Sunday, June 12, 2016

Social media diet

Ah...
That felt so good.
A whole week without social media.

Last week, when I landed in Los Angeles, I decided that I needed a break from social media, and to spend more time connecting with people in real life.  I spent time with my loved ones, went to a few parties, played piano, and enjoyed my life.

I'm always trying to find ways to live in excellence and be as healthy as possible. In that effort, I subscribe to a variety of podcasts and newsletters (Tim Ferriss and Marie Forleo are two of my favorite). Recently, I listened to Tim talk about how he takes a 4 week break from being online on occasion. I can't really afford to do that at this point, but I took 9 days off.

Let me tell you!! It was so refreshing!  I did check my job related email messages, but that's it. No posting, no surfing, no commenting. Just real life. I highly recommend it.
 
Time to fly again.
Finally heading back to Europe.
Up and away.


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Monday, January 04, 2016

Reminiscence / Resolution


Happy New Year! Like everyone, I had ups and downs in 2015, but overall it was a very good year: I successfully completed a fundraising campaign, finished my first album, made my first music video, completed my first house concert tour, a great CD Release Concert (nearly sold out!), found a wonderfully lovely partner, experienced improved health and wealth, and continued beautiful relationships with friends and family.  I (finally) got furniture - including a dining table and chairs!  No more living like a monk, eating meals on the floor while sitting on a yoga mat! I guess it's time to start throwing dinner parties!! Yay!!

In 2015, several of my friends lost a parent (Jeannine, Zoe, Ashling, Cynthia, the Birchers, among others), bringing to mind the mortality of my own parents.  I try to be grateful for them, as well as my extended family and friends, everyday.

After so many years of fabulous touring and television, I'm back to the world of the hustling artist (no fabulous, celebrity based gig at the moment), but for the first time I'm promoting myself as a recording and performing artist in my own right, booking my own gigs!  It's a major evolution for me.  It's not easy, but is definitely and incredibly thrilling!  Having an audience sing my song along with me? Priceless...

I wish you all a most beautiful, prosperous, healthy, happy and purposeful 2016!  May all your dreams come true, may your best efforts come to fruition, may your life be an example of love, light and joy.  Let there be peace on Earth...


RESOLUTION

I'm a perfectionistic, workaholic.  I don't have any vices (seriously...ask anyone who knows me), or typical, run-of-the-mill bad habits. Given my inclinations, I think the most useful resolution for me is to plan to take a real vacation in 2016.  I observe my friends and family members with "real jobs" as they talk about their annual vacations and weekends away, but never, and I mean never, make plans for myself to purposefully relax.

So, I resolve that in 2016, I will make a conscious effort to not be a non-stop work machine, and to actually plan a real vacation (at least 7 days away from work - yikes!!!) sometime before October 2016.

What's your resolution?


UPCOMING EVENTS
VT Trio @ California Jazz Conservatory - January 9
The Musical Life Workshop @ California Jazz Conservatory - January 10

Host a HOUSE CONCERT!  There is no cost to you!.  Yep, it's FREE to hosts. I show up at your home (or wherever you want to host) with all of my music equipment and perform for your invited guests.  It's Easy and Fun!  Contact me for more details: victoria@victoriatheodore.com
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Monday, December 21, 2015

Happy Holidays!! Bay Area Performance, Workshop & Lessons

Hello my dear friends!  I hope you're having a lovely holiday season!  I've had a great year (as you know), and I look forward to making 2016 an even better year.  I know that I've been sending you lots of email messages in my attempt to promote my album and shows...and I do appreciate all of the love and support you've given me.  Thank you sooo much!  I'm grateful...

I wish you all a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!!

