World Premiere Silent Night MN Opera Review

Last night I attended a preview of the world premiere of Minnesota’s Opera “Silent Night”, and if I wasn’t a fan of opera previous to this important and moving production, I certainly am now.

The opera is based on the screenplay for the film, Joyeux Noël, written by Christian Carion of actual events that took place on Christmas Eve during World War I when a short truce was declared by the French, Scottish and Germans to remember Christmas, which was followed by another truce as the men took time to bury the dead that lay decomposing on the battlefield.

The war-torn and exhausted men went from trying to kill one another to sharing pictures of their wives and children, some of them finding it difficult to continue in a war where they have looked into the eyes of and shared bits of humanity with their supposed enemy. From one man to another during that truce, they found that they were much alike, perhaps the biggest difference being only in the color and design of their uniforms.

Silent Night gets to the heart of war from its beginning as it portrays through its music, song, and emotion, the last days of summer in 1914 War when war is declared, disrupting the lives of the men who would go to fight for their country as well as the women they would leave behind.

At an opera house in Berlin the announcement interrupts the lives of Internationally-famed opera singers Nikolaus Sprink and Anna Sørensen.  In Paris, it tears at the marital seams of Lieutenant Audebert and his wife Madeleine, who is pregnant with the couple’s first child. From a small Scottish church it inspires William to enlist, taking with him his brother, a priest.

The hardships of World War I on families and on the men who fought it, particularly, are eloquently captured, emanating thoughts of current wars and current hardships, making Silent Night as relevant today as it was in 1914. There are wars and then there are the people who fight them, all one from the other not that much different.

Silent Night is a Minnesota Opera New Works Initiative Production, an initiative that according to Minnesota Opera’s President and General Director Allan Naplan aspires to invigorate the operatic repertoire with an infusion of contemporary works, such as Silent Night. It’s a history making goal and with productions like the world premiere of Silent Night and MN Opera’s dedication to acquiring superb talent for their productions, it seems they are making great progress in achieving that lofty goal.

Silent night was composed by Kevin Puts working with Librettist Mark Campbell and Conductor Michael Christie, all three very talented, successful men in the music world.

If you have an opportunity to see Silent Night, take it, it’s a great piece of work that will touch your heart and leave you thinking about the atrocities of war and its impact on the people involved in it, long after the performance has ended. Kudos to all involved in bringing it into production.

The world premiere of Silent Night opens on November 12th at the Ordway in St. Paul with performances on November 15, 17, 19 and 20, 2011.  The Opera is sung in English, German, French, Italian and Latin with English translations projected above the stage.

More information about the World Premiere of Silent Night can be found at Minnesota Opera (www.mnopera.org)

Mpls Birding Festival Includes Guest Speaker Mystery Writer Jan Dunlop

2011 Urban Birding Festival

Urban Birding Festival – Where Birds and People Meet

May 12 – 15, 2011

Mark your calendars now for a fun, free celebration of springtime birds at the Urban Bird Festival, held May 12-15, 2011. Kids, their families and everyone else are invited to take part in all or part of this four-day event, now in its 6th year.

Included in this year's festivities is a day-long Bird Expo on May 14 at Springbrook Nature Center in Fridley featuring bird exhibits, bird-banding demos, and a lunchtime talk by Jan Dunlop, author of birder murder mysteries. While all birding events are free, registration is required for the catered lunch. Please click on the link below to sign up!

Billed as “Where Birds and People Meet,” the festival welcomes everyone, from brand-new to experienced birders, to see many of the interesting birds found in the Twin Cities and suburbs.

The festival, with St. Paul Audubon as a sponsor, features free day and evening bird walks, plus the daylong series of events at Fridley’s Springbrook Nature Center, “Birding Central”.

To learn more about the Urban Birding Festival and register for lunch, click here: Springbrook Nature Center

Fruit On The Branch: Guaranteed Salvation or Judgment ~ Which Is It?

Fruit On The Branch: Guaranteed Salvation or Judgment ~ Which Is It?: "The Bible teaches us that if we believe in Jesus as the son of God and that he died on the cross for our eternal salvation, we will have ete..."

