Bisceglia Family

On the Wings of Inspiration

2012-01-20T16:04:00.000-08:00

At our latest recording session Michael, our engineer, showed us a video he had taken of Krista's award winning composition, On Seaward Wings, at our performance at the Atkinson Memorial Church last December. As we were watching it, we noticed that the sound quality seemed a little too perfect for the little video camera he recorded with. And also, what happened to those live performance mistakes? We will leave you to guess!

I do want to applaud Michael's superb editing skills. It is an honor to have someone put together a video like this for us!

New Year's Day 2012

2012-01-04T17:15:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed snow-shoeing with friends on New Year's Day.

The two Noahs kept up a serious snowball fight throughout the trip!

The carriage drove by!

At home we enjoyed another part of our New Year's tradition: chocolate fondue. We were so busy with the fondue we forgot to take pictures of it. Maybe next time!

New Year's Tradition 2011-12

2012-01-02T08:04:00.000-08:00

Weighing the specialty cheeses for fondue.

Caraway rye and rustic breads sliced and ready.

Some of the ingredients that make fondue so tasty.

Empty dishes waiting for the bread, fondue, sausage, broccoli, and apples.

Janna stirring the cheese into the fondue.

Ready to be enjoyed!

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

I’m writing this in a state of shock,
Watching the clock—tick tock, tick tock,
Advancing, approaching, relentlessly,
A brand new year; Oh, can it be? So I’m wishing you fast, happy days,
Pleasuring you in myriad ways,
Filled with happiness and cheer,
Oh Happy, Happy Bright New Year! We are grateful for the many blessings and memories from 2011, and are looking forward finding out what 2012 holds for us. Cheers to you!

the Grotto

2011-12-23T21:42:00.000-08:00

This year marked our eighth annual performance at the Grotto's Christmas Festival of Lights. It was truly a delight to play for hundreds of people in the chapel.

The Wexford Carol

At long last - a Concert post

2011-12-22T16:28:00.000-08:00

We have been so busy this holiday season I haven't even had time to blog! Finally, I'm snatching up the opportunity to post. Enjoy these photos from our recent winter concert!

Dad at the sound board.

Singing our new arrangement of "Something Told The Wild Geese"

"Good people all this Christmas time,

Consider well, and bear in mind;

What our good God, for us has done

In sending His beloved Son..."

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-25T18:07:00.000-08:00

"Oh give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever." Psalm 118:1

Mr. Turkey!

the Family in the snow

Pie

So thankful for God's boundless grace and many blessings this year. Thank you to all of our family and friends for being a part of our lives. We love you all. We hope you had as lovely a Thanksgiving as we did!

Thanksgiving Baking

2011-11-20T18:22:00.000-08:00

We've been busy baking 5 batches of our famous Butter Pecan Cakes to give friends, neighbors and family this Thanksgiving.

Our Grandmother (who swore us to secrecy as to the recipe) was always very particular that these are cakes, not bread!

We made over thirty cakes!

Concert Poster

2011-11-07T21:18:00.000-08:00

We have all been so busy that no one has had spare time for blogging. Concert preparations are in full swing. We are arranging music and rehearsing and getting posters all around town. Here is the poster!

At Last, The Last Photos From Our Trip!

2011-10-17T19:00:00.000-07:00

I was busy with school and just realized that although I had uploaded the final set of photos from our trip, I had never captioned and posted them! Here is the final set for your enjoyment.

The entrance to Yellowstone Park

Walking the boardwalk of the sulfur pools

A curious formation caused by the sulfur eating away at the rock

The acidic water left barren landscapes

Did we reach the entrance to hell?

Does anyone want a soak in the hot tub?

The boiling mudpot

It was amazing how much hot water just steamed from the ground all over the place!

One of the ways you know that Old Faithful is about to erupt is that it starts emitting short spurts of water, the other way is that you see hundreds of people lined up watching...

Old Faithful!

I loved the Old Faithful Lodge - it reminded me of Rivendell.

The way they used bent logs was very unique!

Yellowstone Canyon

In front of Yellowstone Falls

We took a day to drive down to Grand Teton National Park!

We hiked 4 1/2 miles out to a lake, and then several people decided they wanted to go swimming and went in jeans and all!

The Corral Drive In serves the best buffalo burgers in Montana. If you ever visit Yellowstone, be sure to stop in!

Here is Mom contemplating buying a truckload of the delicious made in Montana ice cream...

The adorable cabin we stayed in

The cabin was an original settlers cabin from the 1800's that had been fixed up into a guest rental. We enjoyed being in the atmosphere of a real ranch with horses and cattle out the window.

For our last hike in Yellowstone Dad really wanted to hike a peak, so we hiked up to the ranger station at the top of Mt. Washburn.

It was the highest elevation we had ever hiked!

~ Janna

2011 Winter Concert

2011-09-29T16:41:00.000-07:00

December 3, 2011 | 7:00pm Bisceglia Family Annual Christmas Concert
Atkinson Memorial Church, Oregon City
$10 per person/$40 per family at the door

Mark your calendars for our annual Christmas concert, held this year in the beautiful historic Atkinson church in old-town Oregon City. Warm your heart to the Yuletide season with a Celtic Christmas! A community craft fair will be open until 6:00pm, so come early and browse the booths before settling into an evening of music, comfort and joy with the family.

Happy Birthday Bilbo and Frodo

2011-09-22T18:08:00.000-07:00

Fall is here and along with basement cleaning, ripe plums, orange pumpkins and ripening pears comes the birthday of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins. For the seventh consecutive year we baked a cheesecake in memory of the story that has impacted our lives forever.

This year Kathrina made coconut cheesecake with chocolate topping. It was (notice I say was) delicious! Hopefully by this time next year we will be watching a trailer for the Hobbit movie!

Huckleberries!

2011-09-15T19:56:00.000-07:00

While we were on a hike...

...out to Hidden Lake

We decided that we wanted to pick some fresh huckleberries.

The problem was, we didn't exactly know which ones huckleberries were...

We gazed at the different berries, and even sampled a few. Then we asked another hiker, but the berries he told us were huckleberries, tasted woody and sour!

As we went along the road we looked and tried some different types. And then we found one that looked like a blueberry and tasted like a huckleberry! Hurrah! We started filling our bag...

We had several people pass by and ask us what we were picking. I heard one person comment to her group "Those people knew what they were doing - they came prepared to pick huckleberries".

I felt that we had progressed rather quickly from novices...

to experts!

We put them on our cold cereal the next morning.

They were delicious!

Bisceglia Tour Tip #2: If it don't taste like a huckleberry, it ain't a huckleberry, so don't go trusting yer feller hikers too much.

Animals In The Parks

2011-09-15T13:00:00.000-07:00

The big deal at the national parks is the bears. You aren't supposed to feed them, you should buy bear spray, be cautious, don't run, make lots of noise when hiking to scare them off etc. etc. We must have followed the last instructions pretty well, because we saw almost no wildlife while we were hiking! It was a bit disappointing...

After one of our hikes we took a boat ride back to our car and someone pointed out the bear on the hill right above the lower treeline. Can you see the little black dot up there? It was a bear, but we could barely claim to have seen one...

We decided to make the best of it by enjoying the other animals we saw, like this a marmot and ground squirrel at Glacier.

A deer feeding in a meadow at Glacier.

A Mountain Goat

We saw most of the amazing wildlife right out our car window. (I guess our our noise couldn't scare them off that way.) Here are some Big Horn Sheep we saw along the road side at Yellowstone.

