Conductor Halts Concert Due to Patron With Restless Child
WQXR Blogs List
Michael Tilson Thomas
(Getty Images/Lisa Maree Williams)
A performance by the New World Symphony on Friday, Oct. 17 was brought to a halt by the conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, after a child in the audience became a distraction to himself and the musicians.
What happened during the incident is a matter of some dispute. In an interview with WQXR, Tilson Thomas said he was conducting the second movement of the Brahms Second Piano Concerto when a young girl estimated to be seven or eight years old grew fidgety. "She was moving around and leaning up against her mother, putting her head up on her mother's lap," said the conductor. "She was restless. And I'm sure she had no idea of how visible she was to the whole rest of the audience, not to mention people outside" (the performance was broadcast to a video wall outside the hall, which is located in Miami Beach, FL).
The mother and child were seated in the terrace section behind the stage and in the conductor's sightline. According to an eyewitness report in the , the child was "sleeping noiselessly on the woman's lap," and the woman, who has not been identified, was gently petting her head, which caused the conductor to lose his concentration. He then asked her to leave the hall.
Tilson Thomas drew a sharply different picture, of conductor and players anticipating a delicate third movement solo by cellist Rosanna Butterfield. "We're beginning the gorgeous, radiant cello solo," he said. "It's the first time that Rosanna's played this and it's a very big moment in her life.
"I thought, 'how can I calm the situation down and make sure that the music can happen?' So I asked the mother in a very calm and respectful voice, 'I'm sorry, it's just hard for us to keep our concentration. Would you mind moving to one side?'" He pointed to some seats along the periphery of the stage.
But something in Tilson Thomas's request was lost in translation and the mother instead abruptly left the hall – to applause from other audience members. "To be fair, there was also some reaction from people who were sitting around her," the conductor said, adding, "she felt uncomfortable becoming aware that everyone was aware of her."
Tilson Thomas – artistic director of the New World Symphony and music director of the San Francisco Symphony, which he will conduct at Carnegie Hall next month – has a colorful history of unpredictable podium behavior. Most famously, he
of Mahler's Ninth Symphony last November to lob two handfuls of cough drops at a chronically coughing Chicago audience.
The New World Symphony's states that children eight years and older are welcome at all NWS performances. Howard Herring, the orchestra's president and CEO, said in an e-mail Wednesday that members of his administration met the mother on Monday and invited the family back to attend a children's concert, which are geared for kids ages four through nine. Tilson Thomas – who is known for his music education projects – said he hopes she will bring her daughter back.
"For me, the two essential things are the beauteousness of the music and everyone's comfort in being able to experience it," he said. "That's just the nature of the concert experience."
Weigh in: What do you think is the appropriate age to bring a child to a concert? Please leave your comments by clicking on the gray bar below.
Updated at 8 pm
Comments [97]
The WQXR e-newsletter. Show highlights, links to music news, on-demand concerts, events from The Greene Space and more.
WQXR is supported byWoman Commits Suicide After Trashing by Nancy Grace
By , Section
Posted on Tue Jul 10, 2012 at 08:23:00 AM EST
Share This:
Guilt-Monger in Chief Nancy Grace can
to her disgraceful antics.
Toni Medrano, age 29, dubbed "The Vodka Mom" by Grace,
in her mother's backyard and died Saturday, weeks after watching Grace demonize her, while donning her typical hyper-ventilating, nostril-flaring faux-persona, and ask her audience why Ms. Medrano wasn't charged with Murder One instead of manslaughter, for
while inebriated, suffocating the baby.
Ms. Medrano saw Nancy Grace's show. Grace said on the show she had attempted to contact Medrano at her home (I wonder how many times the producers called -- someone should subpoena her and her staff's land line and cell phone records). According to friends, after the show, she became despondent.
Maria Phillips, Medrano's younger sister, said Medrano was "shaking and couldn't take a breath" as she watched Grace's show. "She got depressed and said life wasn't worth living. She said she couldn't live with herself."
