LA and Good night!

I had a fantastic time in LA! I got to hear my friends perform, and sat in on 2 jam sessions, and performed the gig with Kaylah. Everything went really well, and I drove home inspired! I'm ramping down my *busy work* factor and will be making some big changes in my life so I can devote more time to mastering the piano, singing and writing, specifically with the goal of completing MY project!

Me and Randy (genius)

Here's a little good night video:

LA in August

Yesterday was fun! I arrived in LA late Saturday night, and went straight to bed. I got up late on Sunday morning (9:30am), went for a walk and then met my fabulous friend Lexie at church, and then enjoyed a delicious brunch that her mom made. Later, I visited my brilliant friend John and was inspired by his musical knowledge, accomplishment, and lovely company. We watched videos of amazing performers such as Errol Garner, Les McCann and Ralph Moore, and the music of a genius young musician named Rick James. This guy plays bass, piano, sax, drums, and who knows what else, with incredible mastery, and the recordings were made when he was still a teen. I was astonished at the musical beauty and maturity of his playing. Apparently, he's not sharing his music with the world in this moment, and I railed for a while about how the world needs beautiful talent like his, and how could he keep it to himself, blah, blah, blah. After a while, I realized that I (admitted with head bowed in shame) have a terrible habit of procrastinating in my own musical growth, and creativity. Why, I ask you, why have I not completed my project yet? Why do I let days go by without practicing in the way that I KNOW will lead to my goal of complete musical freedom? Why do I let the minutiae of daily life distract my from my goal? I may be no musical savant with multi-instrumental prowess, but I have my own gifts to offer...and I DON'T DO IT. 'nuf said. I'm gonna shut up complaining about someone else's lack of motivation and get my own act together... I ended the night hanging out with some of my favorite people after watching some of them play a killer set on their gig. Paris is a young pianist/composer/singer (yes, I'm claiming it for you!) who is simply phenomenal. Kyle is my guitar heart, and Brandon was holding it all together, making everything connect with some lovely bass. I'm so proud of, and impressed by all of them! They were joined by Amber and Anita, both tremendous singers. It was a good start to my LA trip.

Walking at the Marina

I went for a walk with my sister, her kids and the dogs. We started late, but it was a beautiful night!

Victoria Theodore August Performances

"Can't it be August again?
When the trees swayed
With the last breath of summer upon them..."
– Frani Bell

Hello Friends,

August is upon us! We've been enjoying a lovely July "winter" here in the San Francisco Bay Area, with temperatures ranging from the low 50s to mid 70s, but with August comes the start of our summer, and for that, I'm thrilled!

July was a busy month, lots of performances and media interviews. I was even interviewed for an upcoming documentary. More details on that later : >

I still haven't figured out how to include dance classes in my schedule. I adore the TV show "So You Think You Can Dance", and every summer that it's on, I get the itch to dance. I'll find a way...

Here are a few upcoming shows, but check my website for the latest information:

AUGUST 2009
Sat, Aug 1
6:30pm - 9:30pm
The Broadway Grill
1400 Broadway Burlingame, CA 94010 | 650.343.9333 | map

Sat, Aug 8
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, Aug 15
12:30pm
Art & Soul Festival
I'll be performing with students from the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music
Yoshi's Jazz Stage
Jefferson Street at 12th Oakland, CA | map
$10 adults, $5 seniors & youth (13-17), 12 and under free

Wed, Aug 19
8pm
Kaylah Marin & Basic BlaQ at
The Mint
610 West Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90035 | 323.954.9400 | map
$10

Sat, Aug 22
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!

Just click on one of the links and then click the button that says "SHOWS".

Have a wonderful month! I hope to see you soon!

Growing Garden

For the past few weeks I’ve been enjoying the bounty of my newly established garden! Salad is my favorite dish, so having an abundance of various lettuce types growing freely in my planter boxes has been an unencumbered delight! Today my first 3 tomatoes were harvested! They still need another couple of weeks to ripen (they had to be harvested because I’m having a bit of an aphid issue, which I’m dealing with), but otherwise look great! Farmer Victoria? Well, I can clip leaves and eat the bounty! : >

Tracks, gig, tracks...

This evening I had another gig with flautist Kymberly Jackson at Qs Lounge in Jack London Square. This afternoon, I spent some time working on tracks for clients, and the time got away from me. Before I could finish, it was time to leave for my gig. My dear cousin, Jonathan, worked as my roadie for the night (thank GOD!! I didn't have to lug equipment!), and kindly set up all of my gear for me. The gig went well, and I had fun playing with Kymberly, Brian, Mark and Charleston once again. Thanks to my friends who came to the show. I so appreciate your presence, support and seeing your smiling faces: Revonda, Darian, Phil, Dewey, Andre, Sara and Lynette (my fellow keyboardist who's rocking on the new hit MTV reality show "Making His Band". Check her out!!). Rapper Too Short happened to stop by for a while as well. It was a full house!

So, I'm back home from the gig, and DOH! I just remembered that I didn't finish one of my client's tracks. Sigh. Can I please have a 30 hour day, so I can get everything done? I just want to go to sleep, but I can't let my client down...

Back to tracking, then to bed, hopefully before 2am!

Comedy and Music

Tonight I went to La Peña in Berkeley to see The W. Kamau Bell Curve: Ending Racism in About an Hour, produced by Lisa Marie Rollins. I was expecting a stand up comic, but it was more of a one-man show, theatrical presentation, that also happened to be hilarious! W. Kamau tackled the sensitive topic of race in America, but with humor and insight that was fresh, thought provoking and, in the end, encouraging in his suggestion that we can – as a nation – move beyond the nominal precepts of race. W. Kamau touches on everything from President Barack Obama to black hair protocols to a discussion of what’s considered sexy in the USA. If you attend the show with a person of another race from your own, you get a 50% discount. Discount or not, this was a great performance and I highly recommend that you go see the show while it’s in town through August 3rd.