The elk seemed to like the watered green lawn around Fort Yellowstone...

A Pronghorn!

Elk crossing the Yellowstone River. We did get to see a little sparring between two male elk!

We saw a herd of bison grazing - and Dad and Noah decided to get dangerously close for a better photo.

Then we all saw one closer when one crossed the road in front of us, taking its own sweet time.

We never did see a bear up close in the national parks, but driving between them we noticed a bunch of cars pulled over to the side of the road. We pulled over as well and discovered it was a mama black bear with her two cubs! They were so cute!

Now at least we can say that we saw a bear...

Tour Tips from the Bisceglias #1 - To sound educated, say "bison" instead of "buffalo". We actually don't have an buffalo in America.

Vistas of Northern Montana

2011-09-14T16:19:00.000-07:00

The Montana landscape was incredibly lovely. It seemed there was a calendar-worthy photo at every viewpoint.

Flathead Lake

Hidden Lake

The alpine landscape around hidden lake was beautiful. Apparently it is very much like the alps in Europe!

Krista drew, sketched and painted every chance she got.

St. Mary's Falls

Mom bought a flower book and identified many of the flowers along our path!

St. Mary's Lake - it is almost as blue as Crater Lake in Oregon!

Hayden's Helping Hands Benefit Concert

2011-09-13T16:23:00.000-07:00

We came home to find the disk of photos from our Hayden's Helping Hands (haydenshelpinghands.com) benefit concert in the mail. Special thanks to Chris D. for taking them for us! It was a lovely concert - we hope to do it again sometime and raise even more money for assisting families with the medical costs of a stillborn baby.

The entire family on stage together.

Noah is joining us on about half our music now. We are thrilled with his growing talents!

Since we had a gorgeous ten foot grand piano in Classic Pianos recital hall, I insisted that Sarah play a piano solo!

We were delighted to be able to offer raffle items to further benefit HHH. They included a gift certificate to Harmony Road Music, a gift certificate to Eagles Golf, a hand made clay bowl by Cindy's Hummingbird Pottery, a massage gift certificate from Orthopedic and TMJ Physical Therapy Center, a gift basket from Stamp-a-dee-do-dah, and a gift basket from Providence Medical Center.

Whispering Roses with Noah on the limberjack!

If you haven't seen the limberjack live, you need to come to one of our concerts!

Since I made Sarah play a piano solo, she decided that I needed to play a harp solo.

I played the bodhran (Irish drum) for the first time at this concert!

A huge thank you to all who showed their support by attending the concert and donating to the cause.

Vortex

2011-09-11T18:00:00.000-07:00

A vortex is an unexplained scientific phenomenon where people shrink and grow, balance is upset, and some scientific laws do not hold true!

Can you see the difference? The person on the right is closer to the center of the vortex.

The "House of Mystery" provided many amazing tests of balance as we had to lean in to the off-set gravity of the vortex.

Do you believe it? It was fascinating!

Hike with Friends

2011-09-10T16:52:00.000-07:00

We were very grateful to spend the first day in Glacier National park with our friends, the H. family. They took us on one of their favorite hikes. It was so much fun hiking together!

A beautiful glacier stream.

We look like a large group!

We had lunch by this lovely lake.

Noah had some great "boy time" with David and Timothy, while we girls enjoyed looking on...

The scenery was breathtaking!

Among the Bitterroots

2011-09-06T17:58:00.000-07:00

After the festival we had a great time hiking around the Bitterroot Mountains.

It seemed that a hiking trail had been made down every little canyon. We had this particular hike recommended to us by several people, and it turned out to be quite lovely!

In only a few miles we hiked through forest, rocky outcrops and grassy hills.

The first white settlers in Montana were Jesuit priests who came at the request of the Salish Indians. The Indians had sent three delegations to the east requesting the "black robes" to come, as they wanted the power and protection of the white man's God.

The original St. Mary's flooded because it was built to close too the river. This one dates from the 1860's.

Oregon family band steals show at Bitterroot Scottish Irish Festival

2011-08-30T07:53:00.000-07:00

Stealing the stage...IMPORTANT: I WAS NOT INVOLVED IN THIS ACT! BERATING ME COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH! On a serious note, our last appearance turned out quite well, both in attendance and performance.

The Order of Epona. There was some awesome sword-play towards the end of the show, even though things started out a little slow. Perhaps they were still feeling a little stiff-necked. ;)

My favorite horse

The jousting was pretty good, although it had a kinda bad effect on me...

While hiking in the Bitterroot Mountains the following day, I had the sudden urge to start lancing things...how strange.

The girls do not want to be recognized as having written this post. Therefore, I am supposed to sign my name.

~Noah

Booher Family Music Camp 2011

2011-08-17T18:15:00.000-07:00

We closed our July with a week at Booher Family Music Camp. Once again, we had an awesome time, which by no means can fully be captured on camera. A little taste of our week follows...

We headed south a day early so we could go the the Booher family reunion concert. It was a mish-mash of different combinations of the family and instruments, and it goes without saying, very fun! Here are six Booher brothers (minus Ned and Meriwyn) and our lovely hosts, Mama and Papa Booher!

Back by popular request, The Musical Spasm topped off the reunion concert. Can you tell who's playing what????

So, a entire week of music and fellowship commenced in this lovely valley.

There are no pictures of the classes as we were too busy learning to think about a camera! Kathrina learned several fiddle tunes a day, Noah and Dad worked on chords and strumming patterns, Mom persevered through hours on the bass, Sarah spent all week in the company of diminished chords and boogie woogie riffs, and Krista drifted between the piano and fiddle classes, learning tunes on her recorders. Janna stayed back at camp and practiced for her upcoming harp gigs.

There is a concert of some kind most evenings, including family night, where all the family units get up and perform. Someone usually steals the show, and this year it was this little guy on his fiddle!

Not to be outdone, these friends worked up their own version of the musical spasm!

Our family shared two songs, including our arrangement of the song we helped write for in the piano class last year. And no, Jamie is not part of the Bisceglia family, but she is Italian and plays the cello beautifully, so we adopted her as an extra sister for this performance!

Another evening we all look forward to is Band Scramble night. Students are randomly combined in to bands, each led by a teacher, and expected to arrange a performable song in two afternoons! Janna joined one of the bands with her harp.

Noah's band scramble "Bob's Blind Brother's Boogie Woogie Band" played a boogie woogie, with lyrics, sunglasses and everything!

How often do you see two Sprinter vans next to each other?

On the last evening, the made the teachers do a band scramble, where they had to randomly draw instruments out of a hat, and couldn't get the instrument they taught that week! Do you see the concerned looks on their faces?

This was the most hilarious moment of the entire week! Who knew that professionals could sound so awful?!

To redeem themselves, all the teachers had to take back their instruments and play us a tune the way it was meant to be played!

Some of the best times are the hardest to capture, such as singing and jamming together in the evenings.

A heart felt thank you to the teachers who made the week possible! God bless you!

~Sarah

We're famous...

2011-08-17T13:58:00.000-07:00

...locally at least! An article about us and our upcoming concert came out in the Clackamas Review today! Read it here.

Hayden's Helping Hands Promotional Video

2011-08-04T14:30:00.000-07:00

Here is the trailer I put together for the Hayden's Helping Hands benefit concert we are doing August 20th. I hope this video will inspire you to come!

~ Janna

Concert tickets now available...

2011-07-21T08:23:00.000-07:00

Yes indeed! Tickets are now available online for our upcoming concert benefitting Hayden's Helping Hands.

