Bears, in all their Glory

Happy Halloween!

 I wish I had a pet squirrel just so I could dress it up for Halloween!

Toronto Pianos - Play Me, I'm Yours

Last year (2012) a number of pianos were spread around Toronto by unknown music enthusiasts (with some digging I could probably found out who), but basically they were brightly painted and set in public places so people could randomly sit down and play.

Below are a variety of photos of some of the pianos that were spread around downtown Toronto.

The Carol Burnett Show - The Recital

The Carol Burnett Show - The Recital

Victor Borge on the Piano

Victor Borge on the Piano

Going Medieval!

I never get bored of funny cat photos!

The Life of David Gale

When I meet people sometimes people blurt out something about this movie - which I have never seen.

Which is perhaps fortunate, because I don't think I would like watching this movie. Too serious and depressing.

The Life of David Gale is a 2003 thriller film directed by Alan Parker and written by Charles Randolph. It stars Kevin Spacey as the main character, a college professor and longtime activist against capital punishment who is falsely sentenced to death for killing a fellow capital punishment opponent.

I doubt I will watch it however. The film looks too depressing.

Edward de Gale's Funny List of Things to do on a Friday Afternoon

Edward de Gale's Funny List of Things to do on a Friday Afternoon

#1. Order pizza for everyone and give the delivery man your boss's name.

#2. Drop printed notes on people's desks that say things like "I know what you did last Friday." or "I have a plan to make this company super rich - all we need is some ducttape, some nails and gasoline." Or make up your own.

#3. Build a handcrossbow using office supplies and have a contest with coworkers to see who can make the best one.

#4. Send an anonymous memo that next week everyone has Friday off because the boss is such a nice guy and we don't have any pressing work anyway. (With any luck the boss will go along with it anyway.)

#5. Send coworkers hundreds of anonymous emails of babies and kittens looking cute or funny.

Love is being stupid together

Love is being stupid together :)

Justine Bieber...

A friend of mine recently returned from living overseas.

She asks "Who is this Justine singer?"

"Who?" I ask.

"The singer who looks like k d lang. I think she is a lesbian."

*confused* I ask for more details.

"You know, Justine Bieber..."

"Ah!"

She is absolutely right tho. Justin Bieber is so metrosexual he looks like k d lang's younger sister.

Blue Kitten

I think it would be awesome if we could genetically modify cats so we can make blue kittens.

With or without wings, it would still be impressive.

Talented Street Violinist

Cat Smiling for the Camera

Edward de Gale's List of Things To Do in Toronto

Bored this Summer?

Looking for something to do in the great city of Toronto?

Here is a list of things to do!

Edward de Gale's List of Things To Do in Toronto

#1. Visit the AGO on a Wednesday night. Its free!

#2. Go to any one of the ballet performances that Toronto hosts at numerous theatres in the downtown core / near the waterfront.

#3. Go to an orchestra or musical event. Toronto also hosts numerous musical festivals, including the Toronto Jazz Festival.

#4. Go to any one of Toronto's five stars world class beaches. (We have a lot of world class 5 star beaches in the Toronto area. You weren't expecting that, were you?)

#5. Go to a spa! Toronto has hundreds of alternative spas where you can luxuriate and relax.

#6. Go to Riverdale Park Petting Zoo. Always good if you have little kids.

#7. Take up a new sport. eg. You can do archery at the Toronto Public Archery Range and get archery lessons in Toronto.

#8. Go outside and exercise. There are numerous cycling and jogging paths throughout Toronto.

#9. Go for an architecture walk in downtown Toronto - Visit the University of Toronto, the Royal Ontario Museum, Queen's Park and numerous other sites displaying examples of Toronto architecture.

#10. Go to a cultural / food event. For example the Taste of Italy in Little Italy or the "Festival of South Asian" (aka the Little India Street Festival).

#11. Go to a fashion show. Toronto has fashion shows on a regular basis.

eg. Toronto Fashion Week.