MinnPost - Book Club Club: That perfect writing space

MinnPost - Book Club Club: That perfect writing space

This is an interesting article that I wanted to share with you writers out there. If you are like me, you sometimes decided not to write because you don't have the "ideal" writing space. Whatever "ideal" means to you. Check out this article for some guidance on this issue.

Coincidence? I Don't Think So...

Mother Theresa said, "If you can't feed 100 people, then feed just one.

That quote was on a "quote of the day" widget attached to one of my other blog sites (ritakuehnsblog.com). I noticed it right after I posted a blog about NESCO and Housing Uganda's Street children right here on Word Of Mouth 360.

Was it a coincidence to find this quote staring me in the face? I don't think so; there are no coincidences with God, I'm pretty sure about that. Just as you are reading this, it is no coincidence. (It may, however, be a miracle that you are reading this! :-) )

One child, one hungry little mouth to feed. Just one.

Housing Uganda's Street Children

HOUSING UGANDA'S STREET CHILDREN

I'm still high on it! Yesterday, my church (Servant of Christ) held a special service and outreach for the NSAMBYA EX-STREET CHILDREN ORGANIZATION (NESCO), an organization that is working hard to save children, orphans, from living on the streets of Uganda.

These children, out on their own with no one to care for them, their parents either dead from AIDS, or long gone, eat out of garbage cans, doing anything they can to survive. To some of these children, it is the only life they can remember having. There are 2.9 million orphans in Uganda. So what happened yesterday was a miracle!

I went to a meeting the other night and listened to Insurance for Longevity guru, Cathy Manning, discuss the need to plan for our future ~ things like our children's college education, our retirement, or assisted living. It was a very good presentation, and I was intently listening when she mentioned a story that she'd read, about how a couple of elderly friends had devised a plan of "assisting" one another. I thought I must be dreaming, because the story she was telling came from one of MY blogs of last week: the Sweetest Story ~ Curtain Call!  And I thought no one was reading me!

Do you sometimes have that feeling?

Reach Far and Wide

Walt Disney said, "If you can dream it, you can do it."

Considering how big his dreams were and the extent of his success, I'd say that we should go for it! And if you are going to do any dreaming at all, why not dream big? Too often we don't expect enough of our dreams, we go for the easiest to attain. I think we should take one step at a time to get to the end of the rainbow.  Reach far and wide!

What Motivates You on a Gray Day?

It's a beautiful winter day here in Minneapolis! The temperature is about 20 degrees right now, so it's cold, but the skies are clear ad the sun is brightly shining. I love days like this! Well, I actually love sunny summer days best, but we take what we can get around here.

As long as the sun shines, it's easy to feel motivated to accomplish so many things. But what do you do when the skies are gray, dismal, dark, depressing, uninspirational, and it's cold outside? That's what I'd like to know.

Perhaps you are one of those lucky people (I don't personally know of any of these lucky people) who is not bothered by the change in sky or weather. Their source of motivation has nothing to do with the weather. How nice for you, you obscure group of luckies. May I'd get more done if I were you.

Alas, I am not you, and I often struggle to get anything done on those ugly days. I don't know if it's related to S.A.D. or if I'm just plain sad. It's a chore to write, work, go out and face the world. I like to stay in and turn on all the lights in my house; pray I'll be productive in some way.

So, I'm asking you, because it's a beautiful bright day, when we are all motivated to do and think, before it gets gray again and we are hiding in our cocoons~hurry now~what gets you motivated in the gray days of winter?

Acceptance~Keep Our Egos, Histories and Judgements at Bay

I think it's important to be accepting of others, but it's sometimes more difficult to do than we'd like to admit. To do it properly we must keep our egos, our judgements, and our histories, at bay. Any of which could color our perception of just about anything.

But in friendship, for example, if someone is sharing with me that they are loving the artwork they've purchased, or excitedly talking about their plans for remodeling their home, and I'm all the while entertaining thoughts like, "Good grief, they sure know how to spend money they don't have.", I just might be doing some of the following:

1. judging them and how they spend money, which is none of my business
2. thinking while they're talking, thus I'm not being fully present
3. projecting my own thoughts about spending, which most likely come from my history with it (also has nothing to do with them)
4. letting my ego (which might not be as humble as it could be) decide what my friend should feel good about.