You can also mail your ticket order (check or money) order to the following:

Noel Bisceglia
P.O. Box 935
Oregon City, OR 97045
If you mail in your order, please be sure to include your name, number of tickets (children & adults), email address and/or phone number. We will hold your ticket(s) at will call.

Camp Dwight 2011

2011-07-18T16:49:00.000-07:00

O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. Psalm 34:3

Camp Dwight was an uplifting weekend! There was time to get to know old friends better and meet new ones, time for relaxation and work, time for sports and music.

Noah spent hours on the volley ball court.

Noah discovered this pine tree while on a short hike.

Singing "All God's Critters Got a Place in the Choir" on talent night.

Chris on the keys.

Janna takes a harp solo on "The Entertainer". [Sorry you can't see Sarah in this shot.]

1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners for the annual 5k run! These guys were really fast.

The volunteer team of race officals. It was great to a part of this group. We were all up and working by 6:00 that morning. I spent the duration of the race at the halfway station giving water to the runners and cheering them on. It was such fun!!

Some of the most memorable moments for me at Camp Dwight this year aren't captured here... getting up with the sunrise to set up the race course after just a few hours sleep, being a part of the congregational hymn singing, dancing in the barn in the evening, singing and playing hymns past 1:00am, spraining my ankle (and dancing more anyway), then icing it for a few hours, and talking around the warm campfire in the cool of the night.

~Kathrina

Benefit Concert August 20, 2011

2011-07-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

We will be doing a special concert to benefit Hayden's Helping Hands, on August 20th, 2011. This foundation was founded by our friends after the heartbreaking death of their baby to assist families with the medical costs after the birth of a stillborn child. We are honored to be supporting this cause with our concert this summer.

It will be held at Classic Pianos Recital Hall, 3003 SE Milwaukie Avenue, Portland, OR 97202. The concert will begin at 7:00pm.

Tickets cost $14 for adults in advance /$7 for children age 14 & under. At the door tickets will cost $16 for adults/$9 for children age 14 & under.

More details about this special concert will follow!

Coming Soon....

2011-07-14T16:56:00.000-07:00

...a photo shoot with Whispering Roses and the lovely Christa Taylor.

Independence Day Memories

2011-07-13T20:24:00.000-07:00

We were thrilled that our friends were once again hosting an Independence Day celebration on their 60-acre farm, after skipping it last year.

Even though they didn't have a pie contest this time, I made a beautiful (and delicious!) strawberry pie for the shared meal.

Our annual jam session with Randy, the banjo player!

Singing hymns around the campfire.

Roasting S'mores around the campfire in the evening - looking at this photo makes me want some more!

After dark, when the light is dim and the cold air makes us draw closer to the fire, our hearts seem to draw closer as well. About ten young people stayed up until 2:00am sharing laughter, humor, and discussing some of life's toughest questions.

It was wonderful.

In the morning a beautiful sunrise greeted us! No sleeping-in when you are in a tent!

~ Janna

Scenic Roots!

2011-07-12T20:30:00.000-07:00

We so enjoyed getting to spend time with Erin and Amber - the sisters who formed the band Scenic Roots. Thanks to all who came to their first Oregon concert!!

Playing "The Butterfly"

Singing "Come Thou Fount" together. The music we did together was a special highlight of the concert!

One Ring to Rule Them All

2011-07-12T07:54:00.000-07:00

When the Fellowship of the Ring, the Two Towers, and the Return of the King first came out in theatre we weren't aware of it. Yes, we'd heard the name - friends had told us to read the books - but we hadn't done it. Then, one autumn we journeyed to Middle Earth while reading the books together. It changed our lives, honestly. And so, when we heard that the films were being played in theatre again, after all these years, we were thrilled! It was amazing and exciting and fun to see these movies in theatre!

All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost.

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,

A light from the shadow shall spring.

Renewed shall be blade that was broken,

The crownless again shall king.

Independence Day Weekend 2011

2011-07-02T19:11:00.000-07:00

The Star Spangled Banner
By Francis Scott Key, 1814

Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Scenic Roots Concert

2011-06-17T21:05:00.000-07:00

We are hosting a sister duo, Scenic Roots, later this month. This sisters are on tour from Kansas, and will be doing a concert at Crossroads Coffee Cafe in Gladstone. Erin and Amber sing, play mountain dulcimer and fiddle, and will be sharing old-time American, bluegrass, and Celtic music.

Scenic Roots in Concert

Thursday, June 30, 2011 | 6:30pm-8:00pm

Crossroads Coffee Cafe
250 Princeton ave. Suite 101
Gladstone, OR

We will open the concert with about fifteen minutes of music. We'll also do some music with Erin and Amber later on. So, mark your calendar and come welcome Scenic Roots to Portland!

Learn more about Scenic Roots by visiting their website: http://www.scenicroots.com/

June Days

2011-06-14T18:05:00.000-07:00

Our favorite salad rolls from a Vietnamese restaurant.

Dinner at the Cheesecake Factory for Krista's birthday. (Don't worry - we had cheesecake, too!)

At the Tualatin Wildlife Refuge

We saw sooo many frogs jumping into the water in the wetlands. I really wanted a picture...this was the only frog that stayed visible long enough for me to take one.

Walking at the refuge.

It's Time

2011-06-13T21:03:00.000-07:00

Yes, my friends, it is definitely time to blog again. The summer is filling up. Looking at our calender, we have at least one event planned for every weekend for the next thirteen weeks straight. These inlcude camping trips, weddings, concerts, and more! Now... I'll try to fill you in on the last few weeks with a few snapshots.

Here Noah is walking on water at Oaks Bottom. ;)

We dubbed this tree "Old Man Willow". Can you see why?

Taking our friends on their first trip to Oregon on a walking tour of Portland was definitely a highlight of May.

Trying on hats at a vintage shop!

The Library downtown.

These curious shoes we discoverd in another vintage shop.

View from the sky walk.

With our out of state friends!

In the case of the vanishing blogger

2011-05-23T14:43:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd better do a post in case you all are wondering what on earth happened to me. Why have I disappeared? Actually I haven't - just my posts. :) With the end of the school year comes a very busy time for us. I think we had at least six events on our calendar last weekend alone! There are graduations and concerts to attend, tests to take, more concerts and recitals to perform in, our garden to plant; indeed, this post is to let you know that I probably won't be posting again for a couple of more weeks. Just for fun, here are a couple of snapshots from our time at Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge.

Great Blue Heron

Cheers! Kathrina

Moments with the Dictionary of Music #14

2011-05-02T14:00:00.000-07:00

Presto [It.]. Very fast, i.e. faster than allegro. Prestissimo, as fast as possible!

"Quote from Performane Markings: ...Experienced musicianship seems to have been as much a factor as tempo markings; despite the often elaborate tempo directions given in mid-18th-century scors, Leopold Mozart (1756) asserts that 'even if a composer endeavors to explain more clearly the speed required....one has to deduce it from the piece itself, and this it is by which the true worth of a musician can be rcognized without fail.'"

Happy Spring

2011-04-27T13:13:00.000-07:00

Happy spring to all our readers. Life has been busy, and kept me from much blogging! And of course, we're still involved in plenty of musical pursuits and activities. We're booking summer performances now, Janna and Sarah are playing music with their college ensemble and choir, and I'm getting ready to lead a student violin recital for the third time.

