Here's is something seasonably early. Charlie Brown's Christmas music by Vince Guaraldi, was one of my first records I ever owned as a child. My friend Joe McDonald is now playing Charlie Brown Christmas music with his musical partners in Trio Pacifica.
Joe McDonald LOVES Charlie Brown Christmas Music!
Italian-American Christmas jazz music that is universally loved. What could be more multicultural than this?
Joe has played bagpipes for Gung Haggis Fat Choy Robbie Burns Chinese
New Year events since 2001, both at Chinese Restaurants and the
Vancouver Public Library for Gung Haggis World Poetry events.
Check out this Charlie Brown Christmas Music youtube video:
Vancouver Sun: Celtic Fest plumbs culture roots. Great preview story in Vancouver Sun, Thursday March 10th.
Todd Wong is hosting the Afro-Celtic Dance Party on March 18th, Friday at the Edgewater Casino. This is going to be a fantastic event as the performers are great. Imagine putting high energy jigs and reels together with hypnotic African drum rhythms.
I am really excited that African guitarist and singer Alpha Yaya Diallo is involved. He is going to be creating something wonderful with fiddler Stephanie Cadman and accordionist Amy Stephen. I have always loved Amy's accordion work with Mad Pudding and Jou Tou.
Here is the excerpt from the Celticfest program: AfroCeltic Dance Party March 18 at the Stadium Club at Edgewater Casino A night made for dancing! A
thrilling cross-cultural mash-up, as brilliant musicians and dancers
fuse the intoxicating grooves of Celtic and African music. It’s one
rhythm-filled night just made for dancing. If you caught the CelticSalsa
spirit in ’09, this is the show for you! Artists include Alpha Yaya Diallo, Amy Stephen, Boris Favre & Allan Dionne (formerly of Mad Pudding), Stephanie Cadman, Boris Sichon, African dancer N’Nato Camera, and powerhouse percussionist Yoro Noukoussi.
According
to this Vancouver Sun story, about Celticfest… I now play bagpipes???
NOT!!! But… for CelticFest, I am hosting the Afro-Celtic Dance Party
on March 18th (NOT the 19th as printed)…. And I do now play Scottish
& Irish tunes on my accordion with the Black Bear Rebels celtic
ceilidh ensemble
Vancouverites worth their wellies will recognize what comedian Hal
Roach was saying when he declared of his homeland: “You know it's summer
in Ireland when the rain gets warmer.” Apart from our strikingly
similar weather, there are plenty of connections between Canada's Wet
Coast and Ireland's Wet Everything, especially now that the economic
meltdown back home has many young Irish men and women seeking a new
future here.
The buildup to St. Patrick's Day in Vancouver used to
consist of circling March 17 on the calendar and wearing something
green that's clean and ready to spill a drink on. Since CelticFest
arrived in 2004, however, booze takes a back seat.
“We try to stay
away from the myth of Celtic festivals, that you have to drink and get
drunk,” says executive producer Rita Albano. “It's not about that, it's
much more about the culture, the traditions and the artistic component.”
Everything
is building toward the big weekend of March 19 and 20, just past
Paddy's Day, when two blocks of Granville Street will be closed to
traffic during the day and a Sunday parade unfolds along Howe Street.
But CelticFest Vancouver 2011 actually kicks off this Friday.
That's
when TV personality Fiona Forbes hosts the inaugural St. Patrick's Day
Luncheon, to be held in the Hotel Vancouver's historic Panorama Roof
Ballroom. The Ireland Fund of Canada sponsors this unique event, which
will see simulcast electronic links to similar luncheons in Toronto and
St. John's.
The next taste of festival events comes Tuesday when
the Colin Grant Band performs in a free lunchtime concert at Georgia and
Granville. Similar noonhour shows will take place all next week, and
the action spreads to places where you can indeed sing Whiskey in the
Jar with a whiskey in your hand: Ceili's Irish Pub, Doolin's Irish Pub
and Johnnie Fox's Irish Snug, all on and around Granville Street.
The
big day itself will be celebrated next Thursday night with what's
dubbed The World's Greatest St. Patrick's Day Céilidh. The Yale hosts
this traditional social gathering (pronounced KAY-lee), and a dozen
different performers, from Olympic opening ceremony fiddler Daniel Lapp
to Juno-winning fiddler Shona Le Mottée, will offer jigs, airs, reels,
polkas, ballads and singalongs.
Since founding CelticFest in 2004,
Albano has constantly sought new avenues to explore. The AfroCeltic
Dance party on Friday, March 19, certainly fits the bill.