About a week after she was charged, flame-throwing CNN talk-show host Nancy Grace featured the case on her show. Grace held up a fifth of cheap vodka and said she was going to see how many glasses she could get out of the bottle.
She poured at least nine as the words "vodka mom" appeared on the screen.
Her guests that night were unfamiliar with the case (no surprise there), leaving Grace to rage without dissent:
She then spoke to a reporter from her show and two officials unfamiliar with the case as she theorized that Medrano had been sleeping on her child for hours. "There was a long period of time that baby's life could have been saved," Grace said.
She said the baby was purple and one guest theorized that was from a "pooling of blood" because he had been dead for so long. "Why no murder one charges?" Grace asked, referring to the charge for premeditated murder.
You can watch Disgraceful Grace's performance .
Ms. Medrano's friendto Nancy Grace:
thank's for demonising a person for an accidental death and causing another persons' death. I use to be a fan, but now all I see is another rating seeking soul-less monster.
Grace's viewers
than her. Where do people learn such hatred of others they've never met?
Why is it just Ms. Medrano -- the mother -- Grace has a problem with? She has no harsh words for the father, who came home and found his wife inebriated, who expressed his concern (to his inebriated wife) an accident like this might happen, and then
. Why didn't he think to put the baby in a crib or his wife in a bed?
Medrano’s husband told police that his wife sleeps heavily after she drinks and that she had been drinking throughout the weekend. He said he also told his wife not to lie on the couch with the baby because she could fall asleep and suffocate him.
With Ms. Medrano's suicide, there are now two unnecessary deaths instead of one, double grief for the families involved, and two other children without a mother.
Nancy Grace may not be responsible for the woman's drinking problem, but it sure sounds like she capitalized on it and by playing judge, jury and executioner on TV, hastened her demise. Treatment for alcohol dependency is what Ms. Medrano needed, not a firing squad.
Will Grace lose a wink of sleep over the traumatization Ms. Medrano's other children will suffer, knowing their mother took her own life in such a horrific, violent way? Of course not. She'll think, "Well I didn't tell her to drink and suffocate her kid."
I have not watched a single episode of Dancing With the Stars since Grace's wooden-legged stomping, which followed a season by the equally untalented Bristol Palin, left me with a permanent acrid distaste for anything and everything connected to the show. I'll bet I'm not the only one.
There ought to be limits on who gets to be a national mouthpiece. When the only marginal talent a TV host has is that she can inflame rabid passions in ignorant viewers who think they are at the circus, and that the host is its
ringmaster, I think its fair to say that networks, like Turner Broadcasting System, Inc (which owns Headline News Network)shares in the shame, if not blame, for tragedies like this.
The network isn't just an enabler of these suicides and tragedies. Its role is more like an accelerant in an arson fire, fueling the flames to rake in the advertising dollars. The more outrageous Grace behaves, the more ratings go up, the more advertising dollars the network can charge. Shame on all of them, from Turner to the shows' lowly producers who spend half their day robo-dialing the unfortunate souls their host has targeted that day for her evening pleasure.
R.I.P. Toni Medrano.
Creator and Principal Author
Contributors
Contribute To TalkLeft
Site Credits
TalkLeft Graphics by C.L., Our Man in
TalkLeft Header Graphic by
Template Design based on WordPress
Powered by
All Content Copyright (C).
Reprints only by permission from
Nothing on this site should be construed
as legal advice. TalkLeft does not give legal advice.
TalkLeft is not responsible for and often
disagrees with material posted in the comments
section. Read at your own risk.