Once I returned home, I got to work on writing music. I declared early today that I will no longer allow days, weeks, years, to pass by without having taking any action towards completing my music project. I've decided that daily writing will at least get me on the path of being continually creative, so that's what I'm doing. Even if only for 5 minutes. I MUST WRITE or COMPOSE SOMETHING!!! Tonight, it's an instrumental piece. I spent about 15 minutes on it. But I did SOMETHING! I'm proud of myself, because, believe me, I'm hungry (for those who don't know, I typically eat dinner quite late), and tired from a full day of administrative tasks, household shopping, errand running, piano and vocal students and then the show I mentioned above. : >

It was a good day!

Garlic, anyone?

Last night, my sister, niece and nephew came to my gig at Marcello’s. The kids behaved wonderfully. Jeremiah was charming and energetic the whole night. I’m always amazed by his energy. He seemed to enjoy my performance, made 2 requests and even sang a song with me! Naomi slept the whole time, until finally at the end of the night, I dedicated a song to her. She drowsily responded to her brother’s prodding and listened, bleary eyed to the song. After which, she fell right back to sleep.

Today I went to the Gilroy Garlic Festival with my niece and nephew and my friend Amy . There was supposed to be a large group of us, however, things happen and it just ended up being us four. I had my mind focused on finally getting a chance to try the world famous garlic ice cream! Alas, between our late start (thanks to the waiting around for everyone to meet at my house, only to have 4 people cancel at the last minute), and the slooooow traffic on 101, we arrived too late to see Top Chef star Fabio Viviani , and missed the very item I went to the festival for: the garlic ice cream! Apparently, they planned poorly (my opinion, of course) and ran out of ice cream by 3pm on the last day. ARGH!! Despite the heat, high prices at the booths ($15 for face painting? Really? REALLY?), rather greasy food, and lack of garlic ice cream, we all managed to have a good time walking the grounds, people watching, observing a food demonstration (which smelled delicious…we didn’t get to taste though), and sipping on frozen, sugary drinks. The kids were energized the whole day, and somehow managed only 2 relatively major spats, neither of which required the earth-shattering, terrifyingly intense, “don’t make me stop this car”, Auntie stare-down from the rear view mirror, but rather a solid snap of the fingers and a terse “quiet” in a confident, if voice. It was a good day!

Radio Interview

Check out my interview!!

Radio Interview featuring Victoria Theodore on Friday 7/24/09 at 10:30am PST

Download the interview here if you missed it:
Women (and Legends) Who Really Rock!

My interview starts at approximately 20 minutes.

SYTYCD took my breath away tonight

I should have been in bed 2 hours ago. But, as usual, I didn't stop working until late, and so, starving, I sat down with my near midnight meal to watch my favorite show, So You Think You Can Dance. The first part of the show wasn't captivating, and I'd finished my dinner in time to turn off the television at the mid point, to return at another time and watch the remainder. But feeling less than motivated to stand quickly, I sat for a few more minutes, which spiraled into the entire show. Tonight, a new choreographer made her debut on the show. Laurie Ann Gibson created a piece featuring Brandon and Jeanine. It was powerful, hard-hitting, passionate and exciting. Brandon and Jeanine danced the piece brilliantly. I was compelled to rewind and watch it again immediately (something I only do when the dance and choreography are exceptional).

After the performance, I was inspired by Mia Michael's (my absolute favorite choreographer) comments to Laurie Ann, saying that "she doesn't dance a step unless it is from her soul". Those words are all I need to hear to remember that I must demand nothing less from myself in my musical expression. Every note I play, every phrase I sing, every word I write, MUST come from my soul. It's so easy for me to allow myself to be "adequate" or "good". That part of me which resonates with Mia's statement won't stand for it. My soul yearns for full expression of excellence and I must heed it's call.

I thought Laurie Ann's piece was to be my favorite dance of the night. I was wrong.

The next piece was choregraphed by Tyce Diorio, consistently one of my favorite choreographers on the show. His work was performed by Ade and Melissa, a piece that conveyed the journey of a woman with breast cancer and the support she receives from her friend. The piece was mesmerizing and one of the best ever on the show. I was overwhelmed with emotion watching Ade and Melissa dance. Tyce's choreography perfectly evoked the pain, deblilitation, and heartbreak that co-exists with determination, strength and courage in the lives of cancer patients. The movement, beautifully set to Maxwell's stunning version of Kate Bush's song "This Woman's Work", was breathtaking.

Tyce's choreography transported me back to those moments in my niece's journey with cancer that had terrified and devastated me. Ade's power and conviction reminded me of the determination that those of us who love Naomi summoned within ourselves to offer her all of the love and support we could muster. Melissa's courage and vulnerable tenacity reminded me of the strength in Naomi's tiny 3 year old body as she fought for her life and SURVIVED. Thank you Tyce. Thank you Ade. Thank you Melissa. Thank you for so perfectly telling the story of those of us who have dealt with cancer either directly or through a loved one. Blessings to you all.

"I know you have a little life in you yet
I know you have a lot of strength left..."

Omnibus Alumnus!

This has been a fun week of performing for and with old friends. I've already blogged about performing with fellow YMP alum Michael Cheadle on Wednesday night, and listening to Oberlin alum Robert Sims after that. On Friday night I performed in Danville at Marcello’s. My voice was not in great shape, and felt like I was still recovering from last week’s cold. So, I was more than pleased that so many people volunteered to sing with me on the open mic. Thanks to my friends Michael and Evie, and Ken and his friends for coming to hear me perform!

