Benjamin Coy

We spent the past four days in Detroit at Katy's grandmother's funeral and related activities. It was a pretty hard situation for a lot of people; Kathleen was the true matriarch of the family, overseeing the activities of her eight children, nineteen grandchildren, and seventeen+ great-grandchildren. Not only were people dealing with the grief of losing her, but also with the shifting social dynamic of reorganizing the family without her. Almost everybody had some part in the funeral service itself. Katy had a reading, and I played some piano for the prelude music. It all went pretty smoothly, mostly because Kathleen had specified all the details before she passed away, down to what outfit she wanted to be dressed in. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to know her better than I did, but from the times I visited with her, I can say I respected her strength of will, the honesty of her character, and the dignified way she approached the end of her life. RIP Kathleen Gallardo, 1930-2008.

12:32 AM - 0 comments

This weekend, Katy and I went to visit my parents. The excuse was to temporarily store a table we were borrowing from my brother in their basement, but it's been months since we saw them, and it was time for a visit. So, we did that - it was quite nice. Nothing like your mother's cooking to relieve some stress!

Unfortunately, on the ride back, we received news that Katy's grandmother was in the hospital; she passed away shortly after we got home. She had prepared her mind and her affairs, and we were all prepared for this eventuality, but it still hits hard.

9:40 PM - 0 comments

Back when I lived on Foster Ave, I took the #147 bus to and from downtown quite a lot. Mick describes it pretty well.

2:04 PM - 0 comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 17, 2008

CONTACT: Christy Frost
Marketing Director
319-360-6257

Cedar Rapids Symphony Center Closed
Symphony School Classes To Continue

Cedar Rapids, IA. – The Cedar Rapids Symphony (CRSO) Administrative Offices and Symphony School facilities located at 119 Third Avenue SE are closed until further notice due to the recent record breaking flooding of the Cedar River.

On Wednesday, June 11th, water began seeping into the basement of the facility. Symphony administrative staff reacted quickly and immediately began moving records and various production items to the third floor. Unfortunately, time ran out and the first floor administrative office equipment was not moved to higher ground. The Steinway piano in the center’s recital hall on the main floor was removed by late Wednesday afternoon and taken to a safe storage area. Several other instruments stored in the Paramount Theatre were moved to higher levels within the theatre, as well as over to the third floor of the Symphony Center.

“At times likes this, the orchestra is more important than ever to the Cedar Rapids community,” states Music Director Tim Hankewich. “We will continue to provide the highest quality orchestral music in this area.”

As the staff gained access to the building for the first time this afternoon, they were overcome by the devastation. The floors were covered with slippery mud. Face masks and gloves were worn as the staff took in the destruction of the space which had been turned upside down. Desks were upset and papers, files and other items were scattered throughout the Center, covered in the slimy merk left behind. Many doors were not able to be open and the basement remains filled with flood waters. The stench within the space is horrible.

Critical items were removed from the second and third floors, and all the first floors computer hard drives were removed with the hope of being able to recover this precious information. Disaster relief crews will move into the space tomorrow clearing debris as they undertake the immense clean up process.

“Unlike so many of the other arts organizations impacted by the flood, our products are our musicians and teachers,” states Executive Director Robert Massey, who recently joined the CRSO staff on June 1st. “The flood waters have not diminished the product we will continue to provide to this community.”

The CRSO staff has begun meeting to coordinate plans for disaster recovery. In order to continue administrative office functions, the Symphony is currently searching for temporary space to house these areas with the hope of being partially operational by next week. The Symphony School is able to continue summer lessons at multiple locations throughout the city. If you have questions about any Symphony school classes or lessons, please call 363-3960. The orchestra will continue to perform for the 2008-2009 season. With the uncertain condition of the Paramount Theatre, alternate concert venues are under review.

Tim Talk - Year of the River
Downtown Cedar Rapids: Return and Rebuild
Maybe W learned his lesson from Katrina?

10:22 AM - 1 comments

The flooding really is quite awful. Here are some pics of Iowa City and the arts campus at the University of Iowa. Iowa City is about a half hour away from Cedar Rapids and is the home of most of our musicians. When I'm in Iowa, I spend a lot of time there practicing and working.