http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/

Handel Messiah Comfort Ye Every Valley. Stephen Wall tenor. George Shangrow conducting from the harpsichord.

J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. Orchestra Seattle – Seattle Chamber Singers
George Shangrow, Music Director

Seattle is in mourning today and for all time on the death of George Shangrow. Seattle area conductor George Shangrow was killed in a car crash on Saturday July 31, 2010.

It’s not normal for me to publish things like this on my website. But this is just so shocking to me. I first worked with George when I was around 12 years old as a boy soprano and in 2005 had offered to relocate my record label and internet company to Seattle to solely focus on promoting his groups. I’m so sad to hear this. What a tremendous loss. He was such a great conductor, pianist and person. Condolences to his family.

When I was around 12 years old, George Shangrow was around 27 and worked as a rehearsal pianist for the Northwest Boychoir that I was in. He would also sometimes accompany me in voice lessons and later I sang in the chorus with him conducting Bach’s St. Matthew Passion.

In 2006, before I relocated to China with Cirque Du Soleil, I last saw him conduct the Bach Mass in B Minor in Seattle, WA. I spoke with him after the concert and he said “Are you still interested in that studio and internet thing?” and I said “Yes”. But that was the last we spoke and I relocated to China.

I remember a couple years before that speaking with him on the phone from California and he was getting ready to conduct Beethoven’s 5th Symphony at McIntyre Hall in Mount Vernon, WA. He said to me, “I’m sitting here talking to you on the phone and tonight I’ll be conducting Beethoven’s 5th – what a trip”. Even for a great conductor like George Shangrow it was still humbling to conduct Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.

In my mind, George Shangrow was the one person who really was a role model for me of what I wanted to be. He was all about Bach, Seattle, Art and sharing that love and humor. I don’t think I could have picked a better role model for me.

I remember having lunch with him in the University district in Seattle and he told me about the pain of being ousted from King FM. That story in itself is a big sore spot with many Seattle area musicians.

He was always kind with me and always generous. I cannot even imagine how many lives he has touched with his wit and musical insight.

WINTHROP, Wash. — A well-known Seattle music conductor was killed in a car crash near Winthrop Saturday.

George Shangrow, 59, was en route to the Methow Valley Chamber Music Festival.

His car was hit head-on by a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction that crossed the center line during a hard rainstorm.

Shangrow founded the Seattle Chamber Singers and Orchestra and had conducted with the Seattle symphony.

WINTHROP, Wash. – A well-known Seattle music director was killed Saturday when a car driven by a teenager crossed the centerline and slammed head-on into his car on Highway 20 during a driving rainstorm.

George Shangrow, 59, founder of the Seattle Chamber Singers and Orchestra Seattle, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.

When the accident occurred, Shangrow had been enroute to deliver a pre-concert lecture on American classical music as part of an annual Methow Valley Chamber Music Festival, the Wenatchee World reported.

State troopers responded to the scene, about one mile east of Winthrop, at about 5:50 p.m. Saturday. The crash closed the highway for six hours.

An investigation found that a 2000 BMW driven by a 16-year-old Twisp boy was heading west on Highway 20 as Shangrow has driving east in a 2005 Volvo, the Washington State Patrol reported.

The BMW crossed the centerline into the eastbound lane and crashed into Shangrow’s Volvo. There was a pounding rainstorm with thunder and lightning at the time of the crash.

The 16-year-old suffered a broken collarbone and ankle in the accident.

Drugs or alcohol were not a factor in the collision, the Washington State Patrol said.

Shangrow was a well-known fixture in the Seattle classical music scene. For many years he hosted “Live, by George,” a Seattle radio show that featured live classical performances.

He also had appeared as guest conductor with the Seattle Symphony, Northwest Chamber Orchestra, Tacoma Opera, Rudolf Nureyev and Friends, East Texas University Opera, Oregon Symphony and the Sapporo (Japan) Symphony.

He was music director and conductor of Pacific Chamber Opera from 1976 to 1978 and has conducted world premieres of six operas and numerous other orchestral and choral works.

GEORGE SHANGROW BIO

George Shangrow founded the Seattle Chamber Singers in 1969 and Orchestra Seattle in 1979. Mr. Shangrow received his academic musical training at the University of Washington, where he studied conducting, baroque performance practice, harpsichord, and composition.

