Peacocks, Ducks and Donkeys

Last Wednesday about 30 of us Music Festival supporters were invited out to a party at Stephanie’s.  She is hosting Alvin Tung, Guitarist Extraordinaire, and the menu featured a batch of Alvin’s Award Winning chili.  He even gave us the recipe for it.  Stephanie and her husband live on the other side of Chapala, up on the mountain and the views were spectacular from their amazing home.  Eduardo started us off with his Internationally renowned “margaritas” and that got the party rolling.  The sun entertained us, first with the Sun Dogs, and then a beautiful sunset.  I’ve posted a few photos here of the people shots I took and the rest are up on “My Webshots“.

Our Hostess, Stephanie

Alvin and Me

Adrian and Armande

Alvin & Armande

Alvin & Nina

Armande, Rita, Adrian and Louise

Christos and the Donkeys

Christos and Louise

Louise & Adrian

The end of another beautiful evening.

Maxine

I’ve been neglecting Maxine for quite some time, but I received a good one today from a friend so I’ve added it.

Sunday Evening Garden Party

After the lovely concert on Sunday afternoon, I went home, rested up a bit, then off I went to another evening of music.  My friends Louise and Adrian are billeting two young musicians and when the musicians offered to invite a few more musicians over after rehearsals Louise got on email and sent out the invites.  Their home and garden are lovely and a perfect place to host a musical gathering.

Here’s a video with some of the beautiful music that was performed.

Garden Party

 

 

 

A Wonderful Sunday Afternoon

I don’t know what was more impressive, the house in which the Tea Concert was held (an exquisite private residence on the west side of Ajijic), or the concert itself.  Together it made for a magical afternoon.   The quintet played Brahms Viola Quintet in G Major.  More excitement occurred for me after the performance when on my way out I spotted Anton Kuerti and my friend Nina and I had our picture taken with him.

Vivaldi and other Guys

We’ve got such talent here this year which is only fitting because it’s the 10th anniversary of the Scotiabank Northern Lights Music Festival here in Ajijic.  Last night I asked Chris Wilshere, founder and Artistic Director of the Festival, what they could do to top this next year and he let forth his signature laugh.

Last night was the Anniversary Gala Opener.  The honored guest composer Christos Hatzis was in attendance for the 3rd performance in all the world of his latest opus, Departures for flute and string orchestra.   Susan Hoeppner, flutist extraordinaire, played beautifully as usual.  Wow, is all I can say.    The program ended with Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, featuring Dawn Wohn on violin.  Everyone was awed by her performance.  This concert was followed by a party at the Wilshere’s residence, where it was fun to mingle with most of the performers and faithful supporters of the Festival.  Richard Underhill, the Sax King of Jazz and his group provided the entertainment which created a wonderful atmosphere in the garden.

Tonight will be another treat – Well known pianist, Anton Kuerti Plays Beethoven.  Yum.

The Legend of the Sayacas

Every year that I attend the Mardi Gras parade here in Ajijic,  I wonder about the strange custom  that takes place.  Men dressed as women running after young boys and other men and showering them with flour.  Their costumes are varied but most include stuffing balloons in their upper garments and something just as big in the back of their lower garments.  This morning I finally had a few minutes to sit out on my terrace with my two cups of coffee and read this month’s “Chapala Review” .  Judy King, who is a wonderful writer here in Ajijic, covered this very topic, which I am quoting here.

“Ajijic’s old tradition of sayacas is better experienced than explained.  The pure joy and mischief with the dancing flour and confetti throwing sayacas (masked men and boys costumed as well-endowed women).  Preceding them in the parade is a band of younger boys who taunt the sayacas and then run to avoid being showered with fistfuls of flour.  Sayacas wear everything from elegant gowns to tawdry sundresses shaped by a couple of well-placed balloons.  Accessorized with make-up, wigs, hats, gloves and handbags, the outfits are zany, but less than stunning.

A group of Ajijic residents resurrected the ancient tradition of the sayacas about 10 years ago.  It’s based on an event which is said to have taken place shortly before the arrival of the Spanish, but has been slightly altered in recent times.  The old woman is the deranged one.  She burst from the hospitalito (the hospice adjoining the old chapel at the plaza) when strangers came into town.  Wearing an odd combination of clothing, she’d follow the men, trying to kiss them.  When they refused she showered them with the face powder in her purse.”

After going to the Mardi Gras parade on Tuesday I made a video with some of the clips I took.  It’s HD size, so unless you have pretty high internet speed, you might want to put it on pause for a minute to let it stream and then you should be able to watch it without having it stall.

Mardi Gras Parade, February 2012

Fat Tuesday

Fat Tuesday has rolled around again but I didn’t eat any pancakes.  Instead I went to the Mardi Gras Parade in Ajijic this morning.  We were invited to a lovely home right on the parade route and were able to view it from the second floor.  We thought we’d be out of the reach of the flour and the confetti filled eggs, both of which are thrown in abundance by the revelers in the parade.  Seemed to be a lot more of that this year and everyone on the street level was white and rainbow coloured.  We did get a bit splattered because the eggs can sail a lot further through the air than confetti when it’s loose.  That egg can hurt when you get smacked on the head with it.