With all of that angst going on, it's kind of hard to just accept what our friends are sharing with us. How much simpler it would be for us to just enjoy their excitement and leave it at that.

The point is, that we should free our minds of all the static to be present, listening, and accepting. Thinking or doing otherwise takes on a burden that we really don't enjoy or need, and certainly doesn't belong in our friendships. We wouldn't like to be confronted (even unknowingly) with all of this censorship as we share our lives and thoughts with others.

And if we keep that in mind, perhaps it will help us do better as well. 

Snow Day ~ Time to Hug Your Kids

Here in Champlin, MN, we got about 8 inches of snow last night, and it is so beautiful. I think of all the children off of school today (President's Day) going sledding, building forts, and throwing snowballs.

Well, I know that some are more interested in being on Facebook or playing games on their Ipod, but today I'm dreaming up a little old-fashioned child fun ~ Norman Rockwell moments, perhaps.

Let's delight in our children, just being children. Sometimes we want them to act like grown ups instead of remembering that they are "so 12" or "so 2", as I like to say. Remembering that they are acting their age even when they aren't quite as well-behaved as you'd like may help you delight in them anyway. They are our gifts and our treasures. Also our pleasures! Enjoy them and hug them today.

You Make the Difference

"Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does." William James

I like this quote because it suggests how connected we are to each other. Whether it's someone you live with, work with, pass on the street, or are having coffee with, what you do and say, and how you say it, has a bigger impact than most of us are aware or for which we give ourselves credit. Are we more reassuring and supportive, or are we dismissive and busy looking at life through our own colored lenses?

On a larger scale people lead countries, save the environment, help the homeless, visit the lonely, house the orphans, etc.. These people reach out with a mighty arm, greatly impacting many within their midst. I'm in awe of people involved in such great enterprises.

However, large or small scale, I think both scenarios are very important. I had coffee with a good friend this morning. She's been unemployed for a while and continues to search for work ~ an incredibly difficult endeavor for many these days ~ and the longer it takes, the harder it is on one's psyche. My heart hurt for her. I tried to be reassuring, and I can only hope that I provided some level of encouragement.

Although, as the saying sadly goes: "We often hurt the ones we love". Are you grouchy getting everyone out the door for church on Sunday, and then all smiles to the strangers? Are you irritable because you didn't eat lunch and now have to make dinner for the family? (And perhaps, like me, you don't like to cook much anyway.) Or are you drinking, eating, smoking, yelling too much and pretending the rest of the family isn't troubled by it. If we keep in mind William James's quote, we must begin acting as if what we do makes a difference ~ positive or negative ~ because it does.

Something I heard many years ago resonates with me: "You have no right to ruin someone else's day." I'd like to add that we have every right, every obligation, to make a positive difference in lives today.

What impact are you making?

Unbelievable Feel Good Story

I happened upon Regis and Kelly this a.m. just when they were spotlighting a couple for their "greatest love story" contest. I'm really not much into love stories, per se, (well, maybe I am and didn't know it.) but I found myself smiling, a great big enjoying it, crazy kind of smile through the whole thing. I really felt kind of ridiculous about it, but the story may have made my day.

It was that kind of story. So I had to share it with you. It could restore your faith in love, give you hope, or just make you feel great. Here's the link: Greatest Love Stories 

Tell me, leave me a comment, isn't that cool?

New Blog Channels Insights

Hey everyone,
Welcome to my blog, and let me introduce myself! My name is Rita Kuehn, and I am the author of the novel Peripheral View. Peripheral View was inspired by a true story and is about a woman's search for love and dignity in her love. It is a story about love, courage, and the triumph of the human spirit! I'll talk more about my book later ~ but briefly, it's available anywhere books are sold, including Amazon where you can read the great reviews.

But, back to this blog... I've created this blog because I love to discuss topics like the quote of the day, daily life, books, writing, and following our dreams ~ step by step. I've experienced some difficult times in my life, I'd say more difficult than most (isn't it said that writers tend to carry a lot of angst or some such burden that they have to express or resolve through their writing?) Hopefully, I can channel the insights I've attained into something positive here. I like to encourage others to follows their dreams, perhaps provide them some inspiration, and receive a good dose of it myself.

I looking forward to hearing from you!