Busy Weekend....

 

I was lucky to have been invited to the season opening performance of the Phoenix Symphony on Saturday evening.  I snapped a quick photo of our new conductor Paolo Bortolameolli and the guest pianist, Olga Kern taking a bow after she played a Rachmaninoff concerto brilliantly.  Of course she was accompanied brilliantly by our wonderful symphony orchestra.

On Sunday morning I went for a walk at the Desert Botanical Garden to see the new exhibit that opened this weekend.  It's called Super Bloom and it features these wonderful displays of all kinds of flowers blooming all over the garden.  I'll have more about this exhibit in the next few days.  I took a lot of photos and they still need a bit of editing.

The "art season" has arrived with all kinds of things on the upcoming schedule!

Night View

 

When I was in downtown Phoenix for the opera a couple of weeks ago, I snapped a few night shots.  The blue glow at the top of the Hyatt Regency caught my eye.

Also catching my eye was the sheer size of the Sheraton hotel.  

Both hotels were sort of looming over where I was standing.  They were in opposite directions so I had tall buildings on either side of me.

"A (Gentle) Parody of Operatic Proportions"

 

Last Saturday evening I attended the season opening performance of the Arizona Opera's 55th season.  The opera presented was "Scalia/Ginsburg" and it told a story of the friendship between two Supreme Court Justices who were always on the opposite side of any decision.  They became great friends in spite of their differences on legal opinions and their friendship revolved around a love of opera.  It seems perfect that two of them would be remembered in a medium they both cherished. 

The opera is short by most operatic standards and full of humor and inspiration.  It emphasized the importance of building relationships across idealogical divides.  The photo above was taken when the cast was taking their bows at the end of the performance.  The opera is done with only three actors, Ben Werley playing Scalia, Rachel Policar playing Ginsburg and Jesus Vicente Murillo playing a Commentator.  They were all superb.  

Above is a photo of the stage that I took before the opera began.  Only three characters and simple staging combined with great music and lots inspiration softened with a bit of whimsy make this a perfect production for all to enjoy. 

The opera was written by Derrick Wang, a lawyer who specializes in music and the law.  He is a graduate of Harvard and Yale and he currently instructs STEM, humanities, and Peabody Conservatory students at the The John Hopkins University.

Downtown Phoenix

 

I was in downtown Phoenix for the symphony last Saturday evening.  I happened to exit symphony hall on the opposite side of the building and I snapped these two photos along the way.  

To the left is that great sculpture that sits in the lobby of the convention center and just outside symphony hall.  I've featured this sculpture before.  It's by Louise Bourgeois and is called "Art is a Guaranty of Sanity".  

Above is a photo taken from across the street and you can see this sculpture through the windows.  To the left, right behind that vine covered wall is the little garden outside symphony hall where I took this photo earlier this year.

There are lots of patterns included in the architecture of the convention center.  It makes for great photo ops.  

Weekend Roundup

 

I was in downtown Phoenix Saturday evening to attend a symphony performance and this group of demonstrators were marching in front of symphony hall when we arrived.  They were part of a hospitality workers strike from the Hyatt Hotel across the street.  

Earlier in the day, I spotted another lovely hibiscus blooming on the complex grounds.  I can never resist a hibiscus photo.

Speaking of which, I had dinner at a friend's house Sunday evening and she has a beautiful multi-colored hibiscus plant in her garden.  It is one hybrid plant that produces three different color blooms, red, yellow and pink.

This yellow one was the first to catch my eye.

On the other side of the plant I found a pink one.  Such pretty blooms!

Weekend Recap

 

This last weekend was a busy one for me with that Desert Botanical Garden brunch that I posted about on Saturday morning which was followed by dinner downtown and the symphony that evening.  

Standing on the front patio of Symphony Hall, I snapped this photo of a residential building that looms one block away.  You also can see our Art Deco styled street lamps that can be seen all over downtown.