Love,

Victoria

Listen to "Going Home For Christmas" by @dave_tweedie
Check it out and share it!!
Merry Christmas!
Music, art, education, prosperity, well-being, compassion, peace, joy and love!
PERFORMANCES
Victoria Theodore at the California Jazz Conservatory (AKA The Jazz School in Berkeley)
Saturday, January 9, 8-10pm
In honor of the venue, I'll be performing my more jazz oriented compositions and some jazz standards.  The always fabulous Daniel Parenti and Tommie Bradford will be rounding out the rhythm section with me.
2087 Addison St.
Berkeley CA 94704
Tickets $15
Check my website for all of the performances that are coming up!
WORKSHOPS
The Musical Life: Bay Area Session
Sunday, January 10, Registration 10:30am; Workshop 11am-4pm
I'm offering a workshop at Piedmont Piano!  The workshop will focused on what it takes to prepare for life as a musician, how to win an audition, and how to sustain a career in music.  All levels and instruments are welcome!  There is only space for a few participants, so sign up today!
2087 Addison St.
Berkeley CA 94704
LESSONS
Check out the available lesson times and book a session with me ASAP.  There are only 2 days listed as available at the moment, so don't delay!  I'd love to work with you and offer my support in your musical pursuits.
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Thursday, November 19, 2015

Yoshi's December 1, 2015 - Dave Tweedie

My Grateful CD Release Concert is December 1!!  I hope you have your tickets!
I've got an incredible band!  Today I feature:

Dave Tweedie, drummer

See you at Yoshi's on December 1, 2015 at 8pm!


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Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Yoshi's December 1, 2015 - Tommie Bradford

Hello friends!

My CD Release concert is coming up soon! I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to celebrate my debut album at Yoshi's in Oakland.  Please buy your tickets and come celebrate with me!

I've got several amazing musicians performing with me.  Over the next couple of weeks, I'll feature each of them in my blog.

Tommie Bradford, drummer

Tommie Bradford, Jr. was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. His earliest experience playing drums was in the church. Many years of performing as a full time professional musician has contributed to Tommy’s distinctive soulful and funky groove (his nickname is "Skunky"), stylistic versatility and artistic soloing ability.

Tommie has toured, recorded and/or performed with Santana, Whitney Houston, guitarist Neal Schon, songwriter Jonathan Cain, keyboardist Rodney Franklin,Toni Tony Tone, Braxton Brothers, and vocalist Ledisi, to name a few. He has also performed with the American Idol Christmas Tour and has appeared on BET On Jazz as well as recording for many movie sound tracks.


See you at Yoshi's on December 1, 2015 at 8pm!
Remember to share my show with your friends using the hashtag
for a chance to win 2 free VIP tickets and a ‪#‎GratefulBundle‬ (CD, T-Shirt, Calendar, etc). One winner is chosen at random and announced the morning of December 1.
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Monday, February 02, 2015

February Performances

At long last, I'm starting to perform as an artist in Los Angeles!  For many years, I've been a support player, but now it's time to step out front and share my music with Southern California!  Yay!

First, I'm doing 1-2 songs at a Grammy® party this Friday:

The Soirée LA
The Foundation Room @ House of Blues
8430 West Sunset Boulevard
West Hollywood, CA 90069

But next week is an entire set with my fellow Bay Area native, Destani Wolf.  Destani is a fantastic singer/songwriter, with a new EP of her own, "Peek Away".  We're doing original material as well as cover songs that we love.  Check out this short clip from a rehearsal:

DW & VT rehearsal

We'll be performing at Genghis Cohen on Thursday, February 12, 2015 at 8pm.  Please stay and say hello after the show!  We're just doing one set, so don't be late!!
DWVTGC
Genghis Cohen
740 N. Fairfax Ave.
Los Angeles, California 90046
(323) 653-0640
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Friday, January 30, 2015

Learning balance...

I've been a workaholic my entire life. I practice 5-8 hours per day (when I don't have a "real" job), I handle all of my administrative tasks, run my social media, respond to as much email as I can tolerate before going crazy, I edit my videos, I run my fundraising campaign, I write essays, am taking an online super-learner course (so I can become a speed reader and get more things done faster!), am studying 5 languages, practice yoga, cook most of my meals, take photos of and blog about said meals, etc.

