Corning Glass Museum

The Corning Glass Museum is at the outer limits of what can be considered a local Rochester attraction, since the time you'll spend there is roughly equal to the time spent driving to and from. The only time I've been there was about 10 years ago on a drive in a blizzard from NJ to Rochester when we were visiting Charlie's parents here, and even then, we only made it into the extensive gift shop. But my friend Mary Beth, who was visiting from NYC for the weekend, had already been to the Susan B. Anthony House twice, and the George Eastman House. She wanted something she couldn't see a bigger version of in her home town. So even though you'd never visit NYC and take a day trip to Philadelphia, she wanted to go to Corning. And it was on my list, so off we went.

We arrived just before noon, so decided to fortify ourselves first with a tasty bite in the cafe. Then we made our way through the contemporary glass, and there were quite a few pieces we wouldn't have minded having, including the glass beehives (Mary Beth was dubious about my hearing the buzzing of bees coming from the cassette tapes, but my hearing for annoying sounds is better than most...), and a really fun teacup.

The collection of historical glass is overwhelming, and amazing that so many of these delicate pieces even survived all these years (I break so many glasses just washing them!). It was fun to see the array of old wine bottles, all different shapes and sizes, and some leaning slightly, because they obviously were blown by hand. And the cases of paperweights – just paperweights! There were also the obligatory displays of Steuben and Tiffany and Lalique. Many of the cases displayed items three or four deep, so we really needed to take our time to take it all in.

It was a welcome relief to sit for the 25-minute glassblowing demonstration. A young woman expertly blew a fluted vase, while her companion narrated the process, and occasionally helped, when an additional rod or hand was required. Having taken several lessons, I know how difficult it is to gather the glass, to keep the heavy rod constantly turning to fight gravity, and to remember to hold the rod on the part that isn't blistering hot... This girl did it with such ease, and with an audience! Unfortunately, they didn't take questions – I would have liked to know what they did with the pieces they blew – were they for sale in the gift shop?

The gift shop was a mix of items, from cheap Chinese chachkies to art glass that could just have easily been upstairs in the museum. There were a few small items from defunct Steuben, and also a few from the Taiwanese Liuligongfang (but none as pretty as the pieces Charlie brought home years ago each time he went to Asia on business...).

Naturally, we went a week before a new wing was to open. So I'll just have to find an excuse to go back, and maybe even take a glassblowing lesson as well!

RPO – A Night of Dance

Balanchine's Serenade is one of my all-time favorite ballet pieces – I've seen it almost a half dozen times at the New York City Ballet. I can't hear Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings without also picturing the incredible choreography – to me they are inextricably linked. So I was thrilled when I saw that the Rochester City Ballet would be performing it with the RPO on this program.

There is much debate in the dance world regarding who owns choreographed pieces – the choreographer or the company for which they are developed. For example, Martha Graham's heir lost a court battle with the Martha Graham Company, which retained the rights to most of her dances. George Balanchine must have had a different relationship with the New York City Ballet, because his pieces are all copyrighted, and the George Balanchine Trust licenses them, with the “responsibility of disseminating and protecting the integrity ... of (his) work in the present and for the future.” This means that any company wishing to perform a work choreographed by Balanchine must not only pay a fee, but must prove itself worthy, and apparently our local ballet company has!

My friend Linda accompanied me (as soon as I mentioned “dance” to my husband, he claimed he had something else to do...). The house wasn't full, but there was a healthy representation of young girls. I was looking forward to seeing the guest conductor, Daniel Meyer, since he will be conducting Concentus in our concert with the RPO in May. Unfortunately, he and the orchestra were obviously stuck in the pit, so we only got a peek as his head bobbed up to acknowledge the audience's applause.

The first RCB piece, choreographed by artistic director Jamey Leverett, was cute, but unexceptional. Oddly Andrew Russo, the talented on-stage pianist, was in street clothes, as if he'd forgotten his concert black. The second piece, presented by FuturPointe Dance, was just bizarre. The video projection, which went from pseudo-psychedelic to creepy, in disjointed randomness (hawks exploding, flowers blooming, a jellyfish floating, and lots of other unidentifiable stuff), was extremely distracting. It was a disservice to the dancers, who seemed very capable but were left mostly in the dark, overpowered by the moving images behind them. Someone obviously went to a lot of trouble to put the video together (and the hawk headdress costumes...), but why?