#12. Go to the movie theatre.

eg. Tomorrow I am going to the movie theatre to watch "Man of Steel", the new Superman movie.

#13. The Toronto Film Festival

#14. Luminato Festival

#15. Concerts (Beyonce is currently in Toronto).

#16. Theatre productions (Aladdin, etc.) ... or you could even JOIN a small budget theatre like "Theatre the Good" to help put on productions.

#17. Go Rock Climbing or Paintballing or Horseback Riding.

#18. Golf, Tennis, Squash courts galore. Miniature golf too. And lest we forget bowling or lawn bowling.

#19. Go Kart Racing.

#20. Bungee Jumping, Skydiving, Snorkeling, Scuba Diving... You can get snorkeling lessons!

Seriously. Lots of things to do this Summer! :)

Violinist Paintings

I really like this painting by Toronto painter Charles Moffat. It is called "Violinist #2".

Here is several other violin paintings I also like.

Rob Ford, Toronto's Crack Mayor

The above photo is of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford with a group of three crack dealers, standing outside a known crack house in the north end of Toronto.

Rob Ford has not denied that it is him. He doesn't deny knowing crack dealers. He doesn't even deny smoking "something" in a crack pipe in a video that he sometimes claims doesn't exist, but sometimes also claims "You can't tell what I am smoking in that video."

It is a bit like a little kid stealing cookies from a cookie jar and he has crumbs on his shirt and saying:

"I didn't steal cookies from the cookie jar!"

while also saying

"You can't tell whether those are cookie crumbs on my shirt!"

So yeah.

Not that any of us are really surprised. We've known for years that Toronto Mayor Rob Ford smokes crack and weed - even before he became the mayor of "Hogtown".

What you might not also know is all the time Rob Ford's wife has called the police due to domestic abuse. Pray tell, why would Renata Ford call the police about domestic abuse again and again and again?

It is because Rob Ford is a wife beater.

Beats up his wife on a regular basis. Sometimes she calls the cops on him.

The one time she called the police he was apparently kidnapping their children and planning to take them to Florida with him (it is illegal to take children across the border without the permission of both parents, thus constituting a kidnapping). That particular incident happened while he was already the mayor.

By the time the police showed up however Rob Ford had calmed down. Rob and Renata denied anything was wrong other than a squabble and the police left empty handed.

The one time, years ago, Rob Ford's sister Kathy's ex-boyfriend showed up at Rob Ford's house one morning and tried to break in, claiming Rob owed him money. The man, Kathy's ex, was also a heroin and cocaine dealer.

Pray tell, why would Rob Ford owe money to a drug dealer.

And then it was later revealed that Doug Ford, Rob's older brother, was a heroin dealer during the mid to late 1980s. Lots of witnesses confirmed it to the Globe and Mail.

Oh and that time Randy Ford, Rob Ford's other older brother, kidnapped a drug dealer who owed Doug Ford money and held him hostage until the drug dealer's parents agreed to pay a ransom - but the parents called the cops instead and Randy Ford was arrested and charged... but was he ever convicted or spent time in prison? I don't know. Their father was very rich and had a lot of powerful connections.

Sheesh. It is like a drug-induced soap opera version of the TV show the Sopranos.

Except it is real.

I have no doubt the cellphone video of Rob Ford smoking crack is real too. It was seen and witnessed by three different people from two different news agencies. They all reported the same details of what they saw in the video.

Now you might argue, oh people can fake that. They might have used a look-a-like.

Do you know how hard it is to find a look-a-like? Extremely rare. Even siblings and children don't look enough like the original. Take Kirk Douglas and Michael Douglas for example. They look very similar, but they are not look-a-likes.

Even comedy TV shows cannot find a Rob Ford look-a-like - and trust me, they have tried really hard to find a look-a-like.

And besides who would bother going through the trouble of finding a look-a-like when the real Rob Ford - all on his own - manages to goof up on a regular basis and look like a buffoon?

Remember that time Rob Ford was high (possibly on crack) and was grabbing the ass of former mayor candidate Sarah Thomson? He was slurring his words, but not drunk. All indications are that he was high on something.