TalkLeft's
"The pump don't work 'cause the vandals took theoverflow-x:
color:#333;
font:13px/18px Helvetica, Arial, sans-
background-color:#F5F4F4;
/* General settings */
border-style:
vertical-align:
color:#2f64d2;
text-decoration:
a:hover{text-decoration:}
list-style:
/* prev. li: line height 20, but word dynamo link too tall then, changed to class word, spec. to this link */
line-height: 18
input,textarea,select{
font:100% Arial, Helvetica, sans-
vertical-align:
form,fieldset{
padding:0;
border-style:
input[type=submit]:hover{cursor:}
/* wrapper */
#topwrapper{
background-color: #262627 !
height: 24
padding-left:1
#botwrapper{
background: url(/app/r19971/img/topheavy_hdr_bg.png) repeat-x 0 -82
height: 60
width: 978
/* header */
width: 971
.header-holder{
background:url(/app/r19971/img/topheavy_hdr.png) no-repeat -17px -41
text-indent:-9999
margin:11px 15px 0 20
background:url(/app/r19971/img/Sprite_Hdr_Ftr.png) no-repeat -93px -102
text-indent:-9999
margin:21px 15px 0 4
height:100%;
#botwrapper .search-form,#seasonHdr .search-form{
padding:0 0 0;
#botwrapper .search-form .area-holder,#seasonHdr .search-form .area-holder{
background:url(/app/r19971/img/topheavy_hdr.png) no-repeat -11px -5
margin:0 13px 0 3
#botwrapper .search-form .area-holder input,#seasonHdr .search-form .area-holder input{
background:
line-height: 30px\9;
font-size:22
padding:0 16
#botwrapper .search-form .area-holder #q,#seasonHdr .search-form .area-holder #q{
background: url("/app/r19971/img/Sprite_Hdr_Ftr.png") no-repeat scroll -137px -61
#botwrapper .search-form .parent-active input,#seasonHdr .search-form .parent-active input{
color:#000000;
.search-holder .search-form .parent-active input{
color:#000000;
#botwrapper .search-form input[type="submit"],#seasonHdr .search-form input[type="submit"]{
text-indent:-9999
font-size:0;
line-height:0;
margin-top:-2
padding:0;
background:url(/app/r19971/img/topheavy_hdr.png)
no-repeat scroll -206px -40
width: 971
.botwrpreference{
background: url(/app/r19971/img/topheavy_hdr_bg.png) repeat-x 0 -354px transparent !
.botwrpthesaurus{
background: url(/app/r19971/img/topheavy_hdr_bg.png) repeat-x 0 -233px transparent !
.botwrpreference .logo{
background:url(/app/r19971/img/topheavy_hdr.png) no-repeat -17px -117
.botwrpthesaurus .logo{
background:url(/app/r19971/img/topheavy_hdr.png) no-repeat -17px -78
.botwrpthesaurus .search-form input[type="submit"]{
background:url(/app/r19971/img/topheavy_hdr.png)
no-repeat scroll -206px -110px transparent !
.botwrpreference .search-form input[type="submit"]{
background:url(/app/r19971/img/topheavy_hdr.png)
no-repeat scroll -206px -74px transparent !
/* menu */
padding:0;
list-style:
font-weight:
line-height:13
font-size:12
padding-top:4
padding:0 5
border-right:1px solid #
.menu li:first-child{
padding:0 5px 0 11
.menu a{color:#}
.menu .user{
border-left:
padding: 0 3px 0 3
.menu .prlogo,.menu .prelogo{
background:url(/app/r19971/img/topheavy_hdr.png)
no-repeat scroll -224px -225
padding-right: 0
.menu .prlogo{
background:url(/app/r19971/img/topheavy_hdr.png)
no-repeat scroll -224px -225
/*margin-top :-3*/
.menu .prelogo{
background-position: -152px -153
.menu .prli,.menu .prliu,.menu .prlout{
padding-left:0
.menu .prlout,.menu .prliu{
padding-left:5
.menu .prliu{
padding-left:5
padding-right:0
margin:0 0 0 0
padding:0;
list-style:
font-size:17
padding:3px 18px 3px 20
text-align:
font-family:
font-size: 13
font-weight:
:root #nav a{
padding:3px 20px\9;
text-align:
a.spanlast{
padding: 5px 30
.dictionary .dict a{
background: url("/app/r19971/img/topheavy_hdr_bg.png") repeat-x scroll 0 -56
.dict a:hover{