Heading for the Parade

We watched from the 2nd floor of this house

Queen of the Mardi Gras

The spectators across the street

This egg missed us and hit the back wall

I’ve done a little movie with my video clips of the parade and it should be up shortly on Vimeo.

Aeolus Quartet

Well, what a treat that was tonight!  The Aeolus Quartet , who hail from Cleveland, Ohio, were thrilled to be with us tonight in Mexico, and even before their first number was over, we were more than thrilled to have them with us.  What a nice, and very talented group of young people.  Just before intermission they performed part of a piece called “The Awakening”  written by Canadian composer Christos Hatzis.  Mr. Hatzis was in attendance and manned the electrical equipment that was needed to accompany the quartet.  The room was a bit warm by that time but once the piece started I had chills.  It was magnificent.  I can’t wait to hear Mr. Hatzis’  latest opus “Departures” which will be performed on Wednesday night at the grand opening concert, and also, as a Visionary, I will have the privilege of attending a private evening on February 27th at #4 Restaurant where Mr. Hatzis will be guest of honour and more of his music performed.

But to get back to the performance tonight, the venue was perfect and the whole evening was quite magical.  I didn’t have a camera with me, but below is a photo I took at a Tea Concert held at El Dorado during last year’s Festival.  It was a very hot day and Susan Hoeppner, the wonderful flutist who comes down each year, was cooling off.  The clubhouse where the concert took place sits beside an infinity pool with a view of the lake and mountains in the background.

The Festival has begun!

The Scotiabank Northern Lights Music Festival has begun it’s 10th year.

It was a challenge on Saturday, February 11th keeping the poor Patrons warm  for the Patrons’ Appreciation Event.  That event usually takes place in late January where the loyal supports go to pay for and pick up their packages.  This year, however it couldn’t be held until a week before the Festival because the Founder and Artistic Director, Chris Wilshere was up in Canada where he is employed with the Thunder Bay Orchestra and couldn’t get away in January.  His mom and dad, Tony and Roseann Wilshere live here in Ajijic in a large lovely home on the lake so they were able to come to the rescue and host the Patrons’ event when it was threatened by bad weather.  We had been having unusually unpleasant weather with lots of cold rain and the original venue was very open to the elements.   Chris and Alvin Tung  entertained us beautifully with violin and guitar pieces.

Alvin then launched the Festival last Friday at the Auditorio with “Guitango 3″.  He is such a personality and besides being an internationally renowned musician, he is also a professional sports fisherman, tennis player and chef.  Under the sponsorship of the SBNLMF and Hotel Villa San Francisco in Chapala, he entered the professional section of the Chili Cook-off and took away first prize.  We’re hoping we’ll get a taste of his chili sometime during the festival.

From the Guadalajara Reporter last Saturday:

I’m still enjoying my role as webmaster for the Festival, and here’s the website http://www.scotiabanknorthernlightsmusicfestival.com/

Tonight I’m heading out to enjoy the Aeolus Quartet.

Easter Passion Play Fundraiser

Yesterday I attended a fundraiser at the Nueva Posada for the annual Easter Passion Play in Ajijic.  I had the pleasure of seeing the Play performed a couple of years ago and was so impressed and moved by the realism of the performance.  A lot of effort and expense goes into producing it so a dedicated bunch of people put on a fundraiser in February to help raise the money needed.  The excellent meal was prepared and served by the actors and an art auction followed.

I found this video on YouTube which does a pretty good job of capturing the event which takes place each year on Good Friday.

http://youtu.be/pVjlPqxgjNM

From “Focus on Mexico”

Originally conceived in 1980 by Eduardo Ramos, Martha Elva Romero and Abdulia Zamora, the Ajijic Passion Play has been recreated year after year thanks to a loose-knit lay group that works independently but in cooperation with the local church. Now in its 25th year, the Via Crucis has become a huge undertaking that involves more than 200 active participants who take acting roles or assist with props, logistics and fund raising.
An intensive schedule of rehearsals and related preparations runs throughout Lent. While some of the amateur players have represented the same characters for a decade or more, new performers join the production every year, usually starting with non-speaking roles such as Roman soldiers.
Local businesses chip in by helping supply materials while other production costs are covered by benefits, including regular Sunday evening offerings of pozole (pork and hominy stew) dished out by volunteers at the village plaza. Families add color to street processions by adorning home exteriors with tissue paper, palm frond and flower arches and carpets of fresh alfalfa.
Episodes to be represented by the Pasion de Cristo players will span all next week, starting with a Palm Sunday procession and culminating with a simulated Crucifixion Good Friday. The aim of the events is to preserve a tradition of palpable religious instruction rather than provide entertainment. The respectful attendance of the general public is welcome.
The Good Friday presentation in the church atrium usually draws a crowd that assembles early in the morning. Spectators should wear hats and light clothing, bring drinking water and keep umbrellas closed during scenes.