I do get a little thrill! We’re not talking numbers by any means, we’re talking locations, a pleasant little journey of the mind on a rainy day is all. Amo, amas, amat, amamo, amatis, amant. There, I remembered my high school latin 😉
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Hello Flute Fans! I’ll be playing in the Main Hall of the West Vancouver Memorial library from 2-3 pm. this Monday December 18, that is. Come and browse and flip magazine pages while I pour my heart out flute-wise…
It’s not set up for a Concert – more for a pleasant flute hang. Very casual and a bit of a scholarly vibe you know…lovely!
You’re invited! and a Merry ’tis the Season to All!
Dear Fine Folk… you are warmly invited to come on a Dream Ride with us September 4, 4pm @ St. Andrews Wesley Church in Vancouver.
Can’t believe eight years have passed since I bounced off the end of my mother’s bed and into a very different head space!
All was not lost though. Beautiful new music has come to the surface, twenty pieces for solo piano and new project called Dream Ride. Serendipitous events that have urged us forward in surprising ways, like finding baritone Pablo Romero in the forest.
Featuring Linda Lee Thomas, renowned VSO pianist, also known as the “Queen of Tango”. Dream Ride explores the Tango idiom while venturing into realms of pure lyric beauty.
St. Andrews Wesley Church (Burrard and Nelson) Vancouver. By Donation *no upward limit! free parking under the church.
Here’s a video taste of what you’re in for…
On the subject of heads…here’s another cool thing I stumbled upon in the forest.
This amazing carving known as “Twin Spirits” is just off of Rawlings trail in Stanley Park, not far from Second Beach.
The Parks Board in their greater wisdom do not “acknowledge” this remarkable creation because the artist failed to go through their application process. Hey maybe the artist didn’t know where the office was – didn’t have a computer – was living in the park? I’m just so glad this carver went ahead with their vision, their inspiration for all the people to enjoy.
Thank you, Park Banksy. Love to know who you are and meet you one day ❤️
Yes, it’ll be the first public performance of Two Eagles ~1000 hours later…or is it ten thousand hours later…Bill has meticulously finished the band arrangement of ‘Two Eagles.’ Can’t wait to hear it played by Bill’s stellar band The Bill Runge Quintet. Miles Black on piano, Bernie Arai on drums, André Lachance on bass and Nick Apivor on the magical vibes. It was a full circle type of experience with this tune. It began on a cold clear February day when I spied two magnificent eagles in the large evergreen just off my building. They were there for hours…just hanging out. I went to the piano and found a figure I liked, and a couple of potential places to go and Two Eagles was born (I kept running back and forth from the piano to the window to the window to see if they were still there.) Last week, Bill was completing the full band arrangement and looked out his window to see two glorious eagles soaring around his building. “We’re not changing the name!” said Bill.
Listen to an excerpt of “Two Eagles”!
Can’t help but get a little excited about stepping out onto the new terrain of a new year. The forever hope of things being better. Things will be better, it always feels that way, even this year. So here we are sending some good vibes your way )))))
Your buddies,
Holly and Bill
I’d like to introduce you to my grandson, and latest addition to our family, Diego the Cat. He’s all that. We’ve all fallen in love with him. There’s no escape!
One of my favourite things to do with him is have him pose for portraits in the parlour or out on the promenade. Purr-fect! He is like a pink, pink rose but he is a grey tiger on the outside. I hold up my page and draw so that he can watch the movement of the pen. He is a very good student of drawing. He watches every movement and listens to me as I explain to him that he is a cat. Pointing out his pointy ears and all that. He is a cat. His attention never wavers and when the pen moves closest to him, he starts purring. I think he likes curves especially.
The obvious next step is a full ballet production involving cats, pens, and a generous production budget. I am told this was actually done in Montréal way back in 1999 or 2000 with a contemporary dance company, but alas with the unfortunate exclusion of cats.
Next week we will be back to our regular programming.
It seems to me the cherry blossoms are even more beautiful as they fall. Long lines of pink along the streets. Hallways of rosy colours and small petals that tickle the road as they pass before you. This Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival is a wonderful thing. Thanks to Linda Poole for creating it.
cherry tree
even the blind woman
picks blossoms
-Rosa Clement, Manaus, Brazil
Before I leave you with a fantastic photo of Yayoi and I, and a video clip, I’d like to let you all know I’ll be returning to the garden once again May 28-29 with the amazing bassist Dino DiNicolo.
Yayoi and I performing haiku.
This is a video of our performance at VanDusen Garden.
An interesting foreign couple asked me for directions in Stanley Park the other day, and I was quite drawn to speak with them. The woman was from Switzerland, her husband Oman told me his wife was really into trees because of a book she was reading. Ah – A soulmate! She told me that this book was only available in German, and it describes how trees communicate through their roots! For example: there are some trees in Africa that can secrete a toxic substance to turn off giraffe’s that are coming to eat them. Not only that, trees at a distance will warn other trees that the giraffes are coming! When I find out when this book will be translated I’ll let you know. The French are going to make it into a movie. For me, I think of my beautiful family and how we help each other and how similar we are to a group of trees. 
Holly Burke Music & Poetry 