The evidence - especially the Ford family's history of drugs - is against Rob Ford.

The funny thing is, the mayor cannot be thrown out of power. He is mayor until he either doesn't run in the next election - or fails to be re-elected.

Or dies from an heart attack - currently the most likely way he will be removed from power - which would be sad, because where would Torontonians get their entertainment from if Rob Ford wasn't around to make fun of.

Googling My Name - Edward de Gale in Toronto

For fun today I googled my name.

What I discovered is that there is more than one Edward de Gale in Toronto.

Alas, I thought I was the only one.

There is apparently at least two others.

One is a charity worker / social entrepreneur, Edward de Gale, the owner of edwarddegale.ca, and the founder of a group called "Share the Warmth", a charity dedicated to helping low income people be able to pay for their electricity and heating costs and also helps homeless people.

The other is apparently someone of low repute - although to be fair the websites talking about him are also of low repute, so how much can you trust a website which is itself disreputable?

There is also another Edward Degale who lives in Markham (according to Facebook).

There is also an Edward de Gale in Quebec.

And an Edward Daigle, also in Quebec.

And an Edwin Degale in Brooklyn, NY.

No doubt there is other Edward de Gale's out there in the world - especially in France, but since my French isn't very good I am not sure how well to search for them.

I wonder if I am the only Edward de Gale with a beard?

Horse Sculpture

I found this Horse Sculpture online and thought it was particularly well made so I thought I would share it on here.

I wonder if anyone purchased it??? I think it is amazing.

Off the Grid Homes

I like this website.

25 Examples of Off the Grid Homes + Green Architecture

Here is two of the photos. I think they're awesome.

 

Bored today

I know I should be doing work today...

But it is a Friday and rainy... And I want to goof off instead. Ah why do I have to work in an office?

Why can't playing the piano pay more... :(

Poetry baby!

I love fridge magnet poetry.

Silly cat, laps are comfy

I took this photo with my phone because the cat wouldn't get up. Ever tried to move a cat that doesn't want to go? They just dig their claws in - in to your leg!

Mr T at Honest Ed's in Toronto

I was shopping at Honest Ed's near Bathurst and Bloor today. When I was leaving I noticed this photo of Ed with Mr T. It was so awesome I had to snap a photo.

Bought a new bicycle

I bought a new bicycle yesterday, despite the rain.

Hearing Loss and my life as a pianist

I am not deaf.

But ever since I suffered hearing loss in 2010 I must admit I feel a certain affinity with deaf people.

Due to mistaken identity, in 2010 I was stalked by a woman from Thornhill who thought I looked like her ex-husband (and this is why I don't put photos of myself online any more). The stalker was so convinced that I was her hated ex-husband, and so angry at whatever misdeeds he had done, that she stabbed me three times with a knife. Once in the left shoulder, once in my arm while I was trying to fend her off, and once in my right ear.

The woman then fled the scene, but was later arrested by police. Her lawyer pleaded insanity and she got away with a lighter sentence and mandatory time in a provincial mental ward.

Meanwhile my right ear suffered permanent hearing loss - she has severed several important nerves in the ear and damaged the eardrum itself with her knife. I am not deaf in that ear, but I do now use a hearing aid.

Despite this injury - and thanks to my perfectly good left ear - I was able to finish my Doctorate of Musical Arts at U of T. I must admit I was almost done anyway at the time of the stabbing.

I would also like to take a moment to thank the Omni Hearing Clinic in Vaughan for all their help during that trying time. I am very thankful that I still have my left ear to hear with, but I am very thankful that with an hearing aid I can now hear with my right ear again almost as well as before the incident.

Biography of Edward de Gale, Toronto Pianist

Toronto pianist Edward de Gale is a soloist, chamber musician, collaborative pianist, songwriter and teacher currently residing in Downtown Toronto, Ontario.

