Canadian composer and virtuoso pianist Paul Tobey joins forces with the Brantford Symphony Orchestra for the premiere of ?A Journey Through Spain -The Road to Santiago Suite.? Guest Pops conductor Daniel Warren of the Kitchener Symphony Orchestra will be at the baton on Sunday, Feb 18th at the prestigious Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts in Brantford, Ontario.
Composed by Paul Tobey during an eight hundred and fifty kilometer trek across northern Spain, The Road to Santiago Suite began as a result of an accidental meeting with a local Spanish conductor. ?He saw that I was composing for smaller ensembles and asked me if I'd consider arranging one of the pieces for his symphony orchestra,? said Tobey. ?I took it as a challenge and without realizing it, a few hundred kilometers later; I ended up with an entire suite for piano and symphony!?
And, there was plenty of inspiration in Spain for Tobey's masterwork. ?The rhythmic sound of my footsteps on gravel, the pulsations of my heartbeat, the flow of the wind in the windmills, the joyful musings of the wheat fields, the chimes of the church bells, the crackle of the fire, and grumblings of tired pilgrims is the natural music of the Camino. The music is part of the road if you just listen,? explains Tobey.
During his journey, Tobey had the rare opportunity of being welcomed inside the famous 16h century Monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos. There he met with Padre Ramon, a monk from the Benedictine Order world-renowned for their Gregorian Chants. Tobey was encouraged by the Padre to perhaps incorporate chanting into his compositions. So, he did. The honor of performing these chants at the concert will be twenty members of the award winning Grand River Chorus.
Tobey's vision of The Road to Santiago delivers much more than traditional classical music. While still honoring classical tradition, the music is laced with hot Spanish rhythms, folk music, jazz and some wonderful solo piano passages. Samples of Tobey's symphonic suite can be heard on his website at www.paultobey.com.
?The shear volume of music that I composed wouldn't have been possible without modern technology. When I think about how composers used to do it with quill and ink, I get bewildered. Imagine carrying that amount of paper across Spain in my backpack,? jokes Tobey.
Armed with a laptop computer and a small two octave keyboard Tobey was able to get the job done. ?I stuffed more than double the recommended weight in my backpack, 17 kilos worth, and walked an average twenty five kilometers a day,? said Tobey. He and his Director of Photography, Drew Dekker, also carried video gear to film the journey. Clips from Tobey's upcoming documentary will be screened during the live performance.
To attend the Brantford Symphony's Orchestra world-premiere of A Journey Through Spain ? The Road to Santiago Suite, tickets can be purchased by calling the Sanderson Box Office at 1.800.265.0710.
Visit Paul Tobey's website to listen to free piano music and music samples of the Road to Santiago Suite.
Picture the scene, you are with friends at the local swimming baths when one of your friends slips when attempting to dive into the pool and bangs their head. Help is likely to be available in the form of a lifeguard but the fact is despite swimming pools generally being safe, regulated environments, there are still about 15 deaths by drowning in swimming pools each year.
When you realise that in Great Britain each year there are about 350 million visits to public swimming pools as well as visits to pools at leisure clubs, gyms, hotel, holiday parks and at home it is safe to say most swimming pools are a safe environment. However, 15 deaths by drowning is 15 deaths too many so if anything can be done to reduce this figure whilst also providing improved health and safety practices to pools and leisure centres then surely they would take it. Well the good news for swimming pools, hotels and other leisure facility providers is that modern two way radio can now be used to improve their health and safety.
The government has recognised that it is essential that children learn about the principles and skills of water safety and survival, which is why swimming is a compulsory component of the PE curriculum in primary schools. By the age of 11 all children must be able to safely swim a minimum of 25 metres.
So with more children swimming at an early age and with the London Olympic Games in 2012 no doubt likely to fuel further interest in sport, leisure and keep fit, there is every chance more and more leisure centres and swimming pools will be required. It is therefore vital that swimming pools have procedures and fail safe communication systems in place for members of staff to stay in touch and communicate an accidents or incidents that may happen.
One such system is the new waterproof two way radio systems. Being waterproof of course is ideal for use by lifeguards and swimming assistants. The good news for leisure centres is that they can take advantage of these waterproof 2 way radios pool side and make sure staff stay in touch and pool users are kept in safe surroundings.
Traditionally, two way radio has been used as a safety and communication tool in businesses including factories, schools and retail outlets where their staff need to stay in touch over a wide area whilst also having no call charges. And with the new waterproof 2 way radios, swimming pools and sports centres can make sure their staff stay in touch and can immediately report accidents and other incidents. Not only will this increase their safety and performance but it will also ensure that if an incident does happen in their pool they can report it immediately and steps can be taken to ensure serious incidents and possible fatalities can be prevented.
With so many people and children in particular using swimming pools, leisure and sports centre managers and owners now have the option to make their facilities as safe as possible with two way radios. As business owners there is nothing as important as the safety of our staff and customers so modern technology is now available that can make your business safe and not sorry.
Both Paul Tobey & Mark Burdett are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.