Saturday morning, I was able to sleep in because a few students cancelled (as will happen in the summer…), but even with the cancellations, I only slept about 6 hours, thanks to not sleeping well. So, again, tired. But I taught the students who did come and practiced for a few hours, which was great! I had a gig at the Oyster Reef with my friend Kymberly Jackson, and had a great time! We didn’t use a set list, and just had fun jamming on a variety of tunes. Guitarist Mark Daniels seems to know every R&B tune every written, and bassist Charleston Quinn and drummer Brian Braziel held down the bottom. Kymberly put on a great show, engaging the audience with her music and personality. We’re performing again on the 31st at Q’s in Oakland.

This morning, I accompanied my Skyline high school alum, Roosevelt Credit at Evergreen Baptist Church in Oakland. We performed pieces ranging from Dvorak and Margaret Bonds to Sandi Patti. While the piano was not in the best condition, the Pastor and congregation were very gracious and enjoyed our performance tremendously. The worship service was beautiful and I had a great time. What a pleasure to perform and spend time with all my alums this week!

From the club to the house of opera

Last night I performed at Yoshi’s in Oakland for the first time. I performed at Yoshi's in San Francisco last year, but "Yoshi's" has always meant the Oakland location in my mind, so it was nice to be there. Singer/songwriter/producer Benjie Ross was the headliner in an evening presented by KBLX, featuring R&B and Jazz artists, including local bassist Arlington Houston, with whom I've performed before. There were a few audio issues, but overall the show was fun and successful. I didn't know the opening artist, but Arlington's band sounded great! Benjie's band did too, once the audio kinks were worked out! I had a chance to play with my OYC fellow alum, singer Michael Cheadle and his daughter, Mickala. Also in the band were singers Kimiko Joy, Mykah Montgomery, Nikki Grier, guitarist Cedricke Dennis , and drummer Michael McGee.

The day before the Yoshi's show, my friend Candace Johnson, an extraordinary soprano with whom I work, invited me to a dinner party hosted by my fellow Oberlin alum, Robert Sims. Unfortunately, the party conflicted with my Yoshi's gig and I was afraid I’d miss the party. But no! The Yoshi's gig ended in time for me to pack up my gear and whiz over to the party just as the music was to begin! The party was attended by a few fabulous singers and happy listeners, including Robert Sims, Rodrick Dixon, Alfreda Burke, Hope Briggs, Candace Johnson, and the incredible Jacqueline Hairston, who’s not only a wonderful pianist, but a superlative composer. The rules were that each singer would perform 1 or 2 pieces, starting with Robert. Many of the pieces were spirituals arranged and accompanied by Jacqueline. Beautiful music expressed through stunningly beautiful voices. I was in heaven! Candace and I performed Jacqueline’s work “On Consciousness Streams”, a 3 song cycle, with piano accompaniment that is certainly challenging. My sight-reading skills were put to the test (I hadn’t played the pieces since December and was rusty)! But I had such a great time! I love my job! Nights like that make me even more determined to figure out how to parcel my time so that I can practice not only Wonder music, but also keep my sight reading chops and my virtuoso music in shape. I’ll get there…

Gotta be here, gotta be there...

This was a busy weekend for me. Despite still recovering from yet another cold (what’s going on this year???), I performed for a group of children and youth in San Francisco on Friday. PB&JAMM is a program for children in the underserved community living mainly in the Tenderloin, 6th & Folsom Street areas and the Mission District in San Francisco. I was invited to speak and perform for the kids by singer/songwriter Carmen Gonzalez , host of blogtalkradio’s “Women (and Legends) who really rock”. The kids were really sweet and enjoyed my performance. I took some time off for myself Friday night (except for 2 hours to practice for my Saturday gigs).

Saturday morning, I taught students, and then drove to the South Bay to play for a wedding. A pianist friend of mine had an accident and ended up with a hairline fracture. Fortunately, she’ll be able to recover, but her doctor warned her not to play for 2 months! A week before the wedding, she called me to substitute for her. Turns out I was available, and gladly stepped in to her help out. The wedding was in Santa Clara, but the ceremony was outdoors in Los Gatos. So, after teaching, I had to drive to Los Gatos, set up my keyboard, microphone and amp, and then drive to Santa Clara to play the piano in a church. Once I arrived at the Los Gatos location, I noticed that the clouds above were gaining in density, implying rain. I was not at all comfortable with the idea of leaving my keyboard potentially exposed to rain, so I set up just the stands and my seat, certain that I’d be able to set up the electronics quickly upon my return.

The wedding was beautiful, filled with all the joys one hopes to observe from my seat as wedding pianist. The wedding party and guests all seemed quite pleased with my performance, and offered lovely feedback. As soon as I finished the recessional, I jumped in the car and drove to Los Gatos, hoping to arrive just enough ahead of the guests so I’d be playing as they entered. Suddenly, my windshield was splashed with a short spurt of, yep, rain! Uh-oh! I did a little sunshine dance behind the steering wheel, praying for the rain clouds to disperse. I arrived at the reception site to find the back gate (where I had set up) locked. Uh-oh! Luckily, one of the caters happened by and was able to open the gate so I could drag in my keyboard. The clouds, still heavy, seemed to be moving slightly. Keyboard still in case, I walked back to my car to find parking.