“Basically
we're creating a night made for dancing,” she says. “It's going to be
amazing -imagine a step-dancer and an African dancer, playing to boran
[Irish drum] and African percussion.”
Juno-winning West African
guitarist and singer Alpha Yaya Diallo will be joined by Irish and
African dancers and musicians. In keeping with the multicultural nature
of CelticFest, the show will be hosted by Todd Wong who, when wearing
his kilt and playing the bagpipes, is better known as Toddish McWong.
The annual St. Patrick's Day
parade takes place on Sunday March 20th. Take in events before and
after the parade. As usual, we will have a Gung Haggis Fat Choy parade
entry… past years have seen us put dragon boats on trailers into the
festival. 2 years ago we had a 5 person Chinese dragon boat walking
with the Gung Haggis Pipes & Drums during a snow storm.
Seattle Met magazine features a story about Toddish McWong and Gung Haggis Fat Choy Dinner in Seattle!
Check out this story in the Seattle Met magazine, about Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner history, Toddish McWong origins and the upcoming Gung Haggis Fat Choy Robbie Burns Chinese New Year dinner in Seattle.
WHAT DO ROBERTBURNS,
haggis, lion dancers, and the Chinese New Year have in common? That
would be Toddish McWong, aka Todd Wong, a fifth-generation Chinese
Canadian. Wong created Gung Haggis Fat Choy, a Scottish and Chinese
cross-cultural holiday that has spread from Canada to China and
Scotland, and earned him an introduction to the Scottish First Minister.
In 1993, as a student at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia,
Wong was asked to slip on a kilt and help out with a campus Robert Burns
supper, a nod to the eighteenth-century Scottish poet.
Wong took a shine to the poetry recitations—including Burns’s
“Address to a Haggis”—but not to the music (bagpipes) or the food
(haggis: sheep innards minced with oatmeal and simmered in the animal’s
stomach). He donned the tartan, but complemented his costume with
elements of the Lunar Chinese New Year—he covered his face with a lion
mask and carried Chinese food instead of haggis. “I thought, This is a
really interesting way to look at multiculturalism—to flip stereotypes.
So I called myself Toddish McWong.”
He hosted the first public Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner in Vancouver,
BC, in 1999, celebrating Scottish and Chinese cultures. And people from
all over the region have flocked to it, including Bill McFadden of
Seattle’s Caledonian and St. Andrew’s Society (he’s Clan MacLaren).
McFadden convinced Wong to bring the event to Western Washington in
2007. Since then hundreds of Seattleites have showed up to devour
deep-fried haggis wontons, sing along to “My Haggis-Chow Mein Lies Over
the Ocean,” and hear McWong perform his “Address to a Haggis” rap,
surely the way the Scottish bard intended.
Gung Haggis Fat Choy
February 20, 2011. China Harbor Restaurant, 2040 Westlake Ave N, 206-286-1688;
Vancouver Opera: La Clemenza di Tito – Leadership or culture bending subtlety?
Women playing male roles create some interesting cultural questions. Photo credit: Tim Matheson – courtesy of Vancouver Opera
Expect an evening of subtlety and sublime beautiful music. No big action scenes or over the top drama of people taking 10 minutes to die. It's a salon-style opera with beautiful and exquisite Mozart music. Do pay attention to the costume changes, and the spiritual metaphor of the Greek-style chorus. Also keep your eyes open for gender bending roles, as castrato singers are now non-existent, but replaced by female sopranos.. The story is about the “clemency” or “mercy” of Emperor Tito. As he strives to be a leader for all of the empire, valuing forgiveness and belief in the goodness of others, he faces the ultimate challenge – the betrayal of a loyal friend, and a chosen consort.
An All-Canadian cast give strong lead performances as Toronto's Krisztina Szabo as “Sesto”, carries out the wicked revenge plot of New Brunswick's Wendy Nielsen as Vitellia against Edmonton's John Tessier as Emperor Tito. The roles of Sesto and also Servilia (Campbell River's Kathleen Brett) were originally written for castrati males, but now played by female mezzo-soprano and soprano, made for some interesting gender bending romance. As in traditional Chinese opera, female roles were traditionally played by males, because “only men knew how women should act”, according to the line in the David Henry Hwang play and movie “M. Butterfly. Technically, the roles are male, but it's interesting to play with a female + female context. And of course we go to opera for the music! But in a town such as Vancouver with a large GLBT population, this is a good market for such a piece.