We enjoyed a night of original music with the Jost family on Monday. If you enjoy acoustic country/folk music, and want to see a family lift their hearts together in music, check out their tour schedule to see if they are coming your way. www.josties.com

We're now booking our summer schedule. It looks like we're getting ready for an exciting season. When school is out, I'll try to blog more to tell you about it. ;)

Cheers!
Kathrina

Moments with the Dictionary of Music #13

2011-04-25T14:00:00.000-07:00

Vivace [It.]. Lively, brisk. In isolation, the term may indicate a tempo equivalent to allegro or faster. It has also been used to modify various terms (e.g., allegro vivace), usually, but not always, implying a faster tempo than the term modified. The intensifiers vivacissimo and vivacessimamente are also used.

Moments with the Dictionary of Music #12

2011-04-19T14:00:00.000-07:00

Allegro [It., merry, lively]. Fast. Althought the term has been used since the 17th century to indicate a fast or moderately fast tempo and is the single most widely used term for such a temp since the 18th century, it continued to be used into the 18th century as an indication of character or mood without respect to tempo.

Allegretto [It.]. Slightly less fast than allegro, often implying lighter texture or character as well.

Five Fun Facts...

2011-04-16T21:22:00.000-07:00

...About our concert with the Voetbergs.

1. Looking through the ticket stubs after the concert, we found one for a concert last year. It was dated December 2010 and everything. I have absolutely no clue who came in with that ticket.

2. Both of our families gathered for prayer backstage at the same time. No one had communicated or planned this.

3. Since Elisha said on stage that he didn’t think Noah really fit under the title Whispering Roses, we’ve been getting emails with ideas to alter Whispering Roses or rename our group entirely.

4. There were 33 people in our set up team before the concert. It took 39 people breaking down afterwards to get out of the church just one hour after the music stopped. (Special thanks to our amazing crew of helpers. You are the best!)

5. Out of all the sound equipment, I only put away my own violin. That was a definitely a first.

~the 4th Rose

Concert with the Voetbergs! - part 2

2011-04-16T13:11:00.000-07:00

The Voetberg Family

In Concert

Yes, we had energetic, live, accompanyment for our Irish dance.

All of us on stage for Amazing Grace.

What better way to end the concert than with the audience favorite Orange Blossom Special played by thirteen musicians?!

An evening to remember! Thank you God, for making it a success!

Moments with the Dictionary of Music #11

2011-04-11T14:00:00.000-07:00

Moderato [It.]. Moderate with repect to tempo; allegro m., not as fast as allegro; andante m., not as slow as andante.

Concert with the Voetbergs - Part 1

2011-04-09T21:32:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the concert! I think this evening will be a highlight of our year. It was blessed!

The cookie table is ready to go. Thanks Mallory and Elsie!

We couldn't have done it without Michael's help with sound, and great assistance from Lynn and Terry!

Sound check! It was very interesting trying to soundcheck thirteen people!

The Bisceglia family performed the first set.

Krista

Sarah

Noah, Kathrina, Krista

Noah and the limberjack!

"Great concert! We loved the performance."

"WOW, what a concert! Good job, ladies and gentlemen! We feel like we've just been to a concert in Branson."

~
"Lonnie and I had an awesome time at your concert last night ... It was a great Friday night date !!! Thanks for entertaining us with your talents !! Love ya gurls ... Aloha"
~

"Fantastic concert! I am so impressed. We will be able say, we knew you when..... : D Great artistry, beautiful pieces, and overall, wonderful! :applause:"
~

"Congratulations on a great show last night.....I love you all!!"

Thanks to Elsie D. for the photos

This Friday!

2011-04-06T20:58:00.000-07:00

Whispering Roses and the Voetberg Family in joint concert for the first time ever!

The Concert is this Friday. It is going to be a wonderful evening of music with two family bands and a variety of instrumentation. Come tap your feet to the dance tunes, and let your hear be lifted by the songs.

Moments with the Dictionary of Music #10

2011-04-04T14:00:00.000-07:00

Andante [It., walking]. Moderately slow, and since the late 18th century, usually regared as a tempo lying between adagio and allegro. The term was first used as a performance instruction independent of tempo, particularly with reference to bass lines with a steadily moving or "walking" character in even note-values.

Hiking Cape Lookout

2011-04-03T19:58:00.000-07:00

The forecast predicted rain for our coastal hike. We prepared with all sorts of rain gear, but we were blessed with lovely dry weather the entire hike!

The colors of the ocean were so vivid.

Mud. Need I say more?

The group (excepting photographers).

Enjoying a walk on the beach before heading to Tillamook for ice cream. :)

Thanks to Amy Rose and Nathan B. for some of these pictures!

Concert, Cookies, and Spring Break

2011-03-29T17:44:00.000-07:00

We've been loading our freezer with freshly made cookie dough for the concert. We spent time over spring break playing new music....a new arrangement of the beautiful "Skye Boat Song" is in store for you, my friends, along with a Negro spiritual. And of course, we're practicing old favorites as well. We even got a song request by email from a fan! Saturday we went hiking with a group of friends. We're also rehearsing an Irish dance. Yesterday, the Voetbergs got back from touring California. Today, I got a lesson with one of Ireland's best fiddlers who is in the Northwest on tour. At the post office, we found several orders for tickets waiting. If you haven't got yours, you can write or call us anytime. Or you can buy them online in a few clicks. :D

Moments with the Dictionary of Music #9

2011-03-28T14:00:00.001-07:00

Lento, lantamente [It.]. Slow. Lentissimo, extremely slow.

Moments with the Dictionary of Music #8

2011-03-28T14:00:00.000-07:00

Adagio [It.]. A slow tempo, often said to be slower than andante but not as slow as largo. Some writers of the 18th and 19th centuries, however, regared the term as designating the slowest of all tempos, though the term itself could be modified to call for still slower tempos, e.g., adagissimo. In the 18th century, the term sometimes implied the need for ornamentation.

Moments with the Dictionary of Music #7

2011-03-17T16:52:00.000-07:00

Largo [It., broad, large]. (1) Very slow; according to some 18th-century theorists, the slowest of the principal divisions of tempo, though then and later it was often placed between adagio and andante. (2) A movement whose tempo is largo.

Moments with the Dictionary of Music #6

2011-03-07T14:00:00.000-08:00

Grave [It.]. (1) Grave, solemn. (2) Since the 17th century, slow, often equivalent to adagio. (3) With respect to pitch, low.

I’ve also heard grave defined as the slowest tempo indication.

Moments with the Dictionary of Music #5

2011-02-28T14:00:00.000-08:00

Tempo [It., time]. (1) The speed at which music is performed, I.e., the rate per unit of time of metrical pulses in performance.

For the next several weeks we’ll be taking a look at different tempo markings!

Announcing Our Joint Concert

2011-02-27T15:08:00.000-08:00

We are thrilled to announce a joint concert with the Voetberg family of Centralia, Washington. After several months of planning, we now have the details in place! It will be a fantastic evening of Celtic songs, American fiddle tunes, and Christian music! Two dynamic family bands join together in one concert that will inspire and delight.

Friday, April 8, 2011
7:00pm
Joint Concert With The Voetberg Family
Eastridge Covenant Churh
14100 SE Sunnyside Rd.
Clackamas, OR 97015
Tickets: $10 in advance / $12 at the door
Family Pass: $40 in advance / $50 at the door

To obtain a family pass, or avoid the online service charge, mail your payment (check or postal money order), with the number of tickets you want to:
Noel Bisceglia
P.O. Box 935
Oregon City, OR 97045
Easily pick up your tickets at Will Call on the night of the concert!

