

• For All Women

http://oprah.com/forallwomen

Helping one woman helps her entire community

• The Animal Rescue Site

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com

Compassion for all of God's creatures

• Leukemia Research Foundation

http://www.leukemia-research.org

Support Leukemia research!

• Bone Marrow Registry

http://www.marrow.org

Save someone's life. Now, that's a gift!

I've decided that it's more important for me to celebrate the holidays this year through genuine demonstrations of love, rather than materialistic and sometimes empty exchanges of "gifts". So, I've asked my close friends and family to (gulp) forego gifts for me and to instead make a charitable donation. More than any gift that I may receive (despite my unfettered joy in receiving), I love the idea that some precious person in the world will receive much needed support, aid, attention, and yes, maybe, a gift instead.

I'm in the midst of preparing my annual holiday newsletter, so keep your eyes open for that!

Happy Holidays! And may every blessing imaginable be yours!

Stevie Wonder's House Full of Toys 2009

2009-12-16T16:40:00.000-08:00

This past weekend Stevie Wonder hosted his annual House Full of Toys Concert in Los Angeles, at the Nokia. Every year, Stevie invites other high profile artists to participate in this worthy charitable event, and everyone comes together to create a great show for the audience all in the name of raising funds to provide holiday gifts for low-income children. This year was no different.

I flew to Los Angeles Friday morning, and after doing some practicing in my hotel room, was driven to the rehearsal space in Burbank. The band, including guest guitarist, Paul Jack son, Jr., spent virtually the entire day learning arrangements for a series of artists. Rickey Minor was our designated music director, and kept things moving along, fun and energetic even as the hours extended past the initial end time…and then further! Thankfully, I was able to get a good night’s rest Friday night, especially since, having done this event twice before, I knew perfectly well how intense Saturday would be.

On Saturday, the band arrived at the venue at 2:30pm, and shortly thereafter, we were in rehearsal. Many of the guest artists were not able to attend rehearsal, but the band certainly appreciated those who could! First up, the Jonas Brothers.

Honestly, I have to confess that I had never heard any of their music, and only was aware of them as a “Tween” boy band with a massive fan base. After learning three of their songs (S.O.S., Lovebug and Burnin’ Up - a medley with Superstition), and having met them, I’m now a fan! All three of the brothers were adorable (ok, maybe not the word young men of their age group want to hear…but they were!), personable, and courteous, and worked closely with the band. No egos at all! It’s wonderful to see such a successful musical act with musicians who aren’t arrogant and off putting! After the rehearsal, which went perfectly, the brothers, Nick, Joe and Kevin, shook each of our hands, introduced themselves (by name, thankfully…of course I didn’t know their names…oops!), and thanked us. And, further, during their set, they gave a shout out to the band.

Next to rehearse with us was India Arie. I’ve been a fan of India Arie for many years, and have both met her and performed with her several times, but I am always impressed by her musicianship and lovely demeanor. We went over a few songs, and all headed off to get dressed for the show.

The show was fun! Each artist performed 2-3 songs, most of which we were prepared to do, though in true Wonder style, there were plenty of surprises! The other artists included the winner of Stevie's Young Singer competition, sponsored by his radio station, KJLH, Trijean, the incredible a capella group, Mosaic, Michel’le, 3T (singing to a track), Robin Thicke, Ledisi (hometown girl and my friend), Kimberly Brewer (my angel-voiced friend and occasional band-mate) and the incomparable Mary Mary. Michel’le opened the guest artist segment with her 1989 hit “No More Lies” and a new song that isn’t yet released. Robin performed “Magic” and his 2006 hit “Lost Without You”, including a rubato intro that I played with him. That was fun because I love that song! Kimberly sang her Christmas hit with Stevie “I Love You More”, and sounded as lovely as ever. Kimberly was a tremendous source of support for me when I was hired to tour with Stevie, and has one of the most beautiful voices around. Ledisi sang an unbelievable version of “Silent Night”. Her voice always has been, and continues to be utterly, and ridiculously amazing. She is undoubtedly one of my favorite singers, and a vocal inspiration for me. As are Erica and Trecina Campbell, better known as Mary Mary. I’ve been a Mary Mary fan since their debut CD, Thankful, and I was thrilled to be performing with them. They sang a Christmas song with their regular pianist, who was incredible, and then performed their latest hit “God In Me” with the band, me playing rhodes. Wow.

During India Arie’s set, she took the band on a musical journey. Just as with Stevie, India is moved by spirit and her performance reflected the kind of spontaneity and passion that I’ve grown to love performing with Stevie. We were set to perform “The Truth” and “Brown Skin” (I played rhodes on both), but we played much more than those two songs, including Stevie and India singing a very cool, up-tempo R&B version of "The Christmas Song". What fun!

Of course, the audience made the loudest noise, most squeals and responded most enthusiastically for the Jonas Brothers. As soon as Stevie introduced them, the audience went wild. The brothers walked on stage, gave a great, high-energy performance, and we all had fun. I was positioned directly behind the guys, so I’m sure that I’m in hundreds of Jonas Brothers photos across cyber-space.