Vitellia has her eye on the crown of the empress, and has been passed over by Tito several times, in favor of other women such as Servilia. She takes advantage of Sesto's “love” for her, and asks Sesto to murder Titus. But before this can happen, Servilia admits to Tito that she is actually in love with Vitellia's brother Annio (Calgary's Norine Burgess – in the 2nd castrato role). This is all acted and sung out in lovely tension-filled arias, as the plot unravels up to the intermission.
Titus preaches forgiveness as a leader – like Mandela preaches forgiveness in the movie Vindictus, as he struggled to move South Africa beyond Apartheid – so suggested Michael Byers @ Opera Speaks panel discussion at Vancouver Public Library
The chorus is presented in the style of a editorializing Greek Chorus, that comments on the actions and thoughts of the lead characters as if they are the gods, that these Romans blame or pray to. Interestingly, they are dressed in toga-like robes of saffron, orange and reds that would seem to be more commonly found on an ashram in India. A gold dot also adorns the forehead of each chorus member.
The background of this rarely performed Mozart opera is very interesting. Not as bombastic as Don Giovanni or The Magic Flute, or as full of musical flurries such as Cosi Fan Tutte, La Clemenza di Tito is a delight in its subtlety. Supposedly written in three weeks while Mozart was ill, and while he was still working on the Magic Flute. It was a rush job, for the coronation of Emperor Leopold II as the new king of Bohemia.
The libretto was adapted from a fifty
year old work by the Viennese court poet Metastasio (Pietro
Antonio Domenico Trapassi) that had already been used many times by
other composers – but as I sat in the theatre, all I could hear was Mozart. From the opening bars of the overture, it reminded me of how much Mozart has meant to both my musical education and pleasure. It recalled the days of my youth when I played Mozart's Titus Overture in an accordion ensemble, and in my college days, when I performed the Sallieri soliloquy from the Peter Shaffer play “Amadeus.” And like so many of the audience, I became lost in the beauty of the music, as the orchestra dissolved to the simplicity of a solo piano forte performed by Conductor and musical director Jonathan Darlington, accentuated by solo cello, clarinet or basset horn. We were very pleased to see the soloists from the orchestra, Ari Barnes, Mary Backun and Caroline Gauthier brought up on stage for bows along with Chorus Director Leslie Dala.
Last week CBC Radio One was discussing the opera audience as white-haired and caucasian (which I don't fit into – okay maybe the age demographic since I turned 50 last May). The Vancouver opera is very aware of trying to reach a more culturally diverse audience. While some of the bloggers commented that it was a very mixed ethnic crowd on opening night Saturday on Feb 5th, the audience that I saw on Tuesday Feb 8th, was very white haired and caucasian. But I did see a number of gay and lesbian couples.
Cultural diversity can take many forms. If the opera does want a more ethnic mix in the audience, the best route to go is to feature more ethnic leads in key roles, not just in Madame Butterfly and Turandot, or Nixon in China – but in all productions. Afterall opera in Hong Kong, and Japan feature Asian singers in many roles. The costumes in La Clemenza di Tito were 18th Century, while the opera is set in Ancient Rome. In the first half, the principles are wearing black, in the second half they are wearing white. The chorus appears to be wearing South Asian style religious robes, all in the name of artistic merit – not historical accuracy. Female singers have replaced male in the original castrato roles. A few singers of colour in lead roles would not look out of place in this production.
Great pictures of rabbits in the Chinese Lunar New Year Parade in Vancouver Chinatown
It is always a wonderful photographic exercise at the Chinese Lunar New Year Parade in Vancouver Chinatown. While the rain scared many people away, it wasn't more than a light drizzle. I always like to walk around the marshalling area and photograph the groups getting ready for the parade.
It is always most crowded along Pender St. So this year, I went to stand along Keefer St, opposite the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Park , along the street. Some people stood behind us along the rise of the Andy Livingston Park, just East of Columbia St. I bumped into my friends Sonny and Ernesto, who had cycled down to avoid parking hassles. It was good to catch up on chatting, as well as talk about the parade. Sonny's niece was dancing with the Vancouver Academy of Dance, and we also waved to his sister-in-law. I knew many people in the parade, and it was nice to wave, greet them, and take their pictures as they walked by.
Click on the pictures below to enlarge.