The Voetberg Family has been described as “unique, wonderful, talented and entertaining.” Since their first performance in 1999, the family band has followed a serendipitous path of bluegrass, gospel, country, folk, jazz and Celtic influences. The children – ranging in age from nine to twenty-two have garnered many awards including state, regional, and national fiddle championships. Visit http://www.voetbergfamily.com/ to see a video of the Voetbergs!

For the past ten years, the Bisceglia Family has delighted audiences with a repertoire that includes music ranging from the wilds of Scotland, to the green meadows of Ireland, American folk music, as well as award-winning compositions. The four sisters (known as Whispering Roses) form the core of the band with Mom, Dad and brother Noah joining in throughout the performance. Enjoy the beautiful fusion of harp, piano, English flutes, violin and guitar woven together with rich vocal harmonies.

Snapshots from our 2nd Homeschool Ceili

2011-02-25T15:47:00.000-08:00

Dancing the Bridge of Athelone

The Waltz of the Bells

The Haymaker's Jig

Our Homeschool 2nd Ceili!

2011-02-25T12:28:00.000-08:00

Here is the much anticipated video from our 2nd homeschool Irish ceili! ~ Janna

Moments with the Dictionary of Music #4

2011-02-21T14:00:00.000-08:00

Downbeat. (1) The first and thus metrically strongest beat of a measure, usually signaled in conducting with a downward motion. (2) The first beat of a piece and thus also the conductor’s signal to begin a piece.

Moments with the Dictionary of Music #3

2011-02-14T14:00:00.000-08:00

Crescendo, decrescendo [It., growing, decreasing; abbr. cresc., decresc., decr.]. As performance marks, increasing and decreasing loudness, respectively; sometimes indicated with the signs above.

Moments with the Dictionary of Music #2

2011-02-07T14:00:00.000-08:00

Performance Marks. Words, abbreviations, and symbols employed along with the notation of pitch and duration to indicate aspects of performance. These may be tempo indications, dynamic marks, technical instructions, marks for phrasing and articulation, and designations for the character of the piece or section.

Choosing Romantic Music for Your Wedding

2011-02-03T18:29:00.000-08:00

This is especially to brides! So, if you know someone getting married pass this post along!

Valentine's Day is just around the corner and many brides are planning the wedding of their dreams complete with red roses and pink hearts and white satin. Even if your wedding isn't in February, chances are you are still looking for ways to make it the most romantic day of your life. And what is more romantic than the music you choose? Music sets the mood and makes the day a special reflection of you as an individual.

So just what is some of the most romantic music every written? Movies and Broadway provide a host of wonderful pieces with deeply romantic connotations. All I Ask of You from the Phantom of the Opera is a popular choice for mid-ceremony, such as lighting the unity candle. For many, the theme from Romeo and Juliet is the most romantic melody of all times, but some find it evokes tragic emotions, so maybe you would like to go for something lighter such as the theme Disney's Beauty and the Beast. If you would like to come down the aisle to a movie theme, look for something a bit classical. The theme from A&E's Pride and Prejudice makes a great processional, as would some of Beethoven's music used in Immortal Beloved. Folk music offers a lighter selection of romantic music. Perhaps you would like a singer to perform My Love is like a Red, Red Rose or Wedding Song (There is Love).

Sorting through the host of romantic music may seem daunting at first, but an experienced wedding musician will be able to provide suggestions based on his or her current repertoire. Look for music that excites you, that makes your heart beat a little faster, that makes you cry or laugh or smile or simply remember your wedding as the day that your dreams came true. Happy wedding plans!

~ Janna Bisceglia, harpist for Whispering Roses

Moments with the Dictionary of Music #1

2011-01-31T14:00:00.000-08:00

This is the first of a new weekly posting series. It’s all about music, and musical terms! The definitions will be taken from The Harvard Dictionary of Music, unless otherwise noted. The definitions and descriptions may be abbreviated from what is found in the dictionary.

I have a weakness for spending time reading the dictionary of music when I go to look a word up - it’s something I love to do - and so I’m particularly excited to be sharing these findings with you all.

Da Capo [It., abbr. D.C.]. From the beginning, and hence an indication that a piece is to be repeated from the beginning to the end, to a place marked fine (da capo al fine), or to a place marked with a specified sign (e.g., da capo al segno, or al coda). On reaching the sign in the last case, the player is to skip ahead to the next occurrence of the coda sign, often marking the beginning of a coda.

Home {Away from Home}

2011-01-20T19:02:00.000-08:00

Just before heading cross-country! It was snowing, and there was a chilly wind blowing.

Despite the very icy snow conditions, we made it to Paulina Falls. It was well worth it!

We enjoyed seeing this lovely bald eagle. I took the picture through Dad's little monocular!

After the trip, Dad build a fire in the lodge and we warmed ourselves. Noah split wood for the next folks. :)

View of the valley on our ski back down after lunching at the waterfalls.

LaPine is our home away from home. We treasure each moment spent with our relatives there. Playing games, eating, just visiting...this year we also enjoyed ice skating in Sunriver, cross-country skiing to Paulina Lake and Falls, and fellowshipping with friends old and new over the course of our time there.

The Festival of Lights at the Grotto

2011-01-10T20:39:00.001-08:00

For Narnia and for Aslan!

2011-01-10T20:29:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

We'll be ringing it in with music at Crossroads Coffee Cafe *tonight*, at seven pm.
January 1st, 2011

7:00 - 9:00pm
Crossroads Coffee Cafe
250 Princeton Ave.

Gladstone, OR 97027
Free admission: donations accepted

Concert Picture!

2010-12-13T20:39:00.000-08:00

The concert was lovely....a variety of music, great energy (even Scandinavian dancing)! Special thanks to everyone who came out. You deserve a hand, too!

Autumn 2010

2010-12-08T20:51:00.000-08:00

On Mom's birthday, we explored the lovely Elk Island.

It used to be privately owned. The family actually had their house on the island!

Now the park service keeps it.

When the water level is low, you can access the island on foot and hike around it!

At a soap making class some friends hosted.

The table set for Thanksgiving dinner!

With our friends at the end of a delightful Thanksgiving celebration!

A small wonder of God's creation.

In front of a beautiful old church in Historic Oregon City.

Win Your Concert Ticket

2010-11-30T21:23:00.000-08:00

Want to win your ticket to the concert on December 11th? This just might be the opportunity for you! If you can sell five tickets, we'll give you yours for free. If you sell ten, we'll give you two free tickets, and so on. Let us know if you are interested in selling tickets to your friends, family, coworkers, and others. Contact us!

Tickets!

2010-11-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

Remember when I said "more details to follow"? Well, more details are here!

I'm exited to announce that tickets are now on sale for our upcoming concert. Two easy ways to get your tickets:

1. Send a check for your ticket(s) made out to S&A Irish Entertainment, along with a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the following address:
The Bisceglia Sisters
P.O. Box 935
Oregon City, OR 97045
Tickets are $10 each, or 6 for $50. No surcharge.

2. Buy tickets online here: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/138146

About the concert~

December 11th, 2010

7:30-9:30pm
Doors open: 6:45pm
Hosted by S&A Irish Entertainment
Historic Winona Grange #271
8340 SW Seneca Street, Tualatin, OR 97062
Tickets: $10.00
Group Rate: 6 for $50.00

We're doing this concert as part of the 2nd Saturday Community Concerts off the Commons series, hosted by S&A Irish Entertainment, and will be featuring our favorite wintertime music! Homemade refreshments will be provided. Don't miss it!

Note: This venue is note wheel chair accessible.

New Way To Go!

