While performing in Abu Dhabi, UAE – we had the opportunity to visit the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. I visited in the early evening and was able to hear the beautiful dusk call to prayers.
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No More Musical Theater from the musical Pray the Gay Away®
I’m finally starting to release some clips from my 2019 original musical “Pray the Gay Away”®. This song “No More Musical Theater” is a turning point in the musical where it quickly switches from a comedy to a tragedy. This is the last of the “fun and games” moments in the script as we follow the journey of two boys going through gay conversion therapy.
Subscribe to my YouTube channel for more PTGA clips and other music video projects I’m working on at: https://www.youtube.com/@ConradAskland
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Montreal Canada photos Christmas 2023
Photos from my two weeks in Montreal, Canada for Christmas 2023 through New Year’s Day. We were in Montreal performing with the Cirque du Soleil show Crystal at the Bell Centre arena. Here are photos I took around Montreal city including Notre Dame cathedral, the Sphere, Cirque du Soleil international headquarters and the Montreal Christmas Market.
Last year I missed the Christmas markets when we were performing in Germany, so I was very happy this year to make it to the Montreal Christmas market. I will have great memories of Montreal as always. A beautiful city with a wonderful and interesting bilingual culture.
Cirque du Soleil CRYSTAL – Christmas 2023 in Montreal, Canada
Yes, that’s me (Conrad Askland) sitting at the ice piano during a performance of the Cirque du Soleil show CRYSTAL. (Photo by Caroline Thibault)
We just finished a wonderful two weeks performing in Montreal, Canada over Christmas with the Cirque du Soleil show CRYSTAL. Not only were the audiences wonderful to perform for, the cast of Crystal also got a private tour of the Cirque du Soleil International Headquarters in Montreal. Wonderful city. Wonderful audiences.
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New recording of Ave Verum Corpus by W.A. Mozart
Here is our new recording of Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus by the vocal quartet Tembresha. We recorded this in my living room at the tail end of the pandemic in December 2021. This was one of several groups I worked with in my home during the pandemic. During the pandemic I wasn’t able to perform publicly so I started working with people in my home as a way to keep my sanity and creativity alive.
Click the bottom right of the video “Watch on YouTube” to listen to it on my YouTube channel and also to read more about the singers, our recording and the history of Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus
Read more about the history of Ave Verum Corpus by W.A. Mozart: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ave_verum_corpus_(Mozart)
You can also listen to this recording on your favorite streaming platform: https://social.tunecore.com/linkShare?linkid=kvv70yBgJXvm6qcaL8RFqg
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Perth, Western Australia photos 2023
Photos of Perth, Western Australia and surrounding areas of Fremantle, Rottnest Island, Lake Clifton and Pinnacles Desert. Perth had a wonderful surprise gift for me: Astro Photography! I’ve never taken photos of the Milky Way or stars before but I kind of accidentally bumped into astro photography and wow oh wow is it fun!
Adelaide, Australia photos 2023
Adelaide, Australia photos late August 2023. We only did one week of shows in Adelaide Australia which only gave me a couple days to explore the city. It’s a fairly small city compared to Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. It’s very charming and the highlights for me was the Botannical Gardens, University of Adelaide and the National Gallery of South Australia (NGSA).
Melbourne, Australia 2023 photos
Of all the cities I’ve been to in Australia, I think Melbourne might be my favorite. Great art scene, gardens and vibrant urban city quarters. I also took a day trip to Phillip Island to watch the daily “Penguin Parade” as the penguins make their way to the shore every night right after sunset.
Some great highlights for me in Melbourne was going to the NGV (National Gallery of Victoria) to see the Rembrandt and Bonnard exhibits. Amazing! Also saw two shows. A suspense play called “2:22” (His Majesty’s Theatre) and a new musical comedy called “Bloom” (Melbourne Art Centre).
We performed our Cirque du Soleil CRYSTAL show at the John Cain arena which was a beautiful walk from the hotel through the botannical gardens and war memorial. Melbourne is a stunningly beautiful and vibrant city!
See my photos of Melbourne street art on AC/DC lane here: https://conradaskland.com/blog/ac-dc-lane-street-art-in-melbourne-australia/
And here are photos from Melbourne and Prince Phillip Island (Sony A7iv and Sony GM 35mm lens):
Sydney, Australia 2023 photos
I didn’t get a lot of photos in Sydney, Australia. My two weeks there with Cirque du Soleil was mainly spent visiting friends on the days off. But a highlight for me was attending the Sydney Opera House for a concert performance of La Gioconda “the world’s leading tenor” Jonas Kaufmann. Brilliant concert!
And don’t tell anyone, but I had my first dinner at a vegetarian restaurant and the food was really good! Normally when I see any word with “-tarian” in it I run. After I ate, it didn’t feel like I had just had dinner. Hmmm… maybe there’s something to all that after all.
So here’s a few photos from my Sydney walks with friends:
AC/DC Lane street art in Melbourne, Australia
AC/DC Lane in Melbourne, Australia is full of fantastic street art and murals. Here are photos I took on “Acca Dacca” lane and surrounding streets in Melbourne. This was the most fun I’ve had yet doing street art photography. The only other city I’ve been to that even comes close is Hamburg, Germany (which I affectionately call the “Steampunk City”)
Photos taken with a Sony A7 iv camera and Sony GM 35mm lens. Photos taken August 2023
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