Toy stuffed rabbits decorate the hood of a car for the Vietnamese community entry. – photo T. Wong
V3 – Community youth group gather to relax and eat before the start of the parade. – photo T. Wong
Miss Vietnam Friendship
Chinatown Revitalization Committee + BOB. My friends Bob Sung and Shirley Chan are in this group. photo T.Wong
Seymour Taiko is a children's Taiko drumming group for Japanese drumming. – photo T.Wong
V3 and Miss Vietnam all take a picture together – photo T.Wong
The Easter Bunny arrives early and takes pictures with children! – photo T.Wong
The Fortune God waves to the audience. – photo T. Wong
The Fortune God, waves a Canadian flag. – photo T. Wong
The Chinese Canadian veterans of Pacific Unit 280. Frank Wong, who landed at Normandy Beaches on D.Day walks behind the flag. Following behind on the right is Col. How Lee, who helped found the Chinese Canadian Military Museum. This is the 2nd year that my grand-uncle Daniel Lee hasn't been in the parade, as he passed away last year. I am glad to have met all his friends in Pacific Unit 280, and now count them as my own. photo T. Wong
The City of Vancouver Police Pipe Band – the only Pipe Band in the parade. – photo T.Wong
The best dragon in the entire parade – photo T.Wong
The dragon head is carried by a non-Chinese person, as many of the martial arts clubs have a diversity of membership – photo T.Wong.
Some of the parade organizers walk with VIPs. Here is Ida Chong, MLA for Oak Bay/Gordon Head, and Minister of Sciences and Universities, walking with some of the leaders of the Chinatown organizations that organize the parade. photo T.Wong
Here is a God of Fortune, portrayed by Caucasian-Canadian, demonstrating that the festival is multicultural – photo T.Wong
Federal Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff wore red for the Vancouver Chinatown parade, photo T.Wong
CBC Radio One host/producer Sheryl MacKay of North By Northwest, came over to say hello. photo T.Wong
The Carnival Band always dresses up as the animal of the Chinese Zodiac year. This year it is the year of the Rabbit. – photo T.Wong.
Vancity decorated two Smart cars as rabbits. – photo T.Wong
Even the car had a rabbit tail to go along with its ears – photo T.Wong.
Another Fortune God, who walked along with the dancers from the Vancouver Academy of Dance – photo T.Wong
The Vancouver Academy of Dance featured my friend's niece in the front row. – photo T.Wong
Young dancers from Vancouver Academy of Dance – photo T.Wong
A flag dancer from Vancouver Academy of Dance – photo T.Wong
Lion dancers were everywhere – photo T.Wong
Rabbit masks from the Community Arts Council of Vancouver – photo T.Wong
Big huge puppet of the Fortune God – photo T.Wong
My friends who support the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Garden, My cousin Hayne, Allan Cho, and Chris Lee. – photo T.Wong
The Chinese Revitalization Committe: my friends Glenn Wong, Bob Sung and Rick wave back at me – photo T.Wong
First Nations drummers lead the Canadians for Reconciliation, marching in solidarity for First Nations peoples – photo T.Wong
Bill Chu, of the Canadians for Reconciliation waves back – photo T. Wong
Shane Simpson MLA for Vancouver Hastings, shows the red envelops that he was handing out along the parade route – photo T.Wong
Vancouver City Councilor Kerry Jang and his two children give out lucky red envelopes – photo T.Wong
We celebrated the 14th Annual Gung Haggis Fat Choy Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner on January 30th, 2011.Our 2011 theme featured so many performers of Asian-Celtic-Gaelic heritage that we could have called it Gung HAPA Fat Choy!
Co-hosts were actor Patrick Gallagher (Glee, Men of a Certain Age, Night at the Museum), Jenna Choy (CBC Radio), writer/comedian Tetsuro Shigematsu, and creator of the event Todd Wong aka “Toddish McWong”Featured performers were: Jocelyn Pettit and her band – Siew & Joel Pettit + Bob Collins
Joe McDonald on pipes, accordion, Address to the Haggis, and Highland Fling.
Jay MacDonald, performing Loch Lomand and “Ring of Burns”
Jaime Foster singing Ae Fond Kiss
Vancouver Poet Laureate: Brad Cran
Dr. Leith Davis: Immortal Memory
Gung Haggis Pipes & Drums: led by Pipe Major Bob Wilkins with: Allan McMordie, Trish McMoride, Brenda McNair, Don Scobie, Danny Graham, drummers were: Casandra Lihn, Bill Burr and Tracey Morris
All photos below from our official photographer Lydia Nagai.
