#sally singer

[iwantitinpink]

Keiynan Lonsdale, at Sally Singer's pre-Met 'Cotton Campy' party.

Photographed by Corey Tenold for Vogue.

[choralmusicghana]

George François & Friends raise funds for New Horizon Special School

Over the last weekend, Dr. George François, a New York based Ghanaian concert pianist, held a fundraising concert in support of the New Horizon Special School.

Hope Concert ‘19, supported by the Australian High Commission, featured performances with Fulbright scholar Dr. Cristina Ruotolo and celebrated cellist Sally Singer. The main concert performances were preceded by an exhibition of works from Michael Bortei-Doku and Adjei Sowah, serenaded by a string quartet assembled from some of the best musicians from Accra. 

The fundraiser was the climax of two weeks of musical activities surrounding George's visit to his home country. The visiting pianist held two masterclasses for beginner and advanced pianists at the residence of the Australian High Commissioner, while Dr. Singer led a class for string players on the cello, double bass, viola and violin.

The trio also held a number of private concerts, including one at the US Ambassador's residence and the Ghana club.

The New Horizon School was started in the early 1970s as a response to the plight of Helen, daughter of the founder Salome François, who had developed neurological problems as a result of a medical misdiagnosis. The school, located in Cantonments, Accra, provides education, vocational training and employment for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

Salome François’ vision of helping intellectually challenged persons to live fulfilling lives has earned her the support of several donors touched by her effort to transform a personal tragedy into hope for many children.

The concert proper featured Dr. George François on a piano, playing JS Bach’s Partita No. 2 in C minor and Chopin’s Scherzo No. 2, Op. 31 in B♭ minor. The first half of the concert ended with a performance of the first two movements from Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op 49.

After an intermission which included students from the school on a catwalk and a fundraiser auction of some items they had made at school, the second half of performances saw four singers from Seasonal House Opera - a Ghanaian company specialising in operatic singing, on stage with Dr. François.

Joseph Quaynor performed La Donna è Mobile from Verdi’s “Rigoletto”, Mitchelle Ajeigbe impressed the audience with Mozart’s Voi Che Sapete and Leslie Carine left them stunned with Der Hölle Rache Kocht in Meinem Herzen, by the same composer. 

Baritone Kennedy Dankwa also sang Votre Toast, Je Peux Vous le Rendre from Bizet’s “Carmen”. The quartet ended their performances with Luigi Denza’s Funiculì, Funiculà! 

All soloists are choristers with Harmonious Chorale, one of Ghana’s most internationally successful choirs.

Ms Nhyira Coleman, a Chartered Accountant with KPMG, brought the performances to a close with a special tribute song for Mrs. François. She was also accompanied by George.

The visit marked an important few days for the growing classical music community in Accra, which had the opportunity to interact with some of the finest players from the United States, and with patrons of the arts. 

Dr. Singer and François’ visit to Ghana came at the end of the visit of the Junge Kammerphilharmonie Rhein-Neckar to the National Symphony Orchestra, and concluded only a week before the NSO’s own “Evening Classicals” concert. 

Along with the climax of a year of live performances at Afro Classical Nights late last month, August and September 2019 have turned out to be a success for classical music in Accra.

[foodieforfashion]

[uwmspeccoll]

Steamy Saturday

The world suddenly exploded into a fantasy beyond all dreams. Michele had never touched a woman before, had hardly even allowed herself to think of it. But the instinct of desire hurried steadily, surely, toward the ways of fulfillment.

No more jealousy. No questions. No distrust. She would do anything for Leda, anything that would keep Leda loving her, would keep Leda's sweet body beside her in the night . . . .

Oh, yes, quite steamy! Right down to the provocative cover art by prolific pulp-cover illustrator (Isaac) Paul Rader (1906-1986). This week we bring you another lesbian pulp romance, The Jealous and the Free, by March Hastings, one of the pseudonyms used by lesbian romance fiction author Sally Singer (b. 1930), published in New York by Midwood Tower in 1961.

The story revolves around long-time roommates Michele and Leda who fall for each other; Michele the newbie, and Leda the more experienced. Michele's jealousy, however, drives them apart, and Michele seeks refuge in the arms of the older and wealthy Corrine. But, as you might imagine, Michele still longs for Leda, however . . . can she find her way back to her?