But then came the finale – Serenade. It was classic Balanchine – magical, sublime, transporting. It was pure joy to watch the RCB perform this piece; they were more than up to the task. And the RPO's performance of the piece, under Meyer's baton, was more subtle and nuanced that I remember the New York City Ballet Orchestra's ever being. Most Rochesterians will never experience the NYC Ballet performing Balanchine, and the RCB will probably only rarely present one of his pieces, so it was a true privilege for the audience, and I suspect for the dancers as well. They received a well-deserved standing ovation, and the orchestra even stuck around a while in the pit, since this was, after all, their concert, too!

Geva's "Women In Jeopardy"

Just about a year ago, I went with several friends to see Women in Jeopardy as part of Geva's Plays in Progress program. It was just a play reading – no costumes or sets or staging, but it was clear even then what a hit it would be. Jenni Werner, Geva's Literary Director/ Dramaturg, explained to the audience that “every play was once a new play,” and that Women in Jeopardy would have its premier in 2015. Wendy MacLeod, the playwright, was on hand to gauge the audience's reaction (we all loved it – it was consistently laugh out loud funny, even in just a reading) and to answer questions: for example, about the inspiration for the plot (a real murder case, although “once you’re into the action, the murder mystery plot device really is secondary to the dialog and relationships”) and the inspiration for the characters (she wanted to write a piece that would feature interesting women of a certain age). Julia Brothers, as the character Jo, was outstanding.

So imagine my delight that she ended up playing the role in this premiere! She was even better than I'd remembered – her face is so expressive, and she really seemed to be Jo. The other actors were also very good, especially Jennifer Cody (who grew up in Greece (the Rochester suburb, not the country...), and is married to actor Hunter Foster) and Scott Rad Brown, another Rochester native.

I went with a group of women friends, but there were lots of men in the audience, and they were laughing just as much as the women. The dialog was very realistic and witty – you could imagine having some of these types of conversations in real life, or wishing that you did. After the show, one friend said this was one of the best shows she's ever seen at Geva – not just the acting, but the direction as well (she did admit she hasn't seen a lot of recent productions...). Many thanks to director Sean Daniels. We will miss him greatly, but wish him success in his new position at the Merrimack Repertory Theatre.

This show is the perfect antidote to winter. Both close in less than two weeks!

Bivona – Open That Bottle Night

This was our second time attending this Bivona Child Advocacy's Open That Bottle Night as the guests of our friends Tom and Glen, and we were deeply moved, again, by the event. It's a fun evening for a somber cause, and you can't help but be overwhelmed by the scope of the problem, and the depth of generosity to help address it. It was an emotional roller coaster.

Tom and his magnum!

376 people attended, including Maggie Brooks, Bob Duffy, and Sandra Doorley. In this time of extreme partisanship, it is nice to rally around a non-partisan issue. Mary Whittier, Executive Director, shared some mind-boggling statistics: 1 in 10 kids suffers from some sort of abuse by age 18, 90% of them by someone they know, love, and trust; there is a relatively high proportion of boys, as well as kids in the suburbs who suffer. Bivona has evaluated 12,513 kids in 10.5 years and it now sees 1500-1600 kids per year. Remarkably, their $4.5 million capital campaign has been exceeded by $700,000. They will be moving into their new building at 1 Mount Hope Avenue this August, where they will be more productive in their coordination of 21 different agencies that work together to help kids of physical and sexual abuse, to minimize the children's traumatization of having to retell their stories multiple times, and to help the DA's office prosecute better.

some of the silent auction items

Mary then read a 13-year old's “impact statement” that the girl had read in open court. She had been abused for years by her stepfather, who threatened that no one would believe her if she told. She worried about her sisters when they were with her stepdad, and felt guilty at breaking up her family. Her stepfather received a sentence of 18 years. Later, a founding board member and survivor took the podium and told her story. Like the other girl, she was told that no one would believe her. Her abuse started at age 7, and Christmas, when lots of family were around, was her only reprieve. She has moments she can't remember, and moments she can't forget. But she found the support to tell her story and move forward. There were tears in many of our eyes, agreeing with her that there are “things a child should never have to do.”