www.lydianagai.com
Creator and co-host Todd Wong aka Toddish McWong with Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, try out the haggis won ton with chop sticks. – photo Lydia Nagai
Fiddler Jocelyn Pettit with her French-Celtic-Canadian father and the Chinese-Canadian mother – the Jocelyn Pettit Band! – photo Lydia Nagai
CNN reporter Percy Von Lipinski and his cameraman film Jocelyn Pettit as she performs! – photo Lydia Nagai
Actor Patrick Gallagher was our co-host, while our Bearded Scottish Lady roamed, and all posed for a picture with Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson and host and Gung Haggis creator Todd Wong – photo Lydia Nagai
Todd Wong and Jenna Chow read the poem “Recipe For Tea”, written by Jim Wong-Chu, which describes how tea first traveled from China to the UK, via Scottish traders. – photo Lydia Nagai
Floata manager Antonio Hung carries the haggis during the Piping of the Haggis – photo Lydia Nagai
Dr. Leith Davis, director of the Centre for Scottish Studies at Simon Fraser University, cuts the haggis, as she read the 3rd verse of Robert Burns immortal poem “Address To A Haggis” as CNN reporter Percy Von Lipinski, films Leith close up. – photo Lydia Nagai
Film maker Jeff Chiba Stearns explains the meaning of “Hapa” as a word to describe people of Mixed ancestry with Asian heritage. His film “One Big Hapa Family” was featured at the 2011 Gung Haggis Fat Choy Dinner. Co-host Patrick Gallagher, of Irish and Chinese Ancestry, looks on. – photo Lydia Nagai
The Head Table with MLA Shane Simpson, co-host Jenna Chow and friend Mattias, Meeka, Bahareh (partner of co-host Tetsuro Shigematsu), co-host and founder Todd Wong, Jeff Chiba Stearns and partner Jen Kato. – photo Lydia Nagai
Musician Joe McDonald, sans bagpipes, flute or accordion – dances a jig, with bagpiper Don Scobie. – photo Lydia Nagai
Dr. Leith Davis, gives the Immortal Memory – talking about the “Life of Robbie Burns” and the connections of Todd Wong – photo Lydia Nagai
Trish & Allan McMordie, with guitarists Jay MacDonald and Bob Collins, join in the singing of “I Went to a Robbie Burns Dinner” – Burns lyrics set to the tune of Johnny Cash’s famous song – “Ring of Fire” – photo Lydia Nagai
During the singing of Auld Lang Syne, people joined hands to sing…. as the Chinese Dragon weaved through the crowd. – photo Lydia Nagai
Members of the audience joined performers on stage to sing Auld Lang Syne for the closing song.
(l-r Siew Pettit, Jocelyn Pettit, Todd Wong, Trish McMordie, Allan McMordie + 3 members of the audience) – photo Lydia Nagai
After the singing was over, a posed picture of kilts and legs, was taken!
(l-r: bearded Scots Lady, Bruce Clark, Todd Wong, Adam Todd, Don Harder and Allan McMordie – photo Lydia Nagai
Wow! Classical Italian opera at it's best with bel canto singing, and lavish sets with projections!
Lucia di Lammermoor Vancouver Opera Queen Elizabeth Theatre December 4, 7, 9, 11
Photo credit: Tim Matheson – courtesy Vancouver Opera
Don't be late to this opera! With stalls on the Lion's Gate Bridge, traffic re-routed to Ironworkers Memorial Bridge, and traffic on the Georgia Viaduct backed all the way to Main St. – I very nearly missed getting seated. The set is dark. The overture begins. Flashes of lightning(?) illuminate the main characters of this tragic love triangle. And an electric current runs through the audience. At that moment, there is no place on earth I would rather be.
A group of guards search for an intruder in a forest. A young woman named Lucia secretly meets with the hunter. Meanwhile her brother, the castle lord, wants to marry her off to save the family's failing fortunes. Lucia and Edgardo declare their love for each other, even though he is the sworn enemy of her brother.
Eglise Gutierrez, the brilliant Cuban-American coloratura soprano, is Lucia to Michael Fabiano'd Edgardo. Her first aria, set in the forest, is a showcase of trills and runs that make the lyrical beauty of bel canto opera so popular. The opening night crowd gladly gave a lengthy applause to her solo.
The singing of all the leads is very strong, and reaches a climax in Act II after Lucia is married to the hapless Arturo (Thomas Macleay). Six singers simultaneously voice their own ideas of the consequences of Lucia's wedding to a man she doesn't want to marry, who is thinks she is wonderful, arranged by her brother, with comments by the priest and her attendant companion, while her objet d'amour interrupts the wedding too late. Wow! Six part harmony!
And the sets are absolutely gorgeous! The forest scenes are densely layered with projections on the scrim screen. The castle scenes reveal a background of a vertical view of castle walls and ramparts.