I often find myself saying "oh, I'll just do this one last thing so I have more time for the other things tomorrow", and then the same thing happens the next day. And the next. And the next. I haven't been to a movie in months. I never go see plays, or dance performances, or visit art galleries. I never go dancing, and I LOOOOOVE dancing. I hardly ever get to go hear the fabulous musician friends I know and love. All I do is work.

Granted, I made the choice to walk away from a likely more stable career as a compute engineer and from a PhD program to be a composer and performer, but this is ridiculous. I have so many movies on my DVR, it'll take me 3 years to watch them all...at least at my slow pace! I've got a stack of books that remain unread next to my bed.

My last vacation was 2011 - and that only happened because Stevie had a gig in Brazil and I took advantage of being there. Why can't I just relax?? So, my new rule is: no work after 9pm unless I'm at a gig. My old habits are deeply entrenched, but my desire for a level of human normalcy is strong too.

‪#‎EverybodyNeedsTimeOff‬
‪#‎BooksMoviesArtPetsPeopleLife‬

Join me:
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Monday, July 07, 2014

Some big news coming...

Stay tuned : >
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Wednesday, April 02, 2014

April brings more than showers...

I read an email message today.  It was from one of my friends, saying that for the first time, she saw a video that I'd made.  The video was of my niece, laying in a hospital bed, smiling and chatting.  I made the video because I was elated.  And in shock.  You see, this video was made only days after she nearly died - because she had been misdiagnosed for months.  She was 3 years old.

8 years ago, this month, my precious niece was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Through several close calls, over 2 years of chemotherapy, with complete hair loss, body bloat, excruciating pain and needing to live at Ronald McDonald house for 8 months, she fought for her life, along with the staff at Stanford's Lucile Packard Children's Hospital.  For her courage, determination, and fearlessness, she became a hero to us all.

Today she's a healthy, happy 11 year old, with more hair than anyone I know.  She doesn't like to talk about cancer, and for her sake, I resist talking about it to anyone she knows.  It's her story to share with her friends, if she so chooses.

In responding to the message from my friend, I watched a couple of videos again, for the first time in years.  Now, I find myself in tears of joy for her survival and the fact that both she and her big brother (God bless him for being such a wonderful support and source of love for her, despite his only being 2 years older) are thriving.  It was a very difficult, and terrifying time for my family.  But we made it!  I'm simply overwhelmed with gratitude...

Thank you...
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Friday, March 07, 2014

Prince takeover

It's been a while since I've written anything in my blog, but this experience requires that I spend a few moments ruminating on the day's events.

Prince took over the Arsenio Hall Show this week!  The show aired on Wednesday, March 5, 2014.

I arrived at work 45 minutes early so that I could program my keyboards, and already, the excitement in the air was palpable.  Purple was everywhere.  Musicians were everywhere.  Fans (meaning everyone in the building, from staff to security to crew to Posse 2.0 - I mean, who's NOT a Prince fan???) were everywhere.  I had been practicing keeping my calm for the previous several hours before arriving on set.  Didn't help.  I still reverted to being a 13 year screaming fan, at least on the inside.

You see, my very first concert was a Prince concert.  My father took me and my BFF and we lost our minds, passionate Prince fans that we were.  It was an amazing show, and left an indelible impression.

Fast forward to 2010, and Prince joins Stevie Wonder on stage at Stevie's concert in Paris, performing "Superstition" with the full band.  Sharing the stage with these two very important, influential, iconic artists was surreal, breathtaking, exciting, fun, and amazing and filled me with a tremendous sense of gratitude and joy.  I didn't get to meet Prince, but I was on stage with him!  WOW!!