background: url("/app/r19971/img/topheavy_hdr_bg.png") repeat-x scroll 0 -30
.thes a:hover{
background: url("/app/r19971/img/topheavy_hdr_bg.png") repeat-x scroll 0 -302
.thesaurus .dict a:hover{
background: url("/app/r19971/img/topheavy_hdr_bg.png") repeat-x scroll 0 -302
.reference .dict a:hover{
background: url("/app/r19971/img/topheavy_hdr_bg.png") repeat-x scroll 0 -302
.thesaurus .thes a{
background: url("/app/r19971/img/topheavy_hdr_bg.png") repeat-x scroll 0 -207
.ref a:hover{
background: url("/app/r19971/img/topheavy_hdr_bg.png") repeat-x scroll 0 -302
.reference .ref a{
background: url("/app/r19971/img/topheavy_hdr_bg.png") repeat-x scroll 0 -328
.word a:hover{
background: url("/app/r19971/img/topheavy_hdr_bg.png") repeat-x scroll 0 -302
.quot a:hover{
background: url("/app/r19971/img/topheavy_hdr_bg.png") repeat-x scroll 0 -302
.trans a:hover{
background: url("/app/r19971/img/topheavy_hdr_bg.png") repeat-x scroll 0 -302
.span a:hover{
background: url("/app/r19971/img/topheavy_hdr_bg.png") repeat-x scroll 0 -302
.thvybrdr{
background: url("/app/r19971/img/topheavy_hdr.png") no-repeat scroll -232px -250
height: 24
display: inline-
/* id="botwrapper"
#botwrapper {
background: url("/app/r19971/img/topheavy_hdr_bg.png") repeat-x scroll 0px -82
height: 60
/* class="botwrpdictionary"> */
/* id="botwrapper"
#botwrapper {
background: url("/app/r19971/img/topheavy_hdr_bg.png") repeat-x scroll 0px -82
height: 60
/* class="botwrpdictionary"> */
&&&&&&Sure, “ain’t” gets the attention, but what do “am’nt,” “h’aint” and “b’aint” mean?
What’s all the fuss over ain’t about? Is there really anything wrong with the word? Or is it even a word? The colloquialism ain’t is a nonstandard contraction of the following: “am not,” “are not,” “is not,” “have not,” and “has not.” It is also used in some dialects as a contraction for “do not,” “does not,” and “did not.” For example, “We ain’t got any milk left.”
It derives from the late 18th century word , which is a contraction of “am not.” Amn’t and the related word an’t are rarely used anymore. There are several antiquated non-standard contractions.
means “has not” or “have not.” And baint and bain’t mean “be not.”
The validity of ain’t has been widely debated. On one hand, many people consider it to be an acceptable contraction in everyday speech. But on the other hand, it seems that just as many people consider its usage improper and simply “bad English.” There is no use denying how commonly ain’t appears in some of the most beloved expressions, such as:
o If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
o He ain’t what he used to be.
o You ain’t heard (or seen) nothing yet.
o Say it ain’t so, Joe!
o Ain’t it the truth!
Do you think ain’t is a real word, worthy of acceptance in common speech? Let us know, below.
Wall Street Brokers Rejected in Ads
AP Online September 8, 2002 | BRIAN STEINBERG 00-00-0000 NEW YORK (AP) _ Wall Street and Madison Avenue never cross _ in New York City, it’s geographically impossible. On television, however, the two boulevards intersect constantly, and the result can sometimes be a rubberneck’s delight.
In this case, the victim at the scene of any resulting accident would seem to be the venerable Wall Street broker.
Years ago, financial workers were venerated in ads. Well-to-do people in restaurants and town squares would shush themselves in a flash to glean any bit of advice from someone whose broker worked at E.F. Hutton. When celebrated actor John Houseman told consumers how Smith Barney made money “the old-fashioned way,” well, it almost made one proud to be a banker.