Parking was tight. There were apparently 3 other events being held in the area, and the lot was filled to capacity. Uh-oh. No worries! I did a little parking shimmy behind the wheel (I do dance a lot in my car), and drove around optimistic. And around. And … “excuse me, are you leaving?” No. And around. Still optimistic. And around. And…upon spotting a wedding guest “excuse me, could you please go inside and ask the caterer if there’s a reserved parking space for the pianist?” Of course, my keyboard is sitting outside, still in its case, not set up at all. The guest replied “sure, no problem”. Still optimistic. And…wait! There’s a couple. “Excuse me, are you walking to a car”. “Why yes”, they replied. “Right here”, which happened to be directly across from the entrance to the reception area. Perrrrrrfect! Big smile on my face…

So, I was able to jump out of my ideally-parked car (I have superb parking kharma!), and whisked my keyboard setup into place, beginning to play just as most guests were arriving. Everyone enjoyed the music, and as I played and sang, the sun came out, casting lovely light upon the afternoon. Ah…

I finished my performance, jumped back in the car and headed to my friend’s studio in Campbell for a quick minute, then off to my gig in Danville, arriving just in the nick of time to play and sing. I was starting to feel pretty lousy, thanks to my cold, but my friends Michael, Evie and Chris came out to hear me play, and their wonderful energy perked me up. I wasn’t in my best voice, but considering that I’d lost my voice completely on Tuesday, I can’t complain. I try not to anyway. But after finishing the gig, getting home and in the bed at 1:30am, when my alarm rang at 5am, I was having a hard time not complaining!

My niece Naomi had been selected to participate in Lance Armstrong’s LIVESTRONG CHALLENGE event in San Jose. Naomi was one of several childhood cancer survivors being taking around the event course in pedi-cabs, but we had to BE THERE at 6:30am. Ouch! These kids are the stars of the show. They have endured pain and faced mortality in ways that would give the toughest adults pause. Naomi requested that her big brother, 8 year old Jeremiah, and I, her Auntie, ride with her. We jumped and were chauffeured by our gracious pedi-cab rider, Rene. At the children’s request, Rene put on the speed and pedaled as fast as she could! It was a lovely day but after helping with the kids and a disabled family friend all day, but 9pm, I was spent!

Naomi, Jeremiah and Rene:










But alas, my alarm again sounded at an un-Godly hour: 5:45am. Why? Today, Monday, was Naomi’s bi-monthly oncology appointment. Everything went great, but we had to be at the hospital at 7:30am! Ouch! Today, it’s back to teaching and my “normal” schedule, but despite the fatigue, it was a good weekend!

Naomi with her Nurse Practitioner:

Fireworks and Finales: Victoria Theodore July Performances

"I never dreamed you'd leave in summer
I thought you would go then come back home
I thought the cold would leave by summer
But my quiet nights will be spent alone"
– Stevie Wonder

Hello Friends!
Fireworks: I hope that you all enjoyed a lovely Fourth of July holiday. I spent the day trying (unsuccessfully) to stave off a cold. I'm feeling better now, but I'd lost my voice, which is not cool! I did spend the evening with family, enjoying a delicious meal prepared by my aunt and uncle.

Finales: One the way to the second stop in Stevie Wonder's recent short tour, we learned that Michael Jackson died. It was quite a shock to all of us musicians. I grew up listening to Michael Jackson, and like so many little girls, loved him! His music is so full of vitality, hope, love and joy, and his dancing inspired me and countless others to appreciate and embrace dance. I remember spending hours learning every move of the "Thriller" choreography! He was an incredible talent.

I've only watched about 45 minutes of the memorial that was broadcast on Tuesday, but what I've seen is beautiful. Especially moving for me was Stevie's performance of "Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer". That song is probably my favorite of his heartbreak songs, and I thought a perfect farewell to Michael, followed by the beautiful "They Won't Go". Stevie held nothing back in his performance, and brought tears to my eyes for the first time since learning of Michael's demise.

On a lighter note, I'm trying to figure out how I can fit dance classes into my already ridiculously busy schedule. Wish me luck!

Here's where you can find me performing (music, that is!):

JULY 2009

Sat, Jul 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

Wed, Jul 15
8pm
KBLX Presents Benjie Ross with special guests Nikki Thomas (KBLX Morning Show) and Arlington Houston Quartet with Valinda Love
Jazz / R&B
Yoshi's Oakland
510 Embarcadero West, Jack London Square Oakland, CA 94607 | 510.238.9200
$15

Fri, Jul 17
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

Sat, Jul 18, 9pm-12:30
Kymberly Jackson
Jazz / R&B
Oyster Reef Seafood Restaurant
1000 Embarcadero Oakland, CA 94606 | 510.836.2519

Fri, Jul 24
10:30am (PST)
Radio Interview: Women (and Legends) Who Really Rock! with Carmen Milagro
"Women (and Legends) Who Really Rock! with Carmen Milagro" is a one-hour weekly LIVE Internet radio show, hosted by Carmen Milagro

Sat, Jul 25
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

Fri, Jul 31,
8-11:30pm
Kymberly Jackson
Q's Lounge
Jazz / R&B
Everett & Jones Barbeque • 126 Broadway Oakland, CA 94607 | 510.663.2350

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!

Just click on one of the links and then click the button that says "SHOWS".

Have a wonderful month! I hope to see you soon!

Montreal Jazz Festival 2009

Can you distinguish the sound of 1,000 from that of 10,000 people? How about between 10,000 and 50,000? 50,000 and 100,000? 200,000 people? I can tell you this much, the roar from the audience in Montreal (estimated to be over 200,000) was beyond thundering, beyond explosive, into the realm of unfathomable! The cheers that Stevie elicited from the crowd from his mere presence shook my body to the core. And that was with my ear monitors in place! As far as I could see, people were crowed into the street that lay beyond the stage where we performed. We were supposed to start the show at 9:30, but were postponed by 30 minutes due to rain. Shortly after Stevie walked on stage, the rain subsided. Coincidence? Maybe…

We all poured our hearts in the 2.5 hour concert that night. The music of course included several of Stevie’s hit (Master Blaster, Higher Ground, Superstition, etc), but also included homage to Michael Jackson. The band performed “I Can’t Help It”, and grooved along while Michael’s recordings of a few hits (“The Way You Make Me Feel”, “Billie Jean”, etc.) were played over the PA. In a nod to the fact that we were performing for a Jazz Festival, we also performed “All Blues”, “Giant Steps” and “Spain”. The concert was a beautiful experience for all of us onstage, and most reviews and comments I’ve read online indicate that the massive crowd felt the same emotions that we performers did.