Welcome to the Vancouver Opera's 2010 production of the 1835 Donizetti opera, Lucia di Lammermoor, set in early 18th Century Scotland, on the Scottish Lowland marshes of Ravenswood Castle. It is one of the most popular operas, making it's 6th appearance as a Vancouver Opera production since 1966. It could be popular because of Vancouver and BC's deep Scottish roots, but there was not a kilt to be seen on stage, since the setting is in the lowlands of Lammermuir Hills – East of Edinburgh. Donizetti based his opera on the historical novel by Sir Walter Scott, The Bride of Lammermoor, which was based on a true story of the Dalrymple Family in 1669, when a groom met a wedding night tragedy, and the bride never recovered from the trauma. And thus, one of opera's most famous scenes and arias was created.
There are dozens of youtube videos of “The Mad Scene” for Lucia Di Lammermoor, debating the merits of certain singers. But on the Queen Elizabeth stage only one mattered. Gutierrez moved thoughtfully and held the audience's rapt attention. Standing Ovations for Guiterrez at the end of the evening.
This is supposedly a deep psychological opera, about the misguided family dynamics, and the tragic deaths of three innocents. But it could also be compared to Romeo and Juliet, because of the feuding families. A simple boy meets girl, others try to break them up, girl thinks boy betrays her, so she runs the other way, and 1st boy tries to get girl back, but has consequences. Oops, maybe it it's more complicated than I thought. But in our sophisticated 21st psychological reasonings, we must remember that Lucia and Edgardo are likely teenagers. Their infatuations and rash actions could also be likened to a Glee plot on television with terrific singing scenes, but with tragic consequences more akin to the “I know What You Did” horror series.
Vancouver Opera website is very interesting.
You can find many weblinks to information about Lucia Di Lammoor on the Vancouver opera website. One of my favorite perusals is the anime cartoons done for many of its operas.
There is even a Vancouver Opera youtube channel. These are videos of the rehearsals and set concepts. Don't watch them if you want to be surprised. But do watch them to be better prepared for when you do attend.
Setting the scene for Vancouver Opera Dec 4-11, 2010.
Interesting related tangential trivia with Walter Scott, Robert Burns and Giacommo Rossini:
A teen-aged Walter Scott, met the rising Scottish poet Robert Burns during the winter of 1786–87, at one salon gatherings where Burns would have given a reading about the time his first book Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish dialect was published.
There is a quote wrongly attributed to Burns “Opera is where a guy gets stabbed in the back and instead of dying, he sings“. While this quote very aptly describes the death scenes in Lucia Di Lammermoor, I could find no references of this quote on official Burns websites. But I did find it referenced to American comedian/actor Ed Gardner, which makes more sense. Burns usually wrote in the Scottish dialect, where the term “guy” is more usually found as a name “Guy”.
There are 9 operas that are set in Scotland. The most famous two are Donizetti's Lucia Di Lammermoor, and Verdi's Macbeth. Rossini's La donna del lago (The Lady of the Lake), which was the first Walter Scott novel to be adapted to opera, has not been performed in Vancouver. While Vancouver Opera has produce Lucia di Lammermoor 6 times, and Macbeth only once, VO seems to have a love affair with certain operas set in China and Japan, as Turando has been produced 4 times, and Madam Butterfly 9 times. Count for yourself on Vancouver Opera's Production History.
There are different types of diabetes, and no two people with diabetes are the same. So there isn’t a one-size-fits-all ‘diabetes diet’ for everyone with diabetes. But we’ve come up with tips that you can use to help you make healthier food choices.
These healthy eating tips are general and can help you manage your blood glucose (sugar), blood pressure and cholesterol levels. They can also help you manage your weight and reduce the risk of diabetes complications, such as heart problems and strokes, and other health conditions including certain types of cancers.
“Making healthier food choices is important to manage your diabetes and to reduce your risk of diabetes complications. We know that not everyone agrees on what is the best diet.
This is why we’ve reviewed all the evidence to put these tips together. We’ve focused on specific foods, to make it easier for you to put these tips into practice and to complement whatever diet you decide to follow.”
– Douglas Twenefour, Specialist Dietitian and Deputy Head of Care
We’ve based our tips on research involving people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. If you have a different type of diabetes, like gestational, cystic fibrosis-related diabetes or MODY, some of these tips are relevant to you. It’s important, whatever kind of diabetes you have, to see your dietitian for specific advice.
If you or someone you know is self-isolating, find out how to eat healthily whilst staying at home. And you can get even more advice about eating healthily with diabetes in our interactive Learning Zone, including simple and realistic food hacks you can make.
What does eating right mean for you?