2010-11-15T13:31:00.000-08:00

Of Painting

2010-11-10T20:01:00.000-08:00

This fall we repainted our 1920's house. It was a big project, and we're thrilled with the results. Here are some snapshots from the process.

When we first moved here, we didn't even notice the decorative pillars around the front door. The the badly chipped creamish paint blended them in with the house front. After many paint chips and samples, we came up with a color scheme to display them at their best. (The colors look even better in person!)

Now let the rains come.

Literary Ball

2010-10-28T10:45:00.000-07:00

We had a delightful time at the Literary Ball! This ball took place in the McMinville Grand Ballroom - beautifully strung with lights and gauze.

Kathrina came as Princess Eilonwy from the Prydain Chronicles, complete with a golden bauble.

Sarah was Laura Ingalls

Krista was Rose Gamgee (Cotton as was!) from the Lord of the Rings

I wanted to wear my paternal Grandmama's dress my aunt had just given me from the 1930's. I paired with with my maternal Grandmother's mink stole and jewelry from the 1950's. The question was, what character to be?

I finally chose Velvet Brown, from "National Velvet". Now I know I don't look anything like Elizabeth Taylor, but in the book Velvet had blond hair, and this was a literary ball.

Kathrina finished her dress the morning of the ball!

I loved this girl's outfit.

We made Plum Puffs from Anne of Avonlea.

A Ringwraith sought to terrorize Rose Gamgee.

I always love the costumes David P. comes up with!

Afterwards Jon grabbed me for a swing dance. I hadn't had a chance to do it since we learned at Booher Music Camp, so I had a blast!

Attempting to learn the Charleston.

The whole group of dancers.

~ Janna

Save the Date ~ Concert Announcement

2010-10-14T09:00:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to announce our upcoming wintertime concert, hosted by S&A Irish Entertainment. Don't delay putting the date on your calendar - this is going to be a lovely event.

the Bisceglia Family

featuring

Whispering Roses

Winter Concert

When: Saturday, December 11th, 2010

Time: 7:30-9:30pm

Where: Historic Winona Grange #271

8340 SW Seneca Street
Tualatin, OR 97062
Tickets: $10
More details to follow!

Our Harpist

2010-10-09T19:30:00.000-07:00

Janna, playing at a wedding this summer

Right now Janna is learning a piece for harp and choir. It's about 25 minutes long, and in some places, like the spot below, she has to read three staves! Take a look:

I'm impressed, and can't wait to hear this piece in its entirety. Go Janna!

Whispering Roses ~ Rose City Bridal Showcase

2010-10-03T22:33:00.000-07:00

Our booth!

Lovely Sarah

The fashion show happened twice a day. Shops, florists, and hairstylist came together to create various scenes.

I got my hair done at a salon booth.

Aunt Ludo and Krista in between talking with brides. Special thank you to Aunt Ludo for her help today. You were fabulous!

Huge thank you to Stan and Dad for building this wonderful sign! Also thanks to Christina at PDQ Signs for the lettering.

Playing in the VIP lounge. This was a special place for the bride and groom to come sample food, enjoy soft couches, and listen to music.

The Rose City Bridal Showcase

Preparing for the Rose City Bridal Showcase

2010-10-03T21:51:00.000-07:00

Proofs from the printer testing coloring, etc. on the new brochure

Lots of design work went into pre-show preparation. Redesigning Whispering Roses' brochures and business cards was a big part of this. We met with a marketing director and graphic designer who aided us in the process! Any of you who have our previous materials will be able to see the stunning difference!

Hundreds and hundreds of new business cards and brochures from the printer.

Sewing satin dresses...

...we were also so busy doing many other things we didn't have time to snap photos!

Rose City Bridal Showcase!

2010-10-02T18:22:00.000-07:00

We just finished day one of the Rose City Bridal Showcase! What a great, full day!

Late Summer

2010-09-21T21:33:00.000-07:00

In the end of August we enjoyed a brief trip to Washington to celebrate a dear friend's homeschool graduation!

Playing a group game.

Lining up for dancing!

the girls

We spent the night - our family's first time at a real campsite! (Please don't ask me why Krista appears to be roasting her foot.)

Janna and a little rainbow at Rainbow Falls State Park.

On our hike, Noah went wading in the river. He then had to suffer the consequences of wet-muddy-feet-that-need-to-go-back-in-shoes.

We went hiking on the old railroad, passing through some beautiful farms. Afterwards we enjoyed smoothies, iced coffee, and visiting and jamming with friends at a nearby coffee shop.

Before our concert at Crossroads. We had a great time - thank you to everyone to came.

We went to the coast and bought tuna from a fisherman before Labor Day.

His lovely boat was called the Grace Elizabeth

Yaquina Head Lighthouse

I buried Noah.

(and then regretted my deed...)

On Labor Day we girls and Dad hiked Bachelor Mountain near Detroit Lake with a couple of homeschool alumni friends. We found what we thought was the trail head, but all we could see was an overgrown sign and wild landscape. The state park website said the trail usage was "low", but we didn't expect it to be this low! We plunged ahead...

...and found the trail, or lack there of. ;)

Following Brian's GPS, we headed through more brush, up a steep hill, and there was the trail!

The picture Dad was taking in the last picture

Krista enjoying the view
Photo by Nathan

The Three Sisters

Mt. Jefferson

Photo by Nathan
The clouds blew off the peak just for the time we were at the top of Bachelor having our lunch. When we headed back down, they were beginning to cover it again.

We followed the trail back down and found the actual trailhead.

Krista and I at a wedding we played for Saturday.

We were thankful for the canopy that covered everyone during the wedding!

Enjoy Autumn!

Cheers,

Kathrina

Homeschool Ceili Highlights

2010-09-17T20:16:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much to everyone who came. It was a wonderful afternoon. I hope you enjoy this video of highlights!

~ Janna

Password Perplexity

2010-09-02T11:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning I decided that it was about time to change my email password. It had been the same for quite sometime, and a very wise friend said that I should change these things more often for safety. Now this wasn’t just any email address, it was the email address for our music quartet, Whispering Roses, and it also accessed our website control panel. I found the place to change it without too much trouble, entered my new password then logged out and tried to log back in. Error message. Either the email or password was incorrect. Puzzled, I tried again, and again. I tried the old password, but nothing worked. So I clicked on the “forgot my password” button. I entered my country, state and zip code and then I came to my secret question: Who is your favorite historical person?

What? A single favorite historical person? I have far to many! Could it be William Wallace, Robert Bruce or Eric Liddell? What on earth made me choose that question? And I knew I didn’t have the answer written down. I began trying names, but there were far to many combinations. It could be William Wallace, william wallace, williamwallace or just plain Wallace. And maybe I didn’t even choose an actual historic person at all. Vague memories of choosing our favorite person with my sisters came flooding back; hadn’t we talked about using Aragorn or Frodo? I tried so many different combinations that I triggered the lock so I couldn’t try anymore.

Okay, so now I had to try a different way. If I had provided them with another email address while I still knew my password I could have had them send a reset link there. Scratch. If I had assigned another one of our emails as administrator, I could have reset it there. Scratch. If I had used the automatic computer password remembering part of my sign-in, I could have reset it with that. Scratch.

By now it was afternoon and I finally decided to email support from my email. They were guaranteed to reply in four hours, though in the past it had taken them longer. Oh joy of joys, they could reset it if I verified the billing information! Four hours later I finally re-reset my password, went to sign in and, oops, it was still locked. Supposedly a spammer might be trying to access my account – ahem, that was me. This time, support replied within an hour, and I opened my inbox to ten new messages. Thankfully, none of them had been important and I hadn’t lost any jobs over this. It is amazing how much we depend on electronic communication these days. Oh the relief knowing I could read my emails again!

