Calling all closet opera singers! Opera Theater of Pittsburgh is—for the second year in a row—holding two vocal competitions in search of the best in unknown opera singers: Opera Champion of Pittsburgh Voice Competition and the Mildred Miller International Voice Competition. CANDIDE—Andrey Nemzer, left; countertenor, 1st place winner of the 2011 Mildred Miller International Voice Competition, performs “The Old Lady” in “Candide.” (Photo by Patti Brahim) “We are dedicated to fostering the next generation of opera singers,” said Rachel Kasic, business operations and communications manager of the Opera Theater of Pittsburgh. “Our goal is to find people who are working in fields other than opera and who have never had any voice lessons. We’re trying to find that diamond in the rough.”
(NNPA)—Dear Gwendolyn: I recently got a divorce after being married for 22 years. Two years ago, I went back to school. Most of my classes are at night. I didn’t have to give up my job to return to school. I got my B.S. 12 years ago and have taught school since that time. In less than 24 months, I will be awarded my law degree.
by Rahim FaiezAssociated Press Writer KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — "Listen to my story! Listen to my pain and suffering!" Afghanistan's first female rapper Sosan Firooz pleads into her microphone. IN THE STUDIO--Afghanistan's first female rapper Sosan Firooz sings in a studio in Kabul, Afghanistan on Oct. 3. Firooz, 23-year-old singer is making history in her homeland where society frowns on women who take the stage. (AP Photo/Ahmad Jamshid)
by Kevin Amos “I wish you could know what it means to be me and then you’d see and agree that every man should be free.”—Dr. Billy Taylor JAZZ/POETRY BAND—Oliver Lake (on overhead screen) with his Steel Quartet featuring Lyndon Achee on steel pan. The quest for freedom is a never ending quest. While we have freedom of expression here in the US, organizations like City of Asylum/Pittsburgh remind us that some of our brothers and sisters around the world don’t have that luxury. Tsering Woeser is a Beijing-based Tibetan freelance writer and blogger. Her actions are severely restricted by Chinese authorities. Saleban Abdi Ali is a journalist for the Waheen newspaper in Somalia. Last year he was attacked by Somaliland police. He was made “an example” by the Special Protection Unit to fellow journalists. Ali is one of the 888 writers persecuted in the past year.
Thursday 11 Jazz Jam CJ’s Restaurant & Lounge presents “The Roger Humphries & RH Factor Jazz Jam Session” at 8 p.m. at 2901-2911 Penn Ave., Strip District. There will be live jazz and fun every Thursday night. Must be 30 years or older and there is a dress code that will be enforced. No tennis shoes, sweats, or athletic gear. For more information, call 412-642-2377.
This week I visited the African American Music Institute of Pittsburgh in Homewood, St. Benedict the Moor Church Hall in the Hill District, Shadow Lounge in East Liberty, Tim’s Bar in the Hill District and Savoy Restaurant in the Strip District. Aunt Brenda celebrated her birthday in grand style with her son “D.C.” at Tim’s Bar in the Hill District.
by Frazier Moore NEW YORK (AP) — Is this "Idol" threat an idle threat? Mariah Carey told Barbara Walters her fellow "American Idol" judge Nicki Minaj threatened to shoot her, Walters reported on ABC's "The View" Thursday morning. NEW IDOL JUDGE--American singer Mariah Carey performs during a concert in Monaco. (AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau, File) Consulting her notes, Walters recounted a phone conversation with Carey just before the ABC talk show went on the air, with new details of Tuesday's blowup between Carey and Minaj that was partly captured on video made public on the TMZ website.
by Tene’ Croom Two mothers, one played by Viola Davis, who is also a teacher, and the other portrayed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, are extremely upset about the lack of attention to their crumbling inner city school. They don’t just complain about it. These mothers work to change things and refuse to back down when up against as the publicity for the movie, “Won’t Back Down,” puts it “entrenched bureaucracy.” VIOLA DAVIS, MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL (Photo by Kerry Hayes) The drama, filmed in Pittsburgh, has a dynamic cast. Award winning British actress Marianne Jean-Baptiste is in the role of the head of the Board of Education in the film.
How—and when—will the world end? Depending on what (or who) you believe, it’s coming sooner, later, or not at all. We’ll go in glory or a fiery ball of war; Armageddon, Rapture or a lights-out fizzle. Depending on who (or what) you listen to, it’s going to happen in five minutes, five hundred years, sometime around Christmas, or ten days after never. But can you outrace the end of the world? Is it possible? In the new book “Devil’s Wake” by Steven Barnes and Tananarive Due, a small band of survivors will surely try.
(NNPA)—Dear Gwendolyn: Last July, my boyfriend became my fiancé. We went to a family gathering and when he drove me home, he got down on his knees and proposed. I was too happy. It was a dream come true. We have dated for six years. I am now 26 and thought he would never ask the question, “Will you marry me?” When my family and lady friends heard the news, they were all happy for me, including his male friends. Late that night before going to bed, my grandmother said she wanted to have a talk with me. She told me to set the wedding date one year from now giving me time to rid my life of single women friends. Grandma further explained. She said, “No married woman should have single women sitting around. They will take your man.”