He began his professional conducting career at age 18 and has concentrated his musical efforts for 37 years with Orchestra Seattle and the Seattle Chamber Singers. He has appeared as guest conductor with the Seattle Symphony, Northwest Chamber Orchestra, Tacoma Opera, Rudolf Nureyev and Friends, East Texas University Opera, Oregon Symphony and the Sapporo (Japan) Symphony.

Shangrow particularly relishes bringing newly composed works to the stage and has conducted world premieres of many operas, orchestral, and choral works.

Mr. Shangrow has taught music history, theory, and composition at Seattle University, Seattle Community College, and Seattle Conservatory of Music. He enjoys lecturing on musical topics and can be frequently heard at musical events and gatherings throughout the Northwest. Seattle-area music lovers also recognize Mr. Shangrow as former announcer and host of the Live! ByGeorge radio program on Classical KING-FM.

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Update August  20, 2010

Seattle Times Memorial Article. Memorial service set for August 22, 2010.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/thearts/2012535854_shangrow08.html

Excerpt:

Music lovers will long remember the roaring excitement of George’s Bach performances on the harpsichord with his longtime duo partner, flutist Jeff Cohan. How often do you get to use “roaring excitement” and “Bach sonatas” in the same sentence? Not often enough, George would say. He also specialized in getting the most possible excitement out of Handel’s “Messiah,” an annual fixture on his concert schedule. As a festive postscript, he inaugurated the after-Christmas tradition of the “Sing Along, Play Along Messiah,” conducting all comers for years in a boisterous come-as-you-are version of the Handel classic in University Unitarian Church.

A Shangrow performance was less concerned about details of historical practice than about extracting the “juice” of the music and presenting it to listeners. As a conductor, he was so riveting to watch that the performers visually locked onto his face and his hands, ready to follow him anywhere. Rehearsals for the Seattle Chamber Singers (with which I sang in the 1970s, before becoming a music critic) were never a dull slog. They were usually both serious and uproarious, full of fun and jokes that sometimes were unprintable.

One reason George’s Seattle musical roots are so deep is that he started so early. He was still in high school when he founded the Seattle Chamber Singers. Back in early 1969, when Shangrow was only 17, the Roosevelt High School senior was already termed “a genius” by another legend, Seattle Times feature writer Don Duncan, who cited his talents as composer, arranger, pianist, harpsichordist, choral director, and teacher of flute, piano and organ. “One thing seems certain,” Duncan accurately predicted. “We will be hearing more about George Shangrow in the years ahead.”

It’s the “dot net” version of my name. The site you’re on now is “dot com”. I split the downloads into a new website because this one is already getting really bogged down with traffic.

And since I’m at it I’ll let you know that my forum which I never told anyone about is at:
http://forum.ConradAskland.com

I’ll keep doing uploads as I can and then come back here to make all the navigation between the different areas more user-friendly.

Olberman slams Pat Robertson and Rush Limbaugh for their comments on Haiti.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer printed it’s last newspaper on March 17, 2009. It will now only be available online as an internet newspaper.

Excerpt: The paper published its final print edition Tuesday (March 17, 2009) as the P-I makes a transformation into an online-only news outlet. A skeleton crew of 20 to 25 staffers will remain at the new Seattle PI.com while more than 140 staffers will lose their jobs.

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/03/16/pi.closes/index.html

CNN reports that police in Harwich, Massachusett received a report of a piano in the middle of the woods. A woman discovered it at the end of a dirt trail. The piano is in tune, in fine working order and includes a bench placed in front of the piano as if someone was about to play.

Even CNN can’t help but be cheezy on this story. They said police tried “drumming up clues” no matter “how minor” they might be. But detectives have “run flat” on leads. Oh boy – that even puts MY bad humor to shame. The article also includes extra details that are “of note”.

For the record, it’s a Baldwin serial number 733746.

I can’t wait to hear how this story turns out and hope the prankster steps forward so we can full recognize them. We love you!

Read the original article on CNN:

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/US/11/23/massachusetts.piano/index.html

I’m not very much into politics. Partly because I have heard too many political rantings from people in my life. Armchair quarterbacks spouting off all the absolute truths of how things are, so convinced of how brilliant they are. I used to ask what they were doing about it, and get no fulfilling answer. They would vote in a presidential election, and that’s it. No time spent lobbying, no donations to special interest groups, no real world time devoted to their rantings. It bores me. Save it for the local Irish pub.

I also realize there are so many considerations to take into account, there are not easy solutions. The armchair quarterbacks don’t see the whole picture, don’t know the inside story. I’ve always wondered what it must be like for the president to make those tought decisions, having all the inside intel that we can’t see. Tough stuff.