Spoiler! Well, of course she can, silly! And, "She would never leave the girl again. Never. 'The coffee's boiling,' Leda said against her ear. 'Let it,' Michele said." However, half a decade earlier, it wouldn't have been silly for the average reader to expect that such a relationship would end in disaster, and that Michele would only find solace in the man she left behind. Although Singer, who was one of the few lesbian pulp authors who lived openly as a lesbian nearly her entire life, did write such dire endings in her early career, by the late 1950s most of her lesbian romances would end with positive resolutions of fully-realized lesbian love, more realistically reflecting Singer's own lived experience.

Both Singer and illustrator Paul Rader were mainstays of the Midwood Books line of Tower Publications romance novels, which specialized in lesbian pulp fiction.

View another lesbian romance by March Hastings.

View other pulp fiction posts.

[uwmspeccoll]

Steamy Saturday

We hold a considerable collection of pre-1970s romance pulp fiction, including queer romances and nurse romances. So, over the next several weeks we will be highlighting some of these titles with their suggestive covers and provocative blurbs.

For Pride Month, we begin the series with March Hasting's Three Women published by Beacon Books, an imprint of Universal Publishing and Distributing Corp., in 1958. The storyline is classic 1950s lesbian romance fiction: a young woman (Paula Temple) meets mister right (Phil Carson), but soon falls for Phil's wealthy aunt Bryne, an artist who lives in Greenwich Village, who herself is in a relationship with another artist, Greta. So many entanglements, you need a flow chart to keep track!

Here, the cover art offers stereotypical 1950s butch/femme imagery, while sensationalist language entices the reader: "An intimate picture of women in love -- with each other!"; "A courageous excursion into a forbidden world."; "Phil Carson strove with all his strength and virility to rescue Paula from unnatural desire." In the end (spoiler!), tragedy befalls both Bryne and Greta, while Paula, not surprisingly, returns to Phil. This is not the ending Hastings, one of the pseudonyms for lesbian pulp fiction writer Sally Singer (b. 1930), wanted for her story, as it did not reflect her own lived experience. Wikipedia quotes Singer as saying,

I really had no choice in the matter. . . . We all know the publishing climate in those days: same sex affection is out of the mainstream loop in this country, therefore, give it to us overtly for fun and games (hetero titillation) but make sure you tack on an ending of misery, punishment, sadness—that was the commercial voice, loud and distinct.

When Naiad Press republished Three Women in the late 1980s, Singer rewrote the optimistic ending for her characters that she always intended. "I don't believe in sadness," Singer said.

View other pulp fiction posts.

[aether--or]

Some people love Prada because they want to be gobsmacked, dazzled, schooled, and basically aesthetically woken up in the slumber that is Fashion Month. But those folks forget one thing: Miuccia is a serious person and one who is right now very concerned about European conflicts, wars, and the threat of war more generally. That is all she wanted to talk about postshow. And those sorts of thoughts and the creative impulses they give rise to don’t change in five weeks just because the industry prefers novelty. It’s simply not that moment.

[imalsolearningitalian]

And so, instead, we had a Prada collection that continued to posit romance in all its aesthetic gestures (lace, flowers, hearts, fairy-tale capes, and glittery red shoes) as a way to both soften and deepen the tropes of utilitarianism (uniforms, puffers, cargo details, pole climber boots, backpacks). The most successful looks had the subtlest integration of wide-eyed loveliness and lumbering dread: an off-the-shoulder party dress of rough, dry wool with a curvaceous skirt made shapelier with a massive patch pocket; a slouchy black trouser suit cinched at the waist with a vaguely mannish clasp; a compound military jacket with a nifty blue shirt and a black lace pencil skirt. For the Prada-philes among you, please note that the bags were largely framed purses, the shoes were mostly either massive and mannish or a sturdy pump in matte black or all-out sparkle, and the trendy buys probably involve 3-D flowers or pastel Muppet fur (cute in small doses).

Sally Singer for Vogue

[glamobserver]

Qualità che cercano nel mondo della moda quando devono assumere. 5 esperti rispondono

Qualità che cercano nel mondo della moda quando devono assumere. 5 esperti rispondono

Un posto nella moda è ambito da molte persone, è quindi normale che la competizione sia altissima e inoltre al giorno d’oggi le persone preparate sono sempre di più. Una volta completati gli studi e le specializzazioni bisogna mettersi in gioco. Il titolo di studi può essere uguale ma ciò che differenzia le persone sono alcune qualità e caratteristiche specifiche di ognuno di noi che ci rendono…

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