On Sunday I met friends for lunch at the Phoenix Art Museum before we went to a play at The Phoenix Theatre which is right next door.

I snapped this photo of an ikebana arrangement in the Asian gallery as I passed through to the restaurant.

The play we saw was "Come From Away" which I had seen before several years ago with a broadway cast.  This was a local production and it was every bit as good as the broadway one. 

The play is about the 7,000 people that were stranded in the town of Gander in Newfoundland on 9/11.  It's a heartwarming account of people coming together to help each other in a time of crisis.  It's a great story told in a fun way with humor and heart.

You can read a full synopsis here.

Night at the Opera

 

I was in downtown Phoenix Saturday evening for the season opening performance of the Arizona Opera Company.  They did a wonderful job with "Madam Butterfly", a classic opera with an inevitable dramatically sad ending.  At intermission I stepped out onto the Symphony Hall patio where there is a great view of some of the Phoenix Convention Center buildings all lit up at night.  My Uber driver told me that there are two very large conferences starting this week in downtown Phoenix so I'm guessing this area will be hopping with activity.

Facing the other way, I saw one of the Symphony Hall chandeliers framed perfectly in that tall, narrow window.

Here's what they look like inside the hall.  

Breakfast Spot

 

Breakfast restaurants are showing up all over town.  I saw this one on Roosevelt Row when I was there Saturday night and I loved the name and logo.

It wasn't open at the time I took the photos but checking their online site, it looks like they serve the standard fare of pancakes, waffles and eggs and bacon.  

That is such a busy street so I'm betting they do a good business. 

Big City Looks

 

I met my friends David and Riley for dinner Saturday night at a new place in downtown Phoenix that we hadn't tried before.  It is located on Roosevelt Row, that very trendy arts district in downtown.  Standing just outside the restaurant, I was struck by the 'big city' look of all the tall buildings lit up at night.  That combined with the very busy traffic and the crowds of people walking in the area made Phoenix feel like a big city indeed.

After dinner we walked along Roosevelt Row and admired all the new bars and restaurants that have cropped up recently.  We picked a few that we need to try sometime soon.

Phoenix is a big city of course, but it is mostly composed of a vast urban sprawl.  It feels quite different when you are in an area of high density for both residents and businesses.  I like that feeling.

The Phoenix Symphony Gala

 I was treated to an evening of music and friends on Saturday night.  It was The Phoenix Symphony Gala and my friend Julie was the co-chair of the event.  She invited me and other friends to join her at her table.  Before the gala dinner, we saw the symphony perform the music of Danny Elfman.

And then, Danny Elfman himself came out to sing a few of his songs from some of those famous Tim Burton movies.

My friend Julie snapped the photo to the left.

After the performance, everyone walked across the street to the Hyatt Hotel for the festive dinner.  I snapped this photo of our table just as a red spotlight swung by and made that candelabra centerpiece glow.  

I think I had only seen one of the movies featured in the concert but the music played by our symphony members was so good I enjoyed it all.  I wish I could share a video of the pixie-like violinist who performed one of the songs.  Her name is Sandy Cameron and she was fabulous.  Check the link to her bio and you can see a photo of her leaping into the air with her violin.

Zorro!

 

It was the first opera of the season on Saturday night and my friends and I enjoyed a brand new opera called "Zorro".  It was about that historic, sword-wielding, masked man of legends.  It was an excellent opera and production.  I was riveted to the words and music.  

Some audience members really got into the spirit of the night!

Abstract Sculpture

 

I have wanted to get a photo of this sculpture for many years and finally had a chance when I was stopped at a traffic light on the corner of 7th Street and Washington.  That happens to be a very busy intersection with no parking on either street.  In order to get close on foot, I'd have to park a very long distance away.  

On this occasion, I happened to be first in a line of cars at the intersection with a perfect view of the sculpture.  So I rolled down the window, grabbed the camera and took the shot.

