Thursday, January 6, 2011
Harriet Wingreen
Last week I wrote about the New York Philharmonic's New Year's Eve concert. I have learned that the celesta player whose name I did not know at the time was Harriet Wingreen. You can read about her on their web site. There is a wonderful picture of her hands in her biographical sketch.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Roundup in Denver
January 19th - there is still time to register. Ed Tuccio and Dee Muma will probably be there for the 16th annual NBA Winter Conference at the Denver Renaissance Hotel. That's the National Bison Association whose mission is to bring together stakeholders to create a sustainable future for the bison industry. Tuccio and Muma will fly in from their ranch where they manage a herd of 300 bison. He will miss his local Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards Party which is scheduled for the same weekend in Riverhead, Long Island, New York. Tuccio runs a successful business in Riverhead, Tweed's Restaurant and Buffalo Bar which he supplies with his own locally raised bison.
Defenders of Wildlife might be there too. Their mission: save imperiled wildlife. Their Bison Fact Sheet urges me to "Adopt to Save a Bison".
How to make sense of the status of bison? The facts are well known. From their historical population level of 20 - 30 million, bison were hunted to the brink of extinction by the end of the 19th century. They regained a foothold in the 20th century, first on public lands in conservation programs. Their numbers began to increase when private ranchers entered production and restaurants put bison on the menu. Consumers became partners in restoring North American herds.
The economics are compelling. If Defenders are right and the conservation solution for "wild animals" must be financed by "adoptions", one animal at a time, I predict only modest success. The marketplace has scale on its side. Bison as livestock stand a good chance of sustainable survival. Should be a good conversation around the dinner table.
Defenders of Wildlife might be there too. Their mission: save imperiled wildlife. Their Bison Fact Sheet urges me to "Adopt to Save a Bison".
How to make sense of the status of bison? The facts are well known. From their historical population level of 20 - 30 million, bison were hunted to the brink of extinction by the end of the 19th century. They regained a foothold in the 20th century, first on public lands in conservation programs. Their numbers began to increase when private ranchers entered production and restaurants put bison on the menu. Consumers became partners in restoring North American herds.
The economics are compelling. If Defenders are right and the conservation solution for "wild animals" must be financed by "adoptions", one animal at a time, I predict only modest success. The marketplace has scale on its side. Bison as livestock stand a good chance of sustainable survival. Should be a good conversation around the dinner table.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Living Treasures
What did the New Year's Eve PBS broadcast "live From Lincoln Center" and the New Year's Day Outback Bowl have in common? Stumped?
Live from Lincoln Center featured the New York Philharmonic playing an all Tchaikovsky concert. The program included an energetic performance of the Second Act of the Nutcracker. As the television camera panned the stage it was clear that the orchestra.included someone special. Tchaikovsky's popular score was written at the end of his life, in the same decade that the celesta was invented. The celesta is like a piano crossed with a wind chime and Tchaikovsky made it the sound of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Last night the instrument was played by an 86 year old woman. I have not been able to discover her name.
Today, the Penn State Nittany Lions played the Florida Gators in the Outback Bowl. On the sidelines, as he has been for 61 years was 83 year old Coach Joe Paterno.
In 1950, the Government of Japan began to designate certain individuals who embody intangible national cultural values as living human treasures. Coach Paterno and the celesta player are surely such treasures - pursuing their passion in their ninth decade. They personify the pioneering determination that settled the West and went to the moon. I was lucky to see both performances.
Live from Lincoln Center featured the New York Philharmonic playing an all Tchaikovsky concert. The program included an energetic performance of the Second Act of the Nutcracker. As the television camera panned the stage it was clear that the orchestra.included someone special. Tchaikovsky's popular score was written at the end of his life, in the same decade that the celesta was invented. The celesta is like a piano crossed with a wind chime and Tchaikovsky made it the sound of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Last night the instrument was played by an 86 year old woman. I have not been able to discover her name.
Today, the Penn State Nittany Lions played the Florida Gators in the Outback Bowl. On the sidelines, as he has been for 61 years was 83 year old Coach Joe Paterno.
In 1950, the Government of Japan began to designate certain individuals who embody intangible national cultural values as living human treasures. Coach Paterno and the celesta player are surely such treasures - pursuing their passion in their ninth decade. They personify the pioneering determination that settled the West and went to the moon. I was lucky to see both performances.
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