Milwaukee Summerfest 2009

For the first time since I’ve been touring with Stevie, we had an opening act tonight. John Legend performed a set with his full band. I decided to first do my make up and hair for the show, and then walked to an area next to the audience so I could watch John’s performance. He and his band sounded great! They performed a series of his hits, including his latest “Green Light”. But, I was waiting to hear “Ordinary People”, which came towards the end of the set. Satisfied, I returned to the dressing room to finish preparing for our show.

Another first: we started on time! Stevie spoke to the audience as we all entered the stage after him, and encouraged everyone to focus on the gift of Michael Jackson’s music, and to focus on love. Again, he started the show with “Love’s In Need”. Otherwise, the concert was a blend of the usual set list, spontaneous choices from Stevie’s catalog and Michael Jackson tunes. Stevie invited John Legend to come to the stage and sing several times during the night, including for “I Can’t Help It” and “Superstition”. Stevie also performed a more complete version of a song he’d debuted the night before, which he is dedicating to Michael and his family.

It was an extremely emotional night, with Stevie collapsing on his keyboard seat once during the concert. Aisha walked over to console him in his moment of obvious emotional pain. But Stevie pushed through the grief and gave a marvelous show. All of us on stage were affected by the shock of Michael’s death, and empathized with Stevie’s loss of a dear friend. I’m glad that we were all present to give Stevie our loving energy, along with that from the audience. What better balm for a grieving heart than love? None that I know!

As the parting note, the Michael Jackson montage that was played after the Kansas City concert was played again, with John joining all of us in a Michael Jackson dance jam. What a great show and what a lovely tribute!

Kansas City Blues

Last night, we performed in Kansas City, MO. This was the first show after the announcement of Michael Jackson’s death. We’d traveled to KS the day before, and upon landing, all of our cell phones received a deluge of text messages announcing the shocking news. We all wondered how Stevie was doing, given that Michael must have been like a little brother to him. At the venue, the Starlight Theater, the mood was melancholy in the oppressive heat, but not somber. We did our usual sound check, including several of Michael’s tunes, since we all guessed that Stevie would be performing at least a few of MJ’s hits. We started the show with “Love’s In Need”, instead of “All Blues”, which we’d been as the opening song since the 2008 Tour. The show flowed between Stevie songs and Michael songs. At one point, Stevie became overwrought with emotion and asked Keith John to sing the lead on “Never Can Say Goodbye”. At the end of the show, Stevie had the audio engineer play a montage of Michael Jackson hits as we all joined him at the front of the stage. This blog recounts the night’s events with photos:

Kansas City, MO

RIP MJ

As the plane landed, I turned on my cell phone and was inundated with a deluge of frantic text messages about the demise of the King of Pop. Surely, this isn't true! With the sudden fierceness of an unexpected storm, the entire plane was speaking in hushed tones about MJ: can you believe it?...Oh my God!...him too?... All of us traveling musicians were shocked. Surely, this isn't true!

Alas, it is true. I can only imagine the pain my boss, Mr. Morris, is feeling. Michael must have been like a little brother to him. I can't help it, but I feel overwhelmed with grief at the loss. I realize that grief is just Human Nature, but I'm surprised at my reaction, given that I'd never met the man and only know him through his extraordinary music catalog. I will always Remember The Time I first heard Ben as a girl. I fell in love with the voice of the Man In The Mirror immediately. I'm listening to his songs tonight. I have to prepare myself to perform his songs in tribute, telling myself Don't Stop Till You Get Enough, and really have internalized these songs.

And now he's Gone Too Soon. And I never had the chance to see him perform.

He will be missed...

Working Weekend

I performed again in Danville last night, and in Burlingame this morning, both times playing piano/keyboard and singing. I've been working on adding more songs to my repertoire, just recently added a Billy Joel song (And So It Goes) and Lauren Hill's version of Can't Take My Eye Off of You. Both were received well by my audiences. I tried "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz last night, but I need to find a better key. The original key is too low for me.

This afternoon, I accompanied 3 wonderfully talented young people. I participated in a youth scholarship program, accompanying a singer, a clarinetist and a saxophonist. On the program were 2 other singers and 2 pianists. It was great! Most of the students are also studying in UC Berkeley's Young Musicians Program, of which I'm an alum, so it was a challenge for me to keep it together watching and accompanying those beautiful young faces!

Few things in life make me more jubilant (or emotional) than watching young people pursue their dreams with dedication and determination. Very often, I'm moved to tears by their efforts! This is a huge reason why I'm addicted to my favorite TV show of ALL TIME: So You Think You Can Dance. Some of you know that dance is my secondary passion (behind music) and that I still look forward to one day dancing in a senior citizen dance company! lol Once I'm at the point that I no longer need to earn a living, I'm so all about the dance...and piano...and singing...and language...and science...and philanthropy...and food...and ok ok, I know I do too much! But I can't help it! Anyway, sorry to digress...watching the young dancers on that show takes my breath away! As someone who is highly disciplined, determined and passionate, and who has a tremendous work ethic, seeing those traits personified in the dancers on the show is utterly thrilling! So far I've only seen the first 2 episodes on TIVO (I NEVER have time to watch TV live), so please DON'T TELL ME ANYTHING about what's happened in the past 3 weeks. During the past 4 seasons, it's been heartbreaking to see any of the dancers voted off. My equally addicted friend Alexsandra tells me that this year is worse than ever because everyone is so talented. Yikes!!! Don't judge my one vice in life!! I love love love that show! ; >

That's what friends are for...