You’ve come a long way, baby.
“The public’s skepticism with the whole financial services industry is at an all-time high,” said Ken Bernhardt, a marketing professor at Georgia State University. How long financial marketers capitalize on such feelings “will depend upon what kind of response they get in the marketplace,” he added.
The latest assault on Wall Street’s integrity comes from a series of ads promoting Charles Schwab Corp. The commercials, which have run since May, poke brokerage-house workers in the ribs so many times that its a wonder any of them can still breathe.
“I’m looking at your portfolio,” says one broker on the phone in one of the ads as he scans a Chinese-food menu. “You’ve got to buy.” Another broker echoes the sentiment, telling a prospective stock investor that “I’m for picking. I’m for buying.” When one member of the crew mistakenly utters the word “sell,” the floor grows as quiet as the crowd in one of those old E.F. Hutton spots.
In a separate commercial, a bus filled with commuters mulls over the fact that all of them got the same so-called “hot tip” from their individual brokers.
The most damning example comes from a third ad, in which a senior manager commands his staff to “tell your clients this one is red hot. This one is ‘en fuego.’ Just don’t mention the fundamentals. They stink.” In recent years, brokers have been cast as everything from useless to hopelessly old-fashioned. Dot-com era ads from Ameritrade Holding Corp., in which redheaded office boy Stuart cajoled fuddy-duddies to buy stocks online, seemed to say that Wall Street could only get in your way.
As the economy became more fragile and the markets more volatile, however, financial services firms took on a hand-holding tone, urging investors to allow the firms to guide them through stormy weather to sunshine.
Finance mavens like TD Waterhouse Group Inc., MassMutual’s Oppenheimer Funds and Stillwell Financial Inc.’s Janus Capital mutual funds portrayed themselves as rock-solid entities that could help investors make it through the rain.
A heartwarming ad series from Morgan Stanley has financial professionals talk about their emotional interaction with customers, even going so far as to put up a business card on screen as the commercial concludes. The tagline? “One client at a time.” Of course, some caution against reading too much into the Schwab ads _ including the folks at Schwab.
The San Francisco broker has always portrayed itself as “a different kind of company,” says Peter DeLuca, the company’s senior vice president of brand advertising.
Yet, Schwab may once have found itself in the very same place as those entities it now lampoons. The company made its name as a discount broker and online trader. These days, Schwab sees itself as something decidedly different. “We’re not one of the other guys,” says DeLuca.
Still, tough times have some wondering if it’s wise for any financial firm to make a marketing move.
“Is it a good idea for these firms to be advertising now?” asks Paul Argenti, a professor of management and corporate communications at Dartmouth University’s Tuck School of Business. “If you look at how people are looking at business, it’s probably not a good time to be trying to build your reputation and credibility in the financial services sector.” Also risky for Schwab is positioning itself against Wall Street’s broader business, Argenti adds.
Besides, maybe this is just what it is _ a single broker’s ad, nothing more.
“It’s an oversimplification to view this as a view of Madison Avenue, ” notes Gerri Leder, a Baltimore-based marketing consultant who once handled such duties for both Legg Mason Wood Walker and the former Alex. Brown.
Whatever the intentions behind it, Schwab’s recent blitz breaks taboos, and may stand the test of time because it does. Usually, says Argenti, companies in general ought to “remain above the fray” in commercials.
In this case, however, says Bernhardt, the marketing professor, Schwab is “negative on others, but ends up with a positive message.” The ad “may acceptably violate the principle of not being negative.” One small step for Schwab, one big step backward for Wall Street workers who haven’t gotten in step with the new swing of things.
BRIAN STEINBERG
Using the word “ain’t” gives off the impression of being uneducated, as does other slang. Such as ” he ain’t got none”…
Related articles
October 21, 2016
October 20, 2016
October 14, 2016
June 17, 2016
December 23, 2015
Popular Posts
Word of the Day Winners
October 19, 2016
October 12, 2016
October 5, 2016