Announcing that Synchronized Chaos Magazine now has a Facebook group and a blog to announce literary, cultural, artistic and human-rights and freedom of speech-related events going on in particular places. So there’s now a place to go to find out about, say, something in Chicago or Paris or Castro Valley that might be interesting, and to post announcements of events in your area.
The Facebook group is also a writers’ workshop where people may post pieces for virtual feedback, and events will be posted in the ‘Recent News’ section. If you’re interested in local events going on in your area or in getting feedback on your work before submitting it to Synchronized Chaos, please do read and comment on the blog/Facebook group.
We encourage anyone and everyone to join the free Facebook group and read the blog (no registration required for the blog.) This way we can keep the magazine for articles, interviews, professional and charitable calls for submissions, professional training opportunities, and of course, everyone’s work!
First of all, this coming week the Women’s Ministry of Neighborhood Church invites all women, regardless of faith or church affiliation, to a free celebration of Chocolate, Coffee, and the Arts. The event, part of their Summer Nights Out with Women (SNOW) series, takes place at 7pm Thursday July 23rd in D-3, a large upstairs meeting room at the Neighborhood Church of Castro Valley (up the hill at 20600 John Drive, people will happily direct you to D3 or you may call 510-537-4690.) Local artists, writers, designers will host participatory workshops teaching others the fundamentals of their craft in a fun, low-stress setting…and there will be a chocolate fountain, gourmet coffees and snacks. I know most of our readers live thousands of miles from Castro Valley – but this type of event could be replicated elsewhere to celebrate local artists…and we at Synchronized Chaos acknowledge this effort at bringing artists of different disciplines together for mutual education and networking and outreach.
Synchronized Chaos takes the opportunity to pass on information and an invitation to enter the International Songwriting Competition – Festival 4 Stars!
From the organizer, Julia Brunton, and publicist Deana Burke:
Now in its 5th year, Festival 4 Stars is a contest where everybody wins. Every entrant receives written feedback by a panel of music industry heavyweights. Meaning your song will get in front of the right people, even if you aren’t chosen as a finalist.You may learn more about the contest at the official website, Festival4Stars.com
Finalists compete for cash prizes and a trip to London to co-write with professional songwriters and producers.
This year Festival4Stars is delighted to welcome the great songwriter, Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees’ and John McLaughlin, famous songwriter, manager & BBC’s Fame Academy judge.
Festival 4 Stars accepts song entries in the following categories, pop/rock, singer/songwriter, country/folk, and r&b/soul/rap. It is open to anyone in the world with the stipulation being that the lyrics are in English. There is a small processing fee ($30) that gets fed back into the program to handle admin fees.
Northern California’s Public Art Academy hosts a professional training series for artists seeking their first public art commissions! Sessions discuss how to apply for a public art commission, concept development and schematic design, documents, contracts, and other legalities. For artists living or working in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties…six classroom sessions on Saturday mornings, three afternoon bus tours, held in different Bay Area cities close to public transit, led by leading public artists and administrators. $150 per student, limited to 50. Online applications due 11 am August 3rd, visit www.callforentry.org and view a prospectus at www.sanjoseculture.org
The Hawaii Writers’ Conference, one of the leading industry events, announces the Writing Channel, full of podcasts, streaming videos, audios, conference transcripts, a chance to learn from published authors including Wendy Wasserstein, Barbara Kingsolver, Stephen Coonts, Nicholas Sparks, etc. Available for less than $20 – HawaiiWritersConference.com
I don’t know about the networking opportunities available through the website…Synchronized Chaos is an attempt at free online networking to replicate that aspect of professional art and writing conferences. However, it seems to be at the very least a valuable educational resource…we’re putting the link out there for everyone. Also we’re working on providing more in the way of advice and professional instruction for writers ourselves…we’d love to speak with you if you’re interested in mentoring other writers or being interviewed for a regular column where published authors share advice on craft and business.
Documentary on Burma’s Saffron Revolution – the 2007 national uprising against a fascist government, led by Buddhist monks and ordinary people. Opens this week in the San Francisco Bay Area, check your local area for screenings and/or contact the filmmakers to request a showing.
Synchronized Chaos Magazine stands with writers and journalists everywhere persecuted for nonviolently carrying out their artistic or professional pursuits, and supports the production and showing of this film.
**International Documentary Film Festival 2008 (Amsterdam)** Joris Ivens Award
**One World Human Rights Film Festival (Prague)** Vaclav Havel Award
Amnesty International Award
This award-winning documentary shows a rare inside look into the 2007 uprising in Myanmar through the cameras of the independent journalist group, Democratic Voice of Burma.