Fast forward to this week, and Prince comes to the Arsenio Hall Show and puts on an absolutely fantastic performance, reveals more of his personality in the interview with Arsenio, and jokes around with the audience (all of which can be found on Arsenio's website).  Arsenio clearly made Prince feel at home, and as usual, conducted the interview in such a way that it felt more like eavesdropping on a couple of incredibly fascinating, good friends having a casual conversation - which it actually was.  Prince was articulate, charming and engaging.  He reminded all of us, yet again, why we all love him and his music, and that he is a musical genius.

Every musician in Prince's cadre was phenomenal (including 3RDEYEGIRL, Liv Warfield, NPG Horns, Cassandra O'Neal, @therealshelbyj), and they all inspired Posse 2.0 to play at our highest level (we were on fire...if I do say so myself...).  I was spellbound watching Prince and his musicians perform, and honored to finally meet him.  Genius.  Icon.  Inspiration to multiple generations of musicians.

Rock on, Prince!

Forever your fan...

For those who missed the show, check out these videos on ArsenioHall.com:

Prince and 3RDEYEGIRL light up the show with their performance of "She's Always In My Hair."

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Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

I wish you a happy Holiday Season, a very Merry and spectacularly amazing New Year!  May 2014 bring you and yours joy, peace, health and abundance.

2013 Recap

2013 has been an incredible year!  Many triumphs, some heartaches, but overall it was a good year:

    • January:
      • I performed at 2 Presidential Inauguration events with Stevie Wonder!
    • February:
      • I performed at a Super Bowl pre-game event with Stevie Wonder!  And then I went to the Super Bowl and watched the home team (49ers) nearly win!
      • Black History Month performance on KQED, starting at 36:43
      • I lost my beloved Grandmother Betty.  Rest in Peace, beautiful lady...
    • April
    • May
      • I auditioned for and was hired to play keys for Posse 2.0 on the Arsenio Hall Show! The toughest secret I've ever had to keep...
      • I performed at the Hangout Festival with Stevie Wonder
    • July
      • I performed in Quebec with Stevie Wonder, and finally revealed my new job, with Stevie's blessing!
      • Yoshi's Concert of my original compositions!
      • Farewell party and jam session
    • August
      • Relocated to Los Angeles, to a friend's home
      • Started rehearsals with Posse 2.0
      • My last performance as a regular member of Stevie Wonder's band…a very emotional day for me...
    • September
      • 9/9/13 History in the making!  Arsenio Hall is back, and #backisbeautiful!
      • Posse 2.0 performs for the UN in New York!
    • October
      • Began working on my CD project at Spicemix!
    • November
    • December
      • Pacific Mozart Ensemble debuted my arrangement of the Negro Spiritual "Over My Head"!
      • Watched my first Stevie Wonder concert as a fan.  Nostalgic at first, but that quickly transformed into EUPHORIA! #bestconcertever
      • The Arsenio Hall Show completed it's first 13 week segment!  Ratings are up, everyone is getting in their groove, and we're ready to take on 2014!  Please keep watching and tell everyone you know to watch too!
    What an amazing year!  I'm humbled and honored to be living the life that I do.  I take none of it for granted, but wake up every morning with gratitude and determination to share the gifts I've been given.

     I am specifically grateful to:

    • Stevie Wonder, for believing in me and choosing me to be part of his team for 6 amazing years.  I am eternally grateful, and hope that I continue to make you proud in all that I do.  I love you forever...
    • Arsenio Hall, for inviting me to be part of his team in his triumphant return to television.  Thank you for giving me the best job on television and for being such a wonderful person and fantastic leader!
    • Robin DiMaggio, Rob Bacon, Alex Al, Sean Holt, AKA Posse 2.0, for adopting me as their "little sister", and making me proud every time we hit the stage.  It's an honor to perform with each one of you.  You are THE BEST!
    • Everyone in Stevie Wonder's organization (band, staff, crew), and at the Arsenio Hall Show (staff, administration, crew) for creating the best work environment possible.  I cherish you all!