Edward made his orchestral debut with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra at sixteen. Since then, he has performed with esteemed orchestras across Canada such as the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and the Quebec Symphony Orchestra. Furthermore, as the winner of several concerto competitions, he has performed Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto with the Sooke Philharmonic Orchestra and also with the University of Victoria Orchestra. Edward has also won numerous top prizes in festivals and competitions at the local, provincial and national level, including:

Canadian Registered Music Teachers’ Association Competition;
The Canadian Concerto Competition;
The Canadian Music Competition.

Most recently, Edward was awarded 3rd place and the Paul J. Bourret Prize for Best Performance of the Test Piece in the 2011 Shean Piano Competition held in Edmonton, Alberta in May 2011.

After obtaining his Bachelors of Music degree at York University in Toronto, Edward completed his Masters of Music degree with honours in performance at the University of Toronto. He also finished his Doctorate of Musical Arts studies on full-scholarship at the University of Toronto in performance & pedagogy with Drs. Jamie Parker, Henri-Paul Sicsic and Midori Koga - and managed to do this despite suffering hearing loss in his right ear in 2010.

Additionally, Edward has studied with MayLing Kwok, Dr. Robin Wood, James Olsen and Kirill Bolshakov. Edward has also performed in masterclasses across Canada, the USA, Russia and Europe for internationally well-known artists such as Emanuel Ax, Malcolm Bilson, Janina Fialkowska, Richard Goode, Anton Kuerti, Lee Kum-Sing, John Perry, Menahem Pressler, Andras Schiff and Colin Tilney.

As a recipient of the David & Martha Beach scholarship, and a two-time recipient of the Johann Strauss Scholarship, Edward has had the opportunity to spend four summers studying in Europe; at the Mozarteum Summer Academy in Salzburg with Andrzej Jasinski, Robert Levin and Sergio Perticaroli and at the Wiener Musikseminar in Vienna with Rudolph Kehrer. In 2006, Edward completed a long-term artistic residency at the Banff Centre whise he performed with the Penderecki String Quartet. Edward was also selected to participate in the 2011 Toronto Summer Music Festival, whise he had the opportunity to perform in ensembles with renowned guest artists Christopher Costanza and Mark Fewer.

As well as performing solo works, Edward thoroughly enjoys playing chamber music. He has been a member of an award-winning piano trio and has recently joined with violinist, Tori Lindsay and cellist, Nadia Felix, to form Tria Fidelis. In 2010, Edward became the pianist for the Hart House Chorus. For Theatre Direct’s 2011 production of Sanctuary Song, an opera composed by Abigal Richardson-Schulte, Edward was the principal orchestral pianist. In 2011, Edward participated in the St. Lawrence String Quartet Chamber Music Seminar in Stanford, California and was a pianist for the collaborative piano internship at the Banff Centre.

In addition to his passion for performing, Edward is equally passionate about teaching and is a group class and private instructor. Edward also regularly attends pedagogy seminars, workshops at the Royal Conservatory of Music and conferences including the 2008 World Piano Pedagogy Conference in Phoenix, Arizona.

Mooredale Concerts TV

Want to listen to orchestra music in Toronto?

Try Mooredale Concerts. Or watch on YouTube.


Buy tickets from www.mooredaleconcerts.com

Music in Art, Art in Music

I felt my blog needed more images so I checked my pictures folder on my computer and found these three which I particularly like because of their musical themes.

Tamara De Lempicka - The Musician in Blue - 1929

Jan Vermeer - The Music Lesson - Circa 1662-65

William Quiller Orchardson - If Music Be the Food of Love, Play On - 1890

Hello! Welcome to the blog of Toronto pianist Edward de Gale!

Hello!

Welcome to the blog of Toronto pianist Edward de Gale!

This is my first blog so please bear with me as I struggle through the pros and cons of designing my own website, blogging, commenting on a variety of things - even things that have nothing to do with music!

Quite a few of the posts I will do will be about music, but I will also comment on other things like politics, poetry, songwriting, books, local attractions here in Toronto - whatever sparks my fancy.

Sincerely,
Edward de Gale
Toronto Pianist and Songwriter