our table

The paddle call strategically followed, and at one point, the woman at the table to my right raised her paddle and confided conspiringly over her husband's empty chair between us, “he's in the bathroom, right?” The live auction bidding was indeed lively, with all items going well over value (the $1200 package of restaurant certificates went for $10,000, and the bidder received hugs and a kiss from Mary!), and most times a second item was offered to the second-highest bidder if s/he'd match the top price (which they almost all did). By the time we left, after the 13^th of 22 live auction items, they had already raised $73,000. It was heartening that many of the silent auction items were bid above value – this was not a crowd looking for a discount.

My husband and I remarked on our way home what a lovely and well-organized event it was, and how lucky and proud we are to live in a community that is so engaged in helping others less fortunate. We have a long way to go, but we're making small steps in the right direction, and, to use Bivona's motto: “building hope.”

Eastman Presents – Eastman Philharmonia with Peter Serkin

This weekend we were treated to another wonderful performance in the Eastman Presents series. The first in the series, the hysterical Jason Alexander, was of course a sell-out, not just because of who he is, but because of when he was scheduled: U of R's Meliora weekend. Arturo Sandoval's concert in November was exceptional, and my friends and I speculated that because it was on a Sunday afternoon, the sparse audience was attributable to football competition. It was sad that Sandoval could see all of the empty seats, and not only did he remark on it, he practically begged people to return after intermission. We were underwhelmed by the Vienna Choir Boys (although the crowd was certainly bigger, the musical ensemble was smaller than expected, since they split into smaller groups that tour simultaneously), and left at intermission.

The Eastman Philharmonia did not disappoint in their performance of Mozart's Concerto No. 19 in F Major, with the extremely talented Peter Serkin at the piano. He was masterful, as expected, but also elegant, non-showy, and gracious to the students. My husband even commented that he couldn't tell the difference in sound between the Eastman students, under the skillful baton of conductor Neil Varon, and the RPO. And it was fun to see all those fresh young faces on stage (and there were a fair proportion in the audience as well – classmates, perhaps?), and watch them sway, and in the case of the cellists in particular, bob heads forcefully, in time with the music. What was disappointing was the audience – it felt like only a few hundred (although it was difficult to tell, from the orchestra, how full the balcony section was). Perhaps the snow kept some people home? But what we lacked in numbers we made up in enthusiasm, especially when it became clear, from the loud cheering at the end of the concert, that there were lots of students in the balcony!

There was a long awkward pause between the short first piece, played by the entire orchestra of about 90, and the Mozart, as the stage hands picked up some chairs and rearranged others to bring the piano on. It seemed like a lost opportunity for someone speak to the audience about the series in general and the upcoming Kodo One Earth Tour: Mystery performance on March 3, or about the pieces on the program, or about the Eastman students themselves.

There has been a lot of press lately about Rochester trying to brand itself as the “City of the Arts.” Much of this seems aimed at getting additional funding for our very deserving performing arts organizations. But selling tickets and filling seats are also important. Our classical orchestras need to find a way to educate Rochesterians about their “product” to create more excitement and demand, or perhaps adapt the product to what the audience wants (e.g., more John Williams, less Vaughan Williams...).

I hope that Eastman gives the series another year, as they promise in the program, to work out the kinks (maybe use Kilbourn Hall for the less popular performances?), and to entice more residents to become audience. Rochester deserves to have high quality musical entertainment, and the musicians deserve to be heard by more people.

A Purse for Change – Benefit for the Women’s Foundation of Genesee Valley

Until I moved to London, I was a one-at-a-time purse person. I would buy an unremarkable black or brown bag, and use it every day until it was too broken to patch or my friends complained that it was desperately out of fashion. For me, a pocketbook was a totally utilitarian tool, and the most desirable features had to do with a comfortable strap length, zippered security, and perhaps some internal pockets for keeping order. Then a new friend introduced me to the concept of a purse as an accessory. Initially, this seemed a needless burden – I would have to keep moving the contents to and fro, potentially misplacing something, like my glasses or my keys. But I bought some cute shoes at a place that sold bags that matched, and from then on I was hooked.