In 2007, 100,000 monks took to the streets in Burma’s Saffron Revolution. The Democratic Voice of Burma, a collective of 30 anonymous and underground video journalists (VJs) recorded these historic and dramatic events on handycams and smuggled footage out of the country, where it was broadcast world-wide via satellite Risking torture and imprisonment, the VJs vividly document the brutal clashes with the military and undercover police– even after they themselves become targets of the authorities.
This film has received rave reviews and multiple awards. See never before seen footage of the Saffron Revolution.
1:40 pm, 3:40 pm, 5:40 pm, 7:40 pm, 9:40pmSF Landmark Lumiere July 17-23 (2:40 5:00) 7:20 9:35
1572 California Street at Polk San Francisco, CA 94109 (415) 267-4893
The Works Gallery in downtown San Jose hosts free interactive workshops this week, open to everyone and hosted by experienced artists. Works collaborates with artists of all types around Santa Clara County to feature and promote creative development through mentoring, shows, lectures, etc. http.www.workssanjose.org
Will keep everyone posted about future workshops in advance, as they plan to continue with the series in later months.
JOIN US AT WORKS FOR A WEEK OF FREE WORKSHOPS FOR ALL AGES! DROP IN AND DO ART! ALL KIDS AGES FROM 1-99 INVITED!
TUESDAY JULY 14, 2-4pm, Come paint with artist Brande Barrett!
WEDNESDAY JULY 15, 2-4pm, Create a ‘zine’ about yourself with Amy Anderson & Claire Tero!
THURSDAY JULY 16, 2-4pm, Experience sculpture with artist Alfred Preciado!
FRIDAY JULY 17, 2-4pm, Mixed Media art with artist Anne Taylor!
SATURDAY JULY 18, 10-2pm, Everything goes! Art tables, games and worshops to choose from!
QUESTIONS? Write Stephanie Battle, Gallery Coordinator at gallery@workssanjose.org or call (408)286-6800 or cellphone (520)245-7821!
IAC announces the KIAC Best of 2009 Songs Competition, a combination judged/voted open competition in 15 genres, plus a Songwriting “genre” for demo quality, with the Category winners moving on to an Overall competition, and featuring fabulous first, second, and third prizes in the Category competitions as well as the Overall.
Each Category contest will accept entries of songs deemed by the entrant to be appropriately placed. Songs may be entered in multiple Categories, and must be entered by persons possessing the relevant rights or specific permission. Songs must be available for judges and the general public to listen to during the entire competition period, on an artist page at IACmusic.com, with such pages to be either a page for the individual artist of the song, or for the management or label.
A Category contest will be held in the following Categories: Alternative, Alternative Pop Rock, Blues & Jazz, Classic and Retro Rock, Classical and Easy Listening, Country, Electronic/Industral/Ambient, Folk/Acoustic Rock/Americana, Hard Rock & Metal, Hip Hop/Rap/Dance, Pop, Punk/Emo/Ska, R&B/Soul, Rock, Songwriting, World. Cover songs may not be entered.
“Nice music, but everyone sang all at once.” “Hard to understand.” “They were the soap operas of their day.” “So terribly tragic!”
Many people have opinions about the opera, whether they attend performances or not.
The Pocket Opera company, founded in the sixties by Artistic Director Donald Pippin, strives to make the shows varied, fun, and accessible and thus expose more people to the art form. Originally presented in the Old Spaghetti Factory with wine and pasta, their operas range from old favorites (Madame Butterfly, La Boheme, Carmen) to formerly overlooked shows, sometimes translated and produced for the first time in the United States, but which still draw crowds.
“Every opera company brings their own approach to the same shows,” explained production manager Nicolas Aliaga. “We choose to bring the narrative storyline to the foreground by minimizing the sets and translating the entire piece into English.”
Translation involves constant choice and compromise when going from one language to another with different rhythms and root words. Internationally recognized for their abilities, the Pocket Opera’s translators work to balance literal meaning, syllabic count, alliteration, poetic allusion, and contextual background when bringing the lilting Italian lyrics down to their often shorter and rougher-sounding English equivalents. More about that process here: http://www.pocketopera.org/ “Turning Opera into English” under the Donald Pippin section.
The performances also offer an explanation of the storyline before each act, so that viewers may concentrate on the musical experience without simultaneously attempting to decipher plot. Singers can put more energy into the vowel sounds than the consonants, which, while enhancing musicality and melody, can make some words difficult to make out.
Pocket Opera also intentionally encourages creativity and resourcefulness among its performers. “We don’t rehearse on location,” Aliaga said. “And we put on shows in a variety of small theaters all over the Bay Area, so we have to adjust and figure out how to work with each new setting a few hours before each performance. Make sure everyone’s there, load all the props and sets out of our U-Haul, touch up anything that needs it with a glue gun.”