If you have type 1 diabetes, carb counting is really important to keep your blood glucose levels steady. This is where you estimate how many carbs are in your meal and match it with how much insulin you need to take.
If you have type 2 and you’re overweight, finding a way to lose weight is important as it really improves diabetes management. This is because it can help to lower your blood glucose and reduce your risk of other complications. There are different ways of doing this like the low-carb, Mediterranean or very low-calorie diets. Losing weight can help you lower your blood glucose levels, and we now know that substantial weight loss can even put some people’s type 2 diabetes into remission.
Whether you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, you might need to lose, gain or maintain your current weight but it’s important to make healthier food choices while you’re doing this.
Portion sizes are important to think about whether you have type 1 or type 2. It makes calculating nutritional facts when you’re carb counting or managing your weight a lot easier. Remember, portion sizes are different for everyone, so what’s right for someone else might not be right for you.
If you feel overwhelmed about your feelings about food and diabetes, we have plenty of information to help you.
Our top 10 tips
Download our top tips (PDF).
1. Choose healthier carbohydrates
All carbs affect blood glucose levels so it’s important to know which foods contain carbohydrates. Choose the healthier foods that contain carbs and be aware of your portion sizes.
Here are some healthy sources of carbohydrate:
whole grains like brown rice, buckwheat and whole oats
fruit
vegetables
pulses such as chickpeas, beans and lentils
dairy like unsweetened yoghurt and milk.
At the same time, it’s also important to cut down on foods low in fibre such as white bread, white rice and highly-processed cereals. You can check food labels when you’re looking for foods high in fibre if you’re unsure.
2. Eat less salt
Eating lots of salt can increase your risk of high blood pressure, which in turn increases risk of heart diseases and stroke. And when you have diabetes, you’re already more at risk of all of these conditions.
Try to limit yourself to a maximum of 6g (one teaspoonful) of salt a day. Lots of pre-packaged foods already contain salt so remember to check food labels and choose those with less salt. Cooking from scratch will help you keep an eye on how much salt you’re eating. You can also get creative and swap out salt for different types of herbs and spices to add that extra flavour.
3. Eat less red and processed meat
If you’re cutting down on carbs, you might start to have bigger portions of meat to fill you up. But it’s not a good idea to do this with red and processed meat, like ham, bacon, sausages, beef and lamb. These all have links with heart problems and cancers.
Try swapping red and processed meat for these:
pulses such as beans and lentils
eggs
fish
poultry like chicken and turkey
unsalted nuts
Beans, peas and lentils are also very high in fibre and don’t affect your blood glucose levels too much – making them a great swap for processed and red meat and keeping you feeling full. Most of us know that fish is good for us, but oily fish like salmon and mackerel are even better. These are rich in something called omega-3 oil, which helps protect your heart. Try and aim to eat two portions of oily fish a week.
4. Eat more fruit and veg
We know eating fruit and veg is good for you. It’s always a good thing aim to eat more at meal times and have them as snacks if you’re hungry. This can help you get the vitamins, minerals and fibre your body needs every day to help keep you healthy.
You might be wondering about fruit and if you should avoid it because it’s sugary? The answer is no. Whole fruit is good for everyone and if you have diabetes, it’s no different. Fruits do contain sugar, but it’s natural sugar. This is different to the added sugar (also known as free sugars) that are in things like chocolate, biscuits and cakes.
Products like fruit juices also count as added sugar, so go for whole fruit instead. This can be fresh, frozen, dried or tinned (in juice, not in syrup). And it’s best to eat it throughout the day instead of one bigger portion in one go.
5. Choose healthier fats
We all need fat in our diet because it gives us energy. But different types of fat affect our health in different ways. Check out these Red boost reviews.
Healthier fats are in foods like unsalted nuts, seeds, avocados, oily fish, olive oil, rapeseed oil and sunflower oil. Some saturated fats can increase the amount of cholesterol in your blood, increasing your risk of heart problems. These are mainly found in animal products and prepared food like:
red and processed meat
ghee
butter
lard
biscuits, cakes, pies and pastries.
It’s still a good idea to cut down on using oils in general, so try to grill, steam or bake foods instead.
You can always try low or zero-calorie sweeteners (also known as artificial sweeteners) to help you cut back. Cutting out these added sugars can help you control your blood glucose levels and help keep your weight down. If your diabetes treatment means you get hypos, and you use sugary drinks to treat them, this is still important for your diabetes management and you shouldn’t cut this out. However, if you are having regular hypos it is really important to discuss this with your diabetes team.