Throughout the evening, Stevie sang various holiday songs, including "Ave Maria" with me playing a harp sound. I was so busy reading the score (yes, I read it...I know, I know... I should have that memorized, but I didn't want to take a chance on making an error), that I didn't even notice the camera fixed on my hands. People in the audience told me that the image on screen toggled between Stevie and my hands, and that my hands looked beautiful as they moved across the keys. Very cool...

After the show, I took photos with journalist Tavis Smiley and India Arie. I had hoped to meet Mary Mary, but it'll have to be another time.

Me, Tavis Smiley, Lanesha Baca

Me, India, Lanesha

Happy holidays to everyone involved with the production and hope to see you next year! Be sure not to miss the next show. It’s always great entertainment for an even greater cause.

Cold Weather & Hot Music!

2009-12-07T17:13:00.001-08:00

Is this really California? Low 40s in San Leandro? Snow in Modesto? Given the (relatively) frigid temperatures, I didn’t expect much of a turn out for my gigs this past weekend, but I was pleasantly surprised! It was a good weekend…

On Friday, I visited The Zoo, a new recording facility in Oakland, run by a few notable Oakland movers and shakers, including former Google engineer David Watson, Namane Mohlabane (manager and brother to singer Goapele), and others. What an amazing facility! It’s a space, conveniently located in an industrial section of Oakland near Jack London Square, that combines music, art, high tech and businesss saavy, encouraging collaboration across the disciplines. If you’re looking for a space to be creative, check it out!

After being inspired at The Zoo, I performed at E-22 Café, of course donning my Santa cap. I included a few Christmas songs in the set, as well as a bit more jazz than usual. As I performed, I started thinking that it’s way past time for me to upgrade my keyboard set up. I’ve had the same set up for many years, and I’ve grown weary of it. I’m grateful for the many performances that it’s gotten me through, but I can’t take it much longer. The sounds have grown irritating, the keys don’t feel good in my hands, and the entire set up feels desperately inadequate. Sigh… Nonetheless, I had fun playing and singing for everyone. Thanks to Jefrrey S., Wayne and Tim for listening, to Dale for playing percussion, to Bruce, Dwayne, Brad, Nina, Adrienne and Atiana for singing, to Steve for playing flute (the Mozart was fun!), and to Jeffrey M. for the superb tap dancing! You’re a GREAT dancer!! Wow! By the way, to all of you classical musicians, I LOVE to sight-read, and no challenge is too great for me to attempt (I’m rather fearless, musically)! So come to a gig and sit in! Let’s play through some masterworks!

On Saturday night, despite a rather cold and blustery evening, I had another great turnout at Marcello's Restaurant! I tried out a couple of Christmas songs that I’d just learned, most of which worked well. Thank you to Dale for playing percussion, to Bruce, Nina, Mayzella, Chelsea, Larry, Michael, Brad and Regina for singing with me! And kudos to Chelsea for playing piano and singing while I took my break! You’re awesome, lady! Bruce always brings down the house, and anyone who knows Regina, knows that she can’t help but be exceptional. The crowd was blown away with the talent of my wonderful friends, and my heart was filled with love and joy at seeing their beautiful faces and hearing their tremendous talent. I love you all!

On Sunday, I performed at 1300 Restaurant with Michael Cheadle for their Gospel Brunch. Michael is a singer whose talent I’ve admired since high school when we both were in the Young Musicians Program. What a pleasure to perform with him and his very talented daughter Mickala Cheadle, as well as the other guys in the band: Dante McClinton, drums, Cedricke Dennis, guitar, Nelson Braxton, bass. Everyone in the band exemplifies why I’m so blessed to be in the Bay Area. They’re consummate professionals, excellent musicians, and all around GOOD PEOPLE! People of the Bay Area! I encourage you to get out and support local musicians. We have more than our fair share of world-class musicians in this region. Many of us, like myself, get called away to work with Superstars, but we often come home and revisit our musical roots. Make it a goal to get out at least once a month and hear live music. I’d love to see you in my audience, but even if the performance doesn’t include me, I hope you allow yourself the opportunity to take advantage of the musical cornucopia that waits in abundance for listening ears. You won’t be disappointed!

Speaking of musical abundance, I attended Goapele’s concert at Yoshi’s SF last night, the last of an 8 show run. Despite my fatigue from working all weekend (teaching, practicing, rehearsing, performing, etc.), I did not want to miss an opportunity to listen to Goapele, Mike Aaberg, Errol Cooney, Stanley Randolph and Dewey Tucker. Goapele sounded great! Her voice was clear, warm and beautiful, and her background singer, Erica King, was also excellent, and blended perfectly with Goapele’s. The guys in the band rocked the house! Errol and Stanley are my band mates in the Wonder band, Mike is a Bay Area legend on the keys, and Dewey is awesome on bass, so I knew to expect incredible musicianship. My expectation was definitely met! The grooves were ridiculously strong, and I was virtually dancing in my seat the entire show. Oh, and, Goapele, Mike, Errol and Dewey all have Bay Area claim. ‘Nuf said…

And for you animal lovers, a video of my dogs sleeping:
Sleeping Dogs

Victoria Theodore Christmas

2009-12-05T16:20:00.000-08:00

My Christmas CD is available for online purchase!

Download CD:
iTunes
CD Baby
Amazon
EMusic

Purchase physical copy:
CD Baby

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!