This sculpture is called "Parabolic Spiral" and was created by Sam Sutton.  He has another sculpture further up 7th street but it is also in a location difficult to get to.  One of these days I'll get an opportunity to photograph it too.  

Decorated Palm Trees

 

Here is another odd thing I found on that Sunday drive around town.  I saw a house surrounded by palm trees and a block wall and each of the palm trees was decorated in some way. I might add, the wall was decorated too.

As you can see, the tree that I got out of the car to photograph was still very much alive.  The two next to it look like they've had their heads chopped off.

I couldn't find any reason for all the decorations.  It must just be a random art project.

Something New

 

Just a block away from the main library on Central Avenue I discovered these brand new apartments.  Two buildings on either side of the street with a bridge to connect the two.  Such an unusual feature for the Phoenix area.  It caught my eye immediately.  

Civic Duty

 

I received a jury duty summons three weeks ago and the day finally arrived earlier this week.  I was required to appear at the Maricopa County Superior Court building on Tuesday.  

I did several posts about this building back when it was under construction in 2010.  You can see one of those posts from 2011 here.  I posted a photo again in 2012 when the building was dedicated. 

This is one of the photos I used in the collage in the that 2011 post.  You can see the way the copper siding on this building has changed color.  It was so shiny when it was new and elements have changed that patina completely.  

So, over 10 years later, I finally got to see the inside of this building.  I was there for about two and a half hours but in the end, they didn't need me for a jury trial after all.

Butterfly Decorations

 

When I was downtown last weekend I took a short cut through the lobby of the Renaissance Hotel and I spotted the pretty butterfly artwork in the photo above.  I like it.  It's very colorful.  

Not far away was a framed print of a "butterfly dress".  

Butterflies appeared to be the theme in this narrow passageway.  

Downtown Phoenix Activity

 

I was in downtown Phoenix on Sunday afternoon and noticed a lot of building activity going on.  There appears to be a new high-rise building goin up on a small lot that had been used for parking for many years.  Judging from the height of that crane, it's going to be a very tall building.

It's a shame it's going to block the great reflections in that building in the middle.

I also noticed some new street lights.  They are more decorative than what I remember.

The Blonde With A Cigar

 

I found this mural inside an Italian restaurant in downtown Phoenix.  It's clear to see that this is a woman with her hair in rollers and smoking a cigar.  What is not so clear is why.  Maybe it's just a conversation piece.  

I couldn't see an artist's name.

Taking part in Monday Murals.  

Twirling Skirts

 

I was in downtown Phoenix last Friday for another performance of the Phoenix Symphony.  Walking to Symphony Hall, I saw that there was some kind of Mexican festival going on right across the street.  They had food vendors out and this group of women were dancing to some lively music.

I snapped a couple of quick shots and captured the blur of those colorful skirts twirling around. 

Busy, Busy Weekend

 

This last weekend was a busy one for me.  On Friday I attended the annual dinner for Habitat for Humanity at the Arizona Biltmore.  You can see above the crowds of people bidding on the many silent auction items.  I donated two framed photos for the auction and you can see one of them in this photo.

On Saturday evening I went to the Symphony Hall for another performance of the Phoenix Symphony.  I was able to catch a photo of the whole orchestra on stage while they waited for the guest pianist to appear. It was another excellent performance by our wonderful symphony.

Just before the symphony my friends and I had dinner at new downtown restaurant called Pa'La.  They cook everything they prepare in a wood burning oven.  We tried several dishes and all of them were delicious.  It's great to find another eating option close to Symphony Hall.

On Sunday afternoon, I attended a smaller musical performance put on by the Arizona Bach Festival.  Their mission is to bring the finest in Baroque music to Arizona.  They did Vivaldi's Four Seasons, one of my all time favorites and they were fantastic.  They performed in a church with surprisingly good acoustics.  It was a busy weekend but I loved every minute of it.