I started the day by attending the funeral of my friend Tommie Bradford's mother. I don't think I ever met her, but I consider both of her sons, Tommie and Dontay, to be friends, and I wanted to be present as they honored their mother. It was a beautiful service, and tears came to my eyes more than once. The church was filled with family, friends, and people like me who only knew of her through her family, and it was much more of a celebration of an obviously beautiful life than it was a sorrowful goodbye.

After teaching a few students, I treated myself to a massage at my cousin's spa, Skin by Maisha. Maisha has been my aesthetician for many years (note my lovely, youthful, glowing skin!) and now offers massage therapy. I've been treated by both therapists in her spa, Katy and Thomas, and every time it's been a fantastic experience. Thanks to my habit of overbooking myself, I really, really, really needed my shoulders worked on (my typical area of stress accumulation). One day, I'm going to get massages on a weekly basis...ah...

This evening, I performed again at Marcello's and had the pleasure of several friends coming out to hear me and have dinner. Thanks to Sandi, Steve, Tony, Mary, Chris and the many regular patrons (whose names escape me as I write this at 1am) for coming out and for being so supportive! And thanks to Sandi and Chris for sharing their gorgeous voices! : >

Victoria Theodore June Performances

“And let them pass, as they will too soon,
With the bean-flowers' boon,
And the blackbird's tune,
And May, and June!”
- Robert Browning


Hello friends,

I am safely returned home from my beautiful trip to Morocco. Stevie Wonder performed at the annual MAWAZINE Festival in Rabat (Morocco's capital city) and brought along the full band. Not only that, despite only 1 performance, he gave us the full week there! God bless him! : > I wrote in my blog all about the trip, the concert (with 70,000 adoring Wonder fans projecting their love onto the stage), and how I spent my day in Morocco alone, after everyone else had left for home!

Here are some of my upcoming performances:

May 2009
Sun, May 31
5pm
Oakland Public Conservatory Chamber Orchestra
Sandra I. Noriega, Music Director
Performing the works of Aaron Copeland and William Grant Still with Victoria Theodore, piano

By Donation
Skyline Community Church
12540 Skyline Boulevard Oakland, CA 94619 | 510.531.8212

June 2009
Sat, Jun 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

Sat, Jun 13
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

Wed, Jun 24
8pm
Stevie Wonder
2009 Tour
Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park
2200 Encore Parkway Alpharetta, GA 30009 | 404.733.5010

Fri, Jun 26
8pm
Stevie Wonder
2009 Tour
Starlight Theatre
4600 Starlight Drive Kansas City, KS 64132 | 816.363.7827

Sun, Jun 28
8pm
Stevie Wonder
2009 Tour
Marcus Amphitheatre
200 N Harbor Dr Milwaukee, WI 53202 | 414.273.2680

Tue, Jun 30
8pm
Stevie Wonder
2009 Tour
Montreal Jazz Festival
175 Rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest Montreal, QC, Canada | 888.515.0515


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!

Just click on one of the links and then click the button that says "SHOWS".

Have a wonderful month! I hope to see you soon!

A Walk on the Classical Side!

Tonight I performed with an orchestra for the first time in ages! I was the pianist with the Oakland Public Conservatory Chamber Orchestra in performance of Appalachian Spring by Aaron Copland and Dismal Swamp by William Grant Still. Both pieces have substantial, beautiful (and somewhat technically challenging) piano parts and I had a great time performing the works.

First, we performed Appalachia Spring, which starts slowly and gently, evoking a sunrise, gradually building into a raucous folk music inflected “hillbilly ho-down”. The piano part is filled with octave leaps, parallel intervals, and towards the end, exceptionally fast scalular patterns which don’t leave much room for error. Additionally, there are frequent time changes (alternating between 3/8, 4/4 and 5/8 and sometimes 1/2), which require constant focus and counting to ensure keeping one’s place in the music. Despite the challenge, it is such beautiful music! I’ve always been a fan of this particular Copland piece.

Dismal Swamp is a gorgeous piece of music from a composer whose work I’ve been familiar with for many years. My piano teacher from my teen years, Eugene Gash, had exposed me to several African American composers of music, including some of Still’s works. His work “Out of the Silence” is one of my favorite pieces in my repertoire. “Dismal Swamp” piece reads like a mini-concerto, with the piano receiving solo treatment as well as being used for texture within the orchestra. I had a few occasions to be expressive as a soloist within the work, which I truly enjoyed! Despite limited rehearsal time, I think the overall performances went well!

Many thanks to our conductor, Sandra Noriega, and to all of the orchestra players for a great job, and for making me feel a welcome member of the ensemble, and thanks to Owen for coming to the concert! Now, I feel inspired to learn and perform a concerto. I already own the scores for the Grieg, Rach #3 , Liszt #1 and Shostakovish #2 ….hmmm…maybe one day…

Morocco: An Extra Day!

I woke up early, and headed down to the lobby a full 30 minutes before the call time. I’ve taught myself to be particularly early on departure dates to be absolutely certain that I don’t get left behind. Once we all boarded the van, we were driven 90 minutes away to the Casablanca Airport. On the way, we were able to see more of the Moroccan landscape, including Casablanca in the distance. None of us could help but notice the difference in interaction between pedestrians and vehicles here: people walking within inches of swiftly moving vehicles, people lingering in the street as traffic passes by, but most shocking: people walking on the freeway! There was even a couple, both dressed in fine business clothing, standing on the freeway, as if awaiting a ride. I’d never seen anything like it.