But this post is about the reaction to Obama’s US presidential election. I write this because I’m living in China right now, and reaction over here is VERY strong. I’ve never seen anything like it before, and like I said I’m not really “into” politics. Ignorance is bliss for me in that area.

I remember the first time I heard of Obama – he was on Oprah. I was like “Where did this guy come from?”. I remember he was there talking with his wife. I thought it was odd, a presidential candidate talking with his wife. Why would he do that? Shouldn’t he be focusing on his campaign issues? I figured, oh well, it’s Oprah. And I thought that’s the last I would hear of him, just one of those minor candidates that would be weeded out. But I remember I was impressed by him, but of course knew there was no way he’d make to to the elections. We would never elect someone we hadn’t heard of like that. Maybe a Colin Powell sure, but not a newcomer. I’m so glad I don’t know anything about politics, and that I was wrong.

I started getting emails from friends back home before the election: “Make sure you vote!” – You’re voting aren’t you? Who are you voting for? You’re voting for Obama aren’t you? PLEASE say you’re voting for Obama! In fact I even had a pro-Obama youtube video posted on my website – a friend of mine didn’t watch the video, misinterpreted it and thought it was anti-Obama. They sent me a short email: “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can be your friend anymore.” Followed by an apology after they actually watched the full video and realized their mistake.

When the election results came in I started getting emails from friends in the states, very excited that Obama had won. Then I got several texts from co-workers and friends here in China, things like “Obama Baby!”. I go to have lunch and the waitress stands by me for several minutes and then says “Are you happy?”, and I say “No”, because I was a little down that day. She can’t believe it, she says “You are not happy that Obama won?”. And I was like “Oh, THAT! Yes, I’m happy”.

At work a fellow American was actually dancing down the halls yelling “We did it! We did it!”, referring to Obama. I know quite a few Indonesians here in China, they are mainly Muslim. They are very excited too. I ask them if they know that Obama spent part of his childhood living in Indonesia, and they say “Of course!” – and they are very excited too.

I remember many years ago saying that I would see a black president in my lifetime, but I thought it was going to be when I was much, much older. I had no idea America was ready for this already. I am so proud right now, as many of you are too. I’m proud that my America back home chose this. Like many of you, I think back to when I was a kid learning about the founding fathers. I think about being a kid and seeing “Roots”. I think about our Civil War. I think of all the marches, all the pain. All the people saying “one day” – but it was more of just a distant dream. But here it is – it’s real. And America wants it.

Since 9/11 I am very tired of the molds that America has to be. That is has to be only a “Christian nation” or only for “Joe the plumber”. It’s all things, it’s a fabric. Remember when one of Obama’s opponents tried to make a big deal that Obama’s father was Muslim, and showed pictures of Obama in African traditional clothing calling him a “traitor”? We don’t fall for that anymore. We’ve grown up a little bit.

And I guess I didn’t really realize how moving Obama was until I saw his victory speech on YouTube. This is a real president – a JFK, a Lincoln. At least it looks that way now.

And to the few supremacists still living in America – just wait a term and see what happens. I know you can’t fathom that, but the rest of America wants to see it. And you should at least respect our popular voice.

In fact I know of at least one Bush effigy burning party that was planned, but cancelled because the police here said it was illegal.

I was able to start voting in Presidential elections in 1984. And all that time til now I’ve always wondered, where are the JFK’s? The candidates never seemed like presidents to me, they just seemed like guys. Just some guy who did politics. Not a “president” – know what I mean? I used to think, with all the people in the United States, why don’t we have better people surface? Never even really good choices, in my opinion. Until now – here’s a “real president”.

And the best part of all – we never voted for him because he was black. We voted for him because was the best. And he rarely talked about being black, he didn’t go there. Ok, I’ll wrap this up so you can go read another blog where someone actually has something important to say. I’m just so happy, that’s it.

So just for the record: Yes, people over here in China are very happy. And I am excited to watch what happens from “beyond America’s shores”.

And when I watch Obama’s victory speech; I start to cry. Which is rare for me. But I can’t help it.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrXkBuWNx88

Here is an email that was forward to me, by “Cornelia”:

OH NO!!!!!!!!!!!! I have a family member who will be very upset about William Petersen leaving CSI…

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/TV/07/16/petersen.csi.ap/index.html

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/BUSINESS/07/01/starbucks.closings.ap/index.html