Oh yes, and I changed my secret question.

By the way, if any of you have been contemplating trying to hack our blogger account, we have a new super secure password for it too.

~ Janna

Concert this Friday

2010-08-24T17:42:00.000-07:00

The Bisceglia Family

featuring

Whispering Roses

In Concert

When: August 27th, 2010 (This Friday!)
Time: 7:30pm
Where: Crossroads Coffee Cafe
250 Princeton Avenue
Gladstone, OR 97027
Come enjoy dinner and iced coffee and be immersed in a variety of Celtic, folk, and Christian music! We've prepared a great program of music for this concert and can't wait to share it with you all. Hope to see you there!
~Kathrina

S&A Irish Entertainment

2010-08-11T21:24:00.000-07:00

Sam and Anne do a phenomenal job of supporting Irish culture here in Portland. Not only have they taught us Irish dancing as a family, they have been some of out biggest fans and Sam has happily volunteered to call group dances at both of our CD Release Concerts. But our group is only one small piece of all they do to encourage Celtic music. S&A Irish Entertainment regularly brings famous Celtic musicians to Portland to share their talents with us. Without Sam and Anne, many of these musicians would pass Portland by.

If you enjoy Celtic music, I would highly recommend checking out Sam's concert line-up. We have been to several and thoroughly enjoyed them. This Saturday, Sam is presenting a concertina player from Ireland. Noel Hill is reportedly the defining Irish concertina player of our time. And as he plays only instrumentals, I expect this to be a family friendly concert. If you can't make this concert, get on Sam's email list and try another one. I don't think you'll be disappointed. Let's remedy the small turnouts of previous concerts and show these musicians how much Portland appreciates good music!

www.sandairishentertainment.com

www.noelhill.com

Emma's Box Hill Picnic & Ball

2010-08-09T16:57:00.000-07:00

We danced under a pavillion at Champoeg State Park

Janna

Sarah

We enjoyed tea with the young ladies.

Janna's exquisite dress, which she sewed just in time for the ball.

The Ball from a distance

Photos 2 & 3 by Daniel Sauble. Photos 4 & 7 ECD Oregon.

Booher Family Music Camp Part 2

2010-08-07T15:05:00.000-07:00

What did we do while not in class or standing in line for our scrumptious meals? There were games for the active and quiet spaces for those wishing to relax. Something for everyone!

Liddy helped lead a young ladies Bible study.

We're so pleased that both Mom and Dad worked hard at the bass guitar all week long! Here Noah helps Mom practice.

The swimming hole...with a swing!

Kathrina helping Dad learn his part for Band Scramble.

Dad also helped Ben with the sound system. They spent several hours Friday afternoon troubleshooting the system, finally discovering a couple bad cords!

Friday night saw everyone perform in The Big Concert. Noah's guitar class performed and Noah turned up in a beard that was strikingly muddy in color!

Mom performed with the ladies' choir.

The kitchen crew performed a hilarious song based on "Hey Good Lookin', What You Got Cookin" but with the words changed around to match Booher Camp.

The piano class performed "Sweet Georgia Brown". And yes, that is a bass in the background. We were fortunate enough to have some guest musicians play with us, plus Janna on the harp!

In just two days, Chris led our piano class through the basics of putting lyrics to music. Everyone was able to contribute something and Chris was so pleased with the song we ended up with, he had us record it Friday morning and perform it Friday night! The lyrics are taken from Romans 10. Ben on the bass, Kathrina on the violin, and Jamie and Rachel on cello, joined the vocalists and pianists.

Dad, as soundman, worked with Ben and Eric for the entire concert, which because of all the different bands getting on and off stage, was a momentous task!

Kathrina's Fiddle 5 class was the most advanced fiddle class and they went all out!

They performed a cute jazzy song, South.

Thank you, Booher family, for a wonderful and blessed week! We hope to be back!

Booher Family Music Camp Part 1

2010-08-04T18:27:00.000-07:00

We just came back from a week at this ranch, in the beautiful Scotts Valley near Yoncalla, Oregon.

The entire week of music classes, jam sessions, concerts and fellowship was organized by this musical family. (L-R: Chris, Rudi, Ned, Brendan, Ben)

We camped on their parent's lawn. Mother Booher was in charge of the outdoor kitchen which kept us well fed. Brendan arranged for us to be bused to the local highschool for music classes from nine to three-thirty. All the boys taught, plus some other great musicians from the northwest. Sarah, Janna, and Krista took piano improv; Kathrina was in the advanced fiddle class; Noah took guitar lessons, and Mom and Dad had private bass lessons. Afterwards, one could choose between dance lessons, volleyball, ultimate Frisbee, pond swimming and more. Each night there was a concert or big jam session. On Tuesday night, all the musical families performed. We shared These Are My Mountains and our Lord of the Rings medley.

Thursday night was band scramble night. Names were randomly thrown together from all the classes to form eight different bands, each with a teacher for a band leader. In two 1 1/2 hour sessions, we had to come up with a song, arrange it for our band, and have it ready to perform. Janna's band performed The Irish Washerwoman.

Noah and Krista's band grooved on the 12-Bar Blues.

Dad and Kathrina's band performed a medley of Oh, Susanna and Country Roads.

Mom and Sarah's band performed a rendition of Miss Molly with the words changed to fit the Booher family.

After band scramble, we had dancing, and for anyone who knows we girls, you know that makes for a good time!

More to come...

A tribute

2010-08-02T17:56:00.000-07:00

The above photo was taken at a wedding we were blessed to attend recently. It includes the bride's parents, and most of her siblings, their spouses, nieces and nephews. They are all part of the Bradrick family. It is such a joy for us to witness this milestone in Amy's life. We have a special place in our heart for the Bradrick family, because the family you see in us today is due, in part, to the Bradricks.

We get a lot of compliments about our family, how we get along, how we play music together, etc. I'm here to tell you that we could never be who we are without the grace of God and God's inspired Word. God has many ways of teaching His children and one thing He used with us was the Bradrick family. They helped give us a vision as to what a family could be. They loved to sing together. They loved to be together. And they could articulate every day tips and details on how to "run" a large family. We thank God for the Bradricks. And we thank God for bringing Amy Ellen a wonderful husband.
Here are the "roses" ready for the celebration.

The funnest event in the ceremony was when the groom galloped in on horseback to rousing bagpipe music!

J.R. and Amy Ellen vowing their covenant of marriage "til death do us part".

Congratulations you two!

Our 2nd Camp Dwight!

2010-07-23T22:12:00.000-07:00

We were very excited to be able to attend Camp Dwight near Bend, Oregon for a second time. The three days of fellowship and fun are memories to be treasured.

We set up a "home base" of quilts and lawn chairs with the C., S. and J. family, then ventured out from there to visit and play. One of the best parts about Camp Dwight is catching up with old friends and making new ones.

Janna, Heather and Kathrina cooling off in the creek.

Mom, Keslie and David S. and Michael J. visiting under the shade trees.

Amy and Janna having a chat by the creek.

Noah played basketball and volley ball almost non-stop. I think this is the only picture he is in, because he was actually still enough for us to snap it!

Talent night is one of the best parts! We love to see the various talent that folks have to offer.

These children recited humorous poetry.

These girls did a skit on prayer.

We enjoyed the E. family's close harmonies.