Flamenco accordion player named “El Toddo Don Wong”
I
love flamenco music. My usual claim to flamenco fame, is that I have twice had dinner with flamenco guitarist legend Paco Pena.
But on Thursday night at the La Zuppa restaurant in North Vancouver, I sat in with guitarist Rod Malkin and dancer Elen Ghulam. I was walking by the restaurant on Lonsdale Avenue and decided to have a listen. The music was lovely, the space was intimate and friendly. I spoke with the restaurant operators Juan Carlos and Vicky. We talked about the restaurant and flamenco music. They introduced me to Rod and Elen, and told them I play accordion.
Rod invited me to sit in with them. I had never played with a flamenco guitarist before. But they were keen that I had shared my knowledge about attending Paco Pena's Misa Flamenco concert in Vancouver, and that I knew of Al Mozaico Flamenco's productions of “Cafe de Chinatas”. It was a big stretch for me to improvise
freely, and I gained confidence to add flourishes. It was good enough
that the dancer took to the platform. A wonderful experience musically
overall.
It was a big challenge… I have been playing with a Celtic Ceilidh
group since Christmas… and learning to play accompaniment and fills. I
still go into shock and panic when somebody says “Accordion Solo” – but
playing with Robert last night was very cool – lots of listening to
each other, and just taking it slow… working in some flourishes. And
they kept me playing with them! 🙂
While at the restaurant, I discovered postcards for Mozaico Flamenco – the company founded and directed by Oscar Nieto and Kasandra La China in 2002. I reviewed their show “Cafe De Chinatas” in 2006 at the Norman Rothstein Theatre and in 2006 at Edie's Hats on Granville Island. I am thrilled that “Mozaico Flamenco” is going to be perform again
in November at the Scotiabank Dance Centre. http://www.gunghaggisfatchoy.com/blog/_archives/2007/6/10/3012512.html
Look what I just discovered! Flamenco Guitar with Accordion and performed in Edinburgh, Scotland
Here's an interesting concert that brings together Chinese erhu player Jirong Huang with Tom Neville (Western fiddle) and Baljeet Singh on Indian Dilruba. I have performed accordion/ erhu duets with Jirong at the Gung Haggis Fat Choy Robbie Burns Chinese New Year dinner a few years ago.
It's been fascinating to see the success of Delhi to Dublin criss-crossing Celtic fiddle music with South Asian tabla beats, as well as the latin-celtic music of The Paper Boys.
There's a lot of intercultural musical collaborations in Vancouver, and it is often very exciting, stimulating and culturally informative.
Check it out!
Vancouver Chinese Instrumental Music Society and Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese GardenPresent
Fiddles Around the World
Sunday, October 3, 2010, 7:30
pm
Doors open at 7pm Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden
578 Carrall Street (at Pender)
Tickets | 604 662 3207 |
Info
| 604 683 8240 |
| $15 general/ $10 student and senior |
Featuring:
Jirong Huang (Chinese Erhu, Fiddle)
Baljeet Singh (Indian Dilruba, Fiddle)
Tom Neville (Western Fiddle)
Accompanied By
Wei Li on Gu Zheng (Chinese Zither)
Bruce Henzcel (Marimba, Percussion)
Dr. Jan Walls as Master of Ceremony
The Vancouver Chinese Instrumental Music
Society and the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Gardens are proud to present Fiddles
Around the World on Sunday, October 3, 2010 at the Chinese Classical
Garden.A concert for all
audiences, the Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble will showcase an exciting collection of multicultural Fiddles. This concert
features traditional and innovative music on bowed instruments.
The bowed stringed instrument first appeared in
India around 3000 BC,and is described in
Hindu myth as Ravanahatha. From its epicenter inIndia, this family of instruments radiated out to China,
through Central Asia to Europe, Africa and then the New
World. Presented bytheVancouver Chinese Instrumental Music Society, this
performance will beemceed by renowned
linguist Dr. Jan Walls and feature Jirong Huang, our musical
director on Erhu, Tom Neville on Western Fiddle andBaljeet Singh on Dilruba , accompanied
by the Vancouver Chinese MusicEnsemble.
Each of these ethnic instruments will be presented in soloperformance, displaying technique and skill to
traditional songs andalso perform in
non-traditional arrangements making new music withbows and fiddles.
“…vibrant and exciting exposure to
another culture.”The Georgia Straight
For more information, please contact Angie
Nguyen
Tel 604.683.8240 | Fax 604.683.7911 | Email Angie@dkam.ca
We gratefully acknowledge the
support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the City of Vancouver.
Joe McDonald LOVES Charlie Brown Christmas Music!
3:47