So even though I already owned dozens of purses (because I soon realized you don’t need just one black bag, you need different sizes and different materials for different occasions!), I went to the Purse for Change benefit for the Women's Foundation of Genesee Valley last year. I certainly wasn’t in the market for any additional bags, but I was on the lookout. And it was for a good cause – the foundation’s mission is “to empower and inspire women and girls to achieve economic self-sufficiency through grant making and education.” I was lucky to have been raised in a family and community in which this was not an issue. Poverty was never something that I would feel threatened with, and I took my ability to attend the college and graduate school of my choice for granted. As anyone who lives here knows, since we read it all the time, Rochester is one of the poorest cities in the nation, and unfortunately, girls and women are disproportionately affected.

My friends Martha and Gwen went with me, and we thoroughly enjoyed the event. Susan Latoski, the Executive Director, informed me that there were about 300 attendees (two of whom were men!), and about 150 purses (surprisingly, only 50 were donated; the remainder were purchased, with the aid of the benefit’s sponsors). The event was extremely well run – 40 volunteers kept watch over the purses and answered questions and processed transactions at the end of the silent auction. I bid on several, mostly to be supportive, but there was one in particular – an interesting two-fer by Miche – that I wanted badly enough to ‘buy it now’ so people would stop ogling and touching ‘my’ purse! I also ‘won’ a cute grey bag (well, I didn’t have a grey bag…) that had some serious bidding on it, and a black bag, constructed of recycled bicycle inner tubes, made right here in Rochester! I liked that bag so much that I visited the workshop, EvenOdd, in the Hungerford building and bought three more as gifts for friends. I lost out on a Louis Vuitton purse in the live auction – to Susan Latoski herself! The live auction was wonderfully run, with great patter, by Pamela Sherman, who is locally known as the Suburban Outlaw in the D&C.

Last year’s event raised over $70,000. I already have my ticket for this year’s event, on March 19. To learn more about the organization or the event, click here. I hope to see more of my friends at this year’s auction, and I promise not to bid against you!

Susan B. Anthony Birthday Luncheon

My friend (and Susan B. Anthony House Board Chair) Bernie Todd Smith invited me to join her table for Susan B.'s 195^th birthday celebration at the Rochester Convention Center, and since I'm such a devoted fan of the house (I take any and all guests that I can to see it!), I thought it was time to step up my support (and the chicken really isn't rubber...). I was amazed, as were the event planners, at the turnout – it was a record sellout crowd, at over 1000 people. The audience was predictably predominantly female, but I was surprised and pleased at the number of young women in attendance.

Susan B. Anthony, portrayed
by Barbara Blaisdell

Although there were many people on the dais, the remarks were short and sweet, and interjected with a lot of humor. Kathy Hochul admitted that she recently visited the House for the first time, and Bernie informed us that they get over 10,000 visitors annually. She also recognized that Miss Anthony's "vision is still an incomplete dream," and that "we need to continue the march for equality" (it's incomprehensible that we are still striving for gender equality in this country). Kitty Van Bortel, the presenting sponsor, confided that she had pinned a “Failure is Impossible" button to her underwear the first five years of her working life, as she strove to be taken seriously in the man's world of automobiles. At the end of the event, she generously announced that she would be matching all donations made at the lunch!

Lynn Sherr, journalist and author, captivated and inspired the audience as the keynote speaker. She shared anecdotes about Sally Ride (her most recent book is Sally Ride: America's First Woman in Space), whose career wouldn't have been possible without the tireless efforts of Susan B. Anthony decades earlier. Sherr compared Susan B. to her birthday-buddy Galileo, remarking that Galileo's crime was revealing that the earth was not the center of the universe, and Susan B.'s that men weren't, either!

The event was very well run, except for the inevitable parking garage headache, made worse by the snow (Sherr did jokingly complain that it was unfortunate Miss Anthony wasn't born in May...). The Susan B. Anthony House truly is a Rochester cultural gem, and it was great to see so many people taking an interest in learning about and maintaining it. Happy birthday, Susan B. Anthony, and thank you for making it possible for women today to take for granted the right to vote, the right to attend the University of Rochester, and the notion that women and men should be treated equally.