    And I thank YOU for the love, support, encouragement and friendship that you've shared with me this year.  Let's all make 2014 the best year yet!  Carpe diem…

    PS
    I'm switching to a new mailing list format soon and will no longer be sending messages the way I have for the past several years..  Please visit my website and join officially join my mailing list!  And please follow me on various social networking platforms.

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    Sunday, December 15, 2013

    Beyoncé

    Since no one is paying me to write reviews of people's records, I'm a Beyoncé fan.  So, this is my 2 minute review of Beyoncé's  new album.  Timer set...go!

    The woman is brilliant.  Yes, the images are more provocative than my conservative taste prefers, but I appreciate how she embraces feminine sexuality and power.  I have questions about the decision to have such a huge slant toward objectification of female body parts (particularly her booty), after all, we NEVER see male artists of her caliber showing off their near nude bodies in this way (even when they actually are extremely beautiful men).  But overall, it's a work of art.  I could say more, but running out of time...

    I was overwhelmed by the videos, so I need to keep listening to the music to gauge my opinion of it.

    Favorite song, no question, is "Flawless".  It's bringing out the Oakland girl in me.  "I woke up like this..."

    Second favorite, "Grown Woman".  So far anyway.

    Favorite video is "Ghost".  Stunning.

    I also loved the videos for "Grown Woman", "Blue", the dancers in "Mine".

    I'm a fan.  I'd still prefer less focus on her booty...but again, I'm conservative.

    Times up!
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    Saturday, November 30, 2013

    Happy Thanksgiving

    Hello friends!

    Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope you enjoyed a most beautiful holiday.  My holiday had some challenges, but overall left me in a state of gratitude.  Therefore, it was a blessing!

    It's been a while since I've sent a message or written a blog.  I've been quite busy and have experienced a few major life changes/challenges (personal and business), but I'm adjusting well to my new job, new city and new life.

    For those who don't know (I'm sure a few of you exist), I started performing nightly on the Arsenio Hall Show as part of the Posse 2.0, beginning September 9, 2013.  In order to take the new job, I had to move to Los Angeles.  At first I was living with friends, and I've just recently moved into my own apartment, relatively close to work.  So close, that I don't have a commute!!  A simple miracle in Los Angeles!

    I love the job, and the opportunity for further musical growth that it affords me.  I've been practicing, composing and singing more than ever, and having a great time!  Arsenio Hall is such an awesome person, as are all of the guys in the Posse 2.0 band (Music Director, Robin DiMaggio, Bassist Alex Al, Guitarist Rob "Fonksta" Bacon, Multi-Instrumentalist/Singer Sean Holt).  They all treat me with the utmost respect, and have created a very friendly, safe, close-knit environment.  I couldn't have asked for more.  Please keep watching the show!  And tell your friends!  I want to keep my job for as long as possible!

     Of course, I do miss touring with Stevie (and all of my friends from his band), but after all of the amazing experiences I've had around the world playing the music of and sharing the stage with one of the greatest musical minds of all time, I can only smile and be grateful for every minute.  I will be grateful to Stevie Wonder for the rest of my life.  Truly.

    As for composing, last year, I received an email message from Dr. Lynne Morrow, the Music Director of the Pacific Mozart Ensemble, seeking new arrangements of Spirituals for the group's tour of Cuba.  I immediately began arranging, but didn't finish in time for their trip.  When I eventually finished the arrangement (of the Spiritual "Over My Head"), I emailed it to Dr. Morrow, and she selected it for their 2013 Winter Concerts!  My first choral arrangement (since high school) will receive it's debut performance on the following dates:

    Friday, December 13,  2013
    7:30pm
    1187 Franklin Street
    San Francisco
    Buy Tickets

    Saturday, December 14, 2013
    7:00pm
    2727 College Ave. Berkeley

    I hope you can make it to at least one of the concerts.  I'll be attending the show on December 14.

    Happy Holidays to you and yours!


    Blessings & Music,


    Victoria



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    Music, art, education, prosperity, well-being, compassion, gratitude, peace, joy and love!
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