Driving to the airport:


























Once we arrived at the airport, we each checked in, handing over passports and luggage. Well, then it was my turn. Suddenly, the check-in agent became cold and abrupt: “You have missed your flight and must go to the ticket agent”. Of course, this information struck me as being spurious and inaccurate. I once again checked my cell phone (where I stored the email message outlining my flight information, reference number, etc.), and showed the printed itinerary I’d been given, which confirmed me on the 9:40am flight, to the check-in agent. She was not moved. “This information is incorrect. You must go to the ticket agent.” Ok. Fine.

So, as the other members of our group looked on with curiosity and growing concern, I walked to the ticket agent, explained the situation and received an even more shocking response: “You were booked on the 7am flight, and you missed it. You now have 2 choices: you can fly to Paris today and spend the night in Paris, or stay another day in Morocco and fly tomorrow morning at 7am. What do want to do?” Apparently, the flight had been overbooked, and the agents refused to acknowledge that their airline had made an error. There was no waiting list, no standby possibility, etc. I was officially stuck in Morocco…alone. After trying to get something to happen for an hour or so, with an agent who was even more rude than the first agent, I finally told my lovely band mates to go ahead and catch their flight. They were very kind in waiting with me to resolve the situation. I hugged them all goodbye and considered my two options. I decided it would be best to stay another day in Morocco, as I didn’t have any way to contact my friends in Paris to set up accommodations for myself (my cell phone doesn’t work outside of the USA). Thankfully, the driver who had delivered us to the airport had not left, and he allowed me to use his cell phone to call our hostess and tour guide, Wissal, who contacted the resort and arranged for me to return to my hotel room for another night. The driver, who spoke no English at all, grabbed my luggage and returned me to the hotel, 90 minutes back in the other direction.

Driving back to the hotel:












Upon my return to the hotel, I immediately headed to the breakfast restaurant to eat. I’d be awake since 5am and was desperately hungry. On Saturday, I’d met a couple of ladies who were in Morocco vacationing, and who are the friends of a Wonder staff person. One of the ladies, Daphne, happened to be in the restaurant having breakfast at that very moment, and invited me to join her. Daphne and her friend Tiffany instantly took me in as a friend and I spent much of the day with them, a beautiful example of serendipity. Later in the day, we went to dinner in the resident Moroccan restaurant, enjoying a delicious traditional Moroccan meal. I had a sampling of Moroccan salads, my favorite being the smoked eggplant salad, which I ate with the whole grain bread that was brought to our table. Yummy! After dinner, I went back to my room and occupied myself with various tasks, deciding it would be better not to fall asleep, given my 3am call time.

My new friends, Daphne, Tiffany and Abdallah:










At 3am, I went to the lobby, and as expected, my driver was there, ready to again take me to the airport. This time, he was driving a fancy Mercedes sedan, which allowed him to move much faster. This trip only took an hour’s time. We arrived at the Casablanca Airport 30 minutes before the check-in agents arrived, and as before, the driver (whose name I didn’t get) waited with me. Apparently, whoever this man was, he wasn’t simply a driver. Once I had my ticket, he attached a fancy badge to his jacket and the security people virtually genuflected in his presence, as we sailed through customs and security with ease. He pulled my computer case and carry-on bag to the Gate, confirming that I was in the right place at the right time before departing. He was utterly gracious, and despite my awful French and Arabic, seemed to understand my sincere expressions of gratitude.

On a somber note, this morning, I turned on my computer to check the reviews of the concert and was stunned to learn of the terrible stampede that had taken place. Apparently, Moroccan star, Abdelaziz Stati performed after us, and following his concert, as the crowd was leaving, a fence collapsed and 11 people died in the ensuing haos. I extend my deepest condolences to the families of those who died.

Overall, my first trip to Africa was a rousing success. I did thoroughly enjoy myself, fiasco notwithstanding, and was duly impressed by the hospitality of our tireless hosts, Wissal and Amr, our various servers, including Abdallah and Hanane, and the entire staff of L’Amphitrite Palace Resort & Spa.

Amr:





Wissal:








Finally, many thanks to King Mohammed VI, for his exceptional generosity towards all of us during our stay, and to his staff for making sure I was taken care of after my flight SNAFU. I am left with a beautiful impression of the Moroccan people, and look forward to returning one day to see more of the country! Shukran and Barak Allah Ufik!

Photos from my last day in Morocco:

Morocco: Shopping!

Again, I woke up late, missed another chance to run on the beach, and missed breakfast. Oh well! At 1pm, we drove back into Rabat to visit the Medina shopping area once again. On the way, we passed the party castle, which is just as stunning in daylight as at night. We stopped by TGI Friday in Rabat for lunch, where our new friends, restaurant managers Noura and Richard, once again enthusiastically greeted us. Life in Morocco runs at a very different pace. Every meal lasted 2 hours or more, rather than the standard cursory 20-30 minutes in the USA. TGI Friday was no different. We sat, talked, waited, talked, waited, talked, and were at the breaking point when food finally arrived!

After lunch, we hit the Medina. I bought a few more trinkets, for friends and family, but for myself as well, and had a great time walking around with the group. I am not an experienced haggler, and felt a bit ambivalent about the prospect of talking down a price that already seemed absurdly low, but apparently, negotiation is not only expected, it’s cultural, so I partook. Some fellow Americans, who now live in Morocco, suggested that I negotiate the initial price down by 2/3, but I felt too guilty of being an “ugly American” to do that. For the most part, I was pleased when I achieved a 30-40% discount.