Performances come out of short periods of intense preparation. At the beginning of every season Pippin selects five operas, then holds auditions and begins rehearsals in January. This readies the company for its first public productions in February, which continue throughout July in San Francisco and outlying regions. To give an idea of the time frame, La Favorita involved 4-5 weeks of rehearsal, while Carmen required closer to seven.
The structure of the presentations showcases each participant’s talents, as normally there is one person on stage for each of an opera’s voice parts: one soprano, one alto, etc. Pocket Opera is also known in the opera world for sensitivity to its vocalists: the costumers work together with the singers to make sure the outfits allow performers to move freely enough to reach the highest and lowest notes of a piece. They attract a wide variety of singers – people fresh out of the conservatory looking for a break, people in the midst of successful operatic careers who don’t want to travel far from the Bay Area.
Located directly behind the singers, the orchestra contains eight instrumentalists without a conductor. Several of the company’s stalwarts multitask to perform music – even Pippin, who also plays piano in between managerial and directorial duties.
When asked about the future of Pocket Opera in these difficult times, Aliaga replied, “We keep attracting newer and younger people every year.” He explained that they offer a unique experience, and so far people continue to show interest. “Here people can afford tickets without getting stuck in the nosebleed section, and actually see the performance.”
Born in a barroom amid the clutter of dishes, nurtured on wine and pasta, the Bay Area’s Pocket Opera presents Carmen, the final show of this year, this July. You may visit them online and read about their history and approach to production here: http://www.pocketopera.org
Some more announcements and opportunities for our readers and contributors:
Heart and Soul, an organization of, by, and for those living with mental illness (http://www.heartandsoulinc.org/499.html), seeks people to write and briefly share their own stories – about themselves and their interests, how they cope, where they would like to go in life – during short presentations to a variety of civic groups. Participants earn $25 and a free dinner and the chance to network and help educate others about mental illness and discrimination. I do not know if there are any residency requirements or if you have to physically be present to speak or can have someone else read a piece you email in – but will ask if anyone is interested.
STAMP OUT STIGMA is currently looking for individuals who are willing to share their life story of struggle and hope with others as part of an SOS presentation. A stipend of $25.00 is offered to those who make a presentation and dinner is also included. If you’re interested please contact: Carmen Lee, (650) 343-8760. CarmenSOS@aol.com
The Pacific Environment group works to enhance treaties and laws creating and maintaining natural preserves in northern regions of the world: Siberia, Alaska, Canada, etc. They’re online at http://www.pacificenvironment.org and are hiring communications and development staff – including China and Russia program managers, development and fundraising people, and interns to manage their social media presence, who can work from home. If anyone is interested, please comment and we’d be happy to take a look at your writing and/or website and pass on a recommendation to contacts within the organization.
Note: Synchronized Chaos Magazine provides information on employment and exhibition/submission opportunities we come across which may interest our contributors. We offer this as a public service and to build community – and within reason we publicize all opportunities as we come across them. Synchronized Chaos Magazine itself takes no political/religious/cultural positions and does not necessarily endorse the work of any organization. Please let us know if you or anyone else you know is hiring or seeking people with skills similar to any of the Synchronized Chaos contributors (copywriting, media management, photography, etc.)
Finally, the folks from the Local Shopping Rewards TV show are producing a new sister show educating people about how best to enjoy and protect the natural environment and also providing job-search and employment information and affordable advertising for environmentally sustainable businesses. The show will feature all over the Bay Area in working-class, middle-class, and educated upper-class neighborhoods, and seeks to be interesting and informative to all types of people of all cultural backgrounds.
Please provide feedback to Kim Ryle, Community Relations/Marketing Director, concerning how to best shape the direction and style of this show! He’s reachable at kcryle@sbcglobal.net or 510-427-6935…and the upcoming show is intended as a sister show to http://www.localshoppingrewards.com
If you particpate and send him feedback, please comment and let us know – if you provide your email address we’ll send a short story as a free gift.
They would like to know your thoughts on any or all of a variety of questions:
What kind of content could have the greatest impact on the local economy?
Which large environmental or other organizations that many local people respect could donate to or underwrite the show?
What organizations can be considered for job information, resources, or inspiration?
Who are the stakeholders/participants in this effort and who should be consulted and involved no matter what to keep the show relevant?
Who could be featured on the show (at least semifamous, well-known people?)
What are some businesses or organizations who may want to sponsor the show?
Thanks very much for reading Synchronized Chaos Magazine!
