Monday, March 28, 2011
"You Alone are God"
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Divas Underground Concert Marathon on St. Patrick's Day
On March 17th, I performed for the Divas Underground Concert Marathon, sponsored by the MTA. The MTA started a program called the Music Under New York program to help underground musicians be a part of an official music program. In New York City, it is common to find musicians performing underground at different subway stations, but this program allows musicians to perform with amplified sound. It is illegal, otherwise, to perform underground with amplified sound.
I have been a part of this program for two years now, and it has been a wonderful experience! I love singing underground in front of unsuspecting travelers. Setting up for the show is always a little hectic, because I'm trying to test the sound while the travelers look at me curiously, but can't stay to listen. But once I start singing, it's nice to see the crowds start to develop. They just don't suspect the my strong voice in the noise of the subway station! Because it's underground, the crowds get larger and smaller, depending on the song and where I am in the song, but I always get people who ask for a flyer, who tell me that I should be on American Idol and the X-factor, you know, the usual!
This event was particularly fun because it was an all day event. There were female performers at Union Square from 12pm to 8pm, so it was day of diverse kinds of music. It was also St. Patrick's Day, so there were many people celebrating that holiday that night. I always enjoy the opportunity to perform in front of new people. Here are a couple of short videos and a picture from that night. Enjoy and share with your friends!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
FLEX Cuban Choir gets Gold Award for singing "Keep Walkin' On"
On November 21st, 2010, 2 translators from Cuba came to present to me a recording from the FLEX Cuban choir and a note of thanks. The translators gave the presentation in front of my church during service. The story about the translators is actually really funny - they never met the choir before they go the recording. It just so happened that they were in Cuba, and their tour guide was the father of the choir leader for Flex Choir. The tour guide found out that the translators were from Brooklyn and said, "Oh, so you must know Jami!". It just so happens that my church is in Brooklyn, so it worked out that they were able to get in touch with me and present to me the gift. The FLEX Choir really wanted to show their appreciation for the use of my song, "Keep Walkin' On". They participated in contests in Cuba by singing the song and won a number of awards. They won a Gold Award in the competition with all the different schools of Havana University. They also won a Gold Award at the university level. Lastly, they won a Bronze Award at the provincial level competition with the other universities. I was so excited to listen to the recording and to read the words that they had to say. In the letter, the choir talked about how they sang the song with love. It was truly a touching moment. The video above is a recording of the choir performing the song live.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Mentoring in Medicine Walking Program
On December 4th, 2010, I performed for the Mentoring in Medicine Walking Program and Closing Ceremony. There were over 500 people in attendance for this event. The walking program's theme was, "Celebrating our Steps", so my song, "Keep Walkin' On" fit perfectly with the event. Everyone really enjoyed the song. A few people after the event inquired about the music and wanted to hear more. I also met Dave Nash, a former NBA player. It was so awkward to be standing next to him, because he is 7 feet and I am 2 feet shorter! But he was really nice and seemed to be used to the response to his height. I felt really good to sing an inspirational song for the purposes of healthy living.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
FLEX Choir Performs on April 7
Here is a picture of the FLEX Cuban Choir while they were having their performance at the Festival in Havana. They performed "Keep Walkin' On" and they have advanced to the next level of the competition with my song. There were 44 youths in the choir, though 10 boys were missing in the picture. Their next performance will be on April 28th. I'll let you know how it goes!! They are having a blast with their shows!
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Rehearsal of FLEX Choir Singing, "Keep Walkin' On"
Here is a video of the FLEX Choir practicing "Keep Walkin' On". You can tell they were having a lot of fun with this song!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Flex Choir, a Cuban Choir, Will Sing "Keep Walkin' On" During the Annual Festival "Flex Cultural Festiva" in April 2010
The Flex Choir, a choir of University students between the ages of 18 and 23, will be singing "Keep Walkin' On" as one of their featured songs for FLEX Cultural Festival! The festival is held every year in a large theater in Havana, Cuba. Last year, there were just over 1000 people in the theater and they had a great response from the crowd during their performance. The choir has about 40 voices and the students sing in English. The festival is organized by the Federation of University students and it comprises many artistic expressions such dancing, singing, choirs, story telling, jokes, pantomimes, fashion shows, etc. The word FLEX is the acronym in Spanish for School of Foreign Languages. During the festival, the choirs compete among different schools of Havana University to become the best choir. If they win the competition, they will compete among different universities all over the country of Cuba to be the best choir. Last year, they won the competition at the festival as the best choir! Let's hope theyw in again!
I will post 2 more pictures of the Flex choir in my photos section. I will also post a video or audio recording of their performance on my website. "Keep Walkin' On" is making an international impact!