We returned to the hotel, and went to dinner…another 2 hour experience…and then headed into the cigar lounge. Even I, the anti-smoker, sat in the room with everyone for a little while. Smoking is permitted virtually everywhere in Morocco, so I had to acclimate myself to continual sniffles and irritated eyes while there. In the resort, however, the filtration system was adequate so that I didn’t feel inundated to an intolerable degree by cigarette and cigar smoke. Once I’d had enough of being exposed to the smoke, I headed to my room, packed and slept for about 5 hours.

Morocco: Stevie Wonder Concert

This morning, I had one thing on my mind: PRACTICE! Over the past 2 days of rehearsal, Stevie has randomly called upon the band to rehearse songs that we either had never played before or had rarely played. I spent the entire morning, reviewing as much music as I could in a few hours. I ate a pear and drank some water, but otherwise had nothing to eat. At 3pm, we all loaded into the shuttle busses to head to the venue, this time without hassle, as the crowd had yet to appear and the Royal Family wouldn’t be arriving for several hours. Unfortunately, the weather was taking a turn towards cold, which is not good for an outdoor concert…especially for someone like me, who gets cold easily!

Driving to the venue:




















From the stage:









Me & Phil, keyboard tech










Kyle on guitar








After running about half of the show, we all took a break, and I, starving as I was, was first in line for dinner. Dinner included some fantastically delicious examples of Moroccan cuisine, including vegetables cooked in a Tagine (my favorite Moroccan dish), broiled lobster and yummy chicken Pastilla. Shortly after I made my plate, I was told by our stage manager, Tony, that Stevie had arrived and wanted everyone on stage ASAP. Not one to leave a plate of delicious food behind, I grabbed a napkin, a fork and toted my plate along with me onto the stage! While Stevie tweaked the settings on his keyboard, I surreptitiously took little bites of food, swiftly consuming the entire plate of food before the end of sound check. We spent about another hour in sound check, and, well, by then, I was hungry again! So, I put together another plate of food. Hey! A girl’s gotta eat, right? Lol

After my second plate of dinner, I returned to my dressing room. For the first time, I had my own dressing room, which was slightly isolating, but good for intense music study. I listened to more Stevie tunes on my iPod as I donned my stage outfit. 30 minutes later, we hit the stage (on time!!) with great energy. For the most part, everything fell into place, and the audience loved every moment. I was told later that the Queen watched the show from a vantage point directly in front of me in the audience.

After the show, Stevie called the band into his dressing room, fed us more delicious Moroccan cuisine, and praised our efforts in his loving, familial way. Duly stuffed, we then headed to the castle for another after party. This time, as we arrived much later (nearly 2am), there weren’t as many people, the music was far more subdued and there wasn’t much food left … not that any of us needed any more food. A few of us walked around and engaged the Morocco people present in lively conversation. I met a few rather interesting people, including a Moroccan artist named Elam Jay. Stevie had an early flight, so we left the party around 3am, and headed back to the hotel. I was able to get to bed just around 4:30am.

After party photos:

Morocco: Alicia Keys Concert

This morning, I woke up late again. I still haven’t had the chance to go for a run on the beach or have breakfast. Lobby call for rehearsal was 1pm, so having woken up just before noon, I had just enough to get dressed and take off. At rehearsal, we went over a few songs before Stevie arrived, which was good to do considering that we hadn’t performed in concert together since November of last year. The band is as tight as ever and a continual source of joy for me. As a musician, it just doesn’t get better than this! Stevie joined us about an hour into the rehearsal, and at one point, he called me over to the piano to learn 2 of his newly composed songs. He showed me the song on the piano, and then moved over to another bench, allowing me to play his piano while he sang right next to me. Just me and him. Those are my favorite moments. All I can do is just play, soak it all in and grin like a kid in a candy store!

After the rehearsal, we all returned to the hotel to get ready to attend Alicia Keys' performance at the Mawazine Festival.
At 8:30pm, we packed into a duo of shuttle busses and drove to the venue. Apparently, part of the royal family was arriving at the same time as our group, and security was intense. We were led backstage and taken to an area where we could stand and watch a rear projection image of the stage. We arrived just in time for the final few songs of Alicia’s opening act, her background singer Jermaine Paul. Unfortunately, the audio backstage was less than ideal, and it was difficult to hear Jermaine, but the audience out front seemed to enjoy his performance. Once Jermaine left the stage, we were led out into the crowd, however, most of us stopped short of the designated area, preferring to have the option of returning backstage. Alicia came on stage and sang a series of lively songs from her latest release, as well as some inventive arrangements of her hits. Most of us stayed in the crowd watching the show for about 30 minutes before returning backstage to watch the remainder of her performance on the rear projection screens. I, for one, am not a crowd person. I love performing for a crowd, but do not enjoy standing in a crowd. Probably because I’m at a slight disadvantage given my small stature. I can never see anything! Lol









I’d seen Alicia perform once before several years ago. I’ve always been a fan of her music, but more than anything else, I’m grateful for the impact she has made on music education, especially on little girls. She is such a wonderful inspiration for girls to learn to play piano and sing. This time in concert, she was again impressive. She has a great connection with the audience and sings with wonderful expression. I had a great time!

After the concert, we were whisked away to a Roman castle high on a hill for a VIP after party. The lighting, décor, and landscape of the castle was fully romantic and beautiful, and inside the main party area, was filled with all manner of Moroccan delicacies. While at the party, I met the Somalia born artist K’Naan and his band, all lovely fellows, whose show I wasn’t able to attend. Since our show is tomorrow night, we all ate food, and called it a night by 2am, early by Wonder-time standards!