We even had a Russian comedian!

Brendan Booher did a skit with his new father-in-law, Shannon.

We enjoyed hearing the Voetbergs once again.

Krista forgot her autoharp, so Elisha Voetberg obligingly joined us on For These Are My Mountains with his mandolin! (We couldn't take photos and be on stage at the same time...)

Sunday morning there was a 5K race. We were so proud that Krista and Dad ran it!

Dad breaking across the finish line! Since Dad was the oldest person to run, they made him his own category and awarded him a winner's T-shirt!

Krista coming down the home stretch!

We even managed to squeeze in a little English Country Dancing between the soccer games. (I was upset with how much of a squeeze it was...)

A view of the camp ground. I'm down there somewhere playing Ultimate Frisbee for the first time. (Thanks again Chris for being such a great team leader, despite the number of times we had to walk!) We are all looking forward to next year!

~ Janna Rae

Weekend in Tacoma

2010-07-09T19:37:00.000-07:00

When Janna's harp teacher told her about the 2010 American Harp Society conference, she said this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to attend this important conference on the west coast. Of course we had to take advantage of the chance! So, 4th of July weekend, we drove to Tacoma and checked in to Hotel Murano, the fanciest hotel in Tacoma! Janna was eager to immerse herself in the harp world, while we planned to enjoy the area around Tacoma. Hotel Murano is known for its glass art. Each of the 23 floors showcases a different world-renowned glass artist. The lobby was sparsely decorated with bright colors and glasswork.

Most of the harp events and workshops were held in the hotel. There was an exhibit hall where all the major harp makers and harp music arrangers had booths set up. There were at least fifty harps in that hall!

The only concert we were able to attend with Janna was a chamber concert featured famous French harpist Catherine Michel along with a string quartet. She was amazing! It was fun for Janna to see her in person because she taught Marion Fouse who taught both of Janna's harp teachers!

Saturday we hiked in the lush woods of Dash Point and then soaked in the sun on the beach near Puget Sound.

Krista and Sarah are ready to head to Chehalis to attend a fellowship meeting on Sunday

Sunday night Janna and Dad got to go to a special dinner put on for harp conference attendees. The rest of us decided to get the Tacoma experience and go down to the waterfront for fireworks. I think every family in Tacoma was there! Several blocks of streets were closed to traffic and parked cars lined the road for over a mile in either direction! Finally we parked and walked about 25 blocks downhill to the waterfront. As we reached the bottom it suddently occured to us that we would have to walk 25 blocks uphill in the dark to get back to our van! Oh well, since we were there we might as well enjoy things! We found one of the few spots on the beach not already claimed and set up camp. As we munched on dinner from the nearby vendors, we realized the water was steadily getting closer to our blanket. Much to our chagrin the tide did come all the way up to the rocks and we had to flee to higher ground! After waiting forever we did get to see the firework show and made it safely home that night!

On Monday we went to Point Defiance. There was lots to do there! We had a lovely picnic by the pond and walked through the gardens.

Noah, Dad and Krista drove the go-carts.

Noah was set on swimming, sub sandwiches and a trip to the zoo! He made sure we did not forget his wishes! We managed to fufill all his wished plus a trip to the Almond Roca factory! One of our favorite animals at the Point Defiance zoo was this walrus. We'd never gotten so up close and personal with such a hulk of a creature!

Kathrina and Noah also got to ride a camel, something our Grandma used to always tell about. She got to ride one in Egypt so she still has the upper hand!

We finished the weekend with a special dinner at Anthony's overlooking the sound! What a lovely start to the summer! We are looking forward to many more summer adventures! And I hope our faithful readers are enjoying summer as well...

~The First Rose

Whispering Roses In Print!

2010-07-08T20:34:00.000-07:00

In January Krista entered her new composition "On Seaward Wings" in the National Federation of Music Clubs' statewide young composers contest. The quartet for piano, harp, recorder, and violin won at state, went on to win at the regional level, and then (drumroll, please), placed 2nd in the Nation! We are all delighted. Krista was interviewed by the Clackamas Review Newspaper, and I've posted the article below for your enjoyment. If you come to our concert on August 27th, you will hear us perform this truely lovely piece of music.

Click here to read the article online

World War II Ball

2010-07-03T20:44:00.000-07:00

Krista and I were delighted (and honored) to be able to wear to of our aunts' vintage prom dresses.

Visiting.

Here I am with a couple of sailors.

We were so sad that they were leaving for war :(

The memorabilia table.

What a lovely evening it was!

Special thanks to Kathryn, Tyler, and Sarah Gale Photography for the photos.

New Look!

2010-07-01T14:26:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone! We're currently under construction. Please bear with us as we design a new look.

Concert

2010-06-29T17:36:00.000-07:00

The Bisceglia Family

featuring

Whispering Roses

August 27th, 2010 | 7:30pm

Crossroads Coffee Cafe

250 Princeton Avenue

Gladstone, OR 97027

Our concert at Crossroads Coffee Cafe on June 4th was a great success! It was delightful to share our music with a packed house (standing room only) of eager listeners. We were sad to hear that people had to be turned away, so we're doing another concert to accommodate everyone. We're looking forward to another evening of music, and hope to see you there.

Unanswered Riddle 14:

2010-06-24T03:27:00.000-07:00

Why do we drive on the parkway and park in the driveway?

This is the final unanswered riddle! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. If you have any ideas for more riddles, you can email them to us for consideration. music[at]whisperingroses[dot]net

Harp From Around The World

2010-06-22T11:56:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month I was thrilled to be able to have private lessons with world-renowned harpists Grainne Hambly and William Jackson. Ever since I saw them in concert, I have wanted to get a private lesson with Grainne. When I saw that she was coming out for Laura Zaerr's harp retreat, I wrote her asking if it would be possible to arrange a private lesson. As it turned out, William, or Billie, was coming with her as well. Our house is right on the way from the Portland airport, to Eugene, where they were performing, so everything worked out perfectly! I got a forty-five minute lesson with Billie in Scottish music, then switched gears and had a forty-five minute lesson with Grainne in Irish music. Meanwile the rest of my family served lunch and had a great time hearing traveling and performance stories. Hopefully I will be incorporating some of the things I learned into our upcoming concerts. It was a wonderful experience!

Grainne, Janna and Billie

Unanswered Riddle 13:

2010-06-17T07:17:00.000-07:00

Why is lemon candy made with artificial lemon flavoring and dish soap scented with real lemons?

Unanswered Riddle 12:

2010-06-10T03:27:00.000-07:00

Why are we more likely to wreck when we're being "wreckless"?

Unanswered Riddle 11:

2010-06-03T03:27:00.000-07:00

When a door is open it's called "ajar". Why isn't an open jar called "adoor"?

Sharing the Gift of Music

2010-05-28T23:11:00.000-07:00

" May your home always be too small to hold all your friends." - Irish Proverb

This quote has been true my entire life. For the first part of my life, it was because my home was so very small, (not because I had so many friends), but over the past several years God has blessed us with a slightly bigger house, and a great deal more friends. Since obtaining this somewhat bigger house, my sisters and I have been anxious to try our hand at entertaining, and mom has graciously agreed to all of our schemes so far. Our most recent gathering was having the entire P. family over for an evening of dinner and music. We all enjoyed getting to know them better and playing music together.

Kathryn brought us these beautiful flowers, and Sarah and Andrew brought us a lilac bush to plant!

Above: Laura, Kathrina, and David.

They literally came through the door with bagfuls of instruments and music which gradually where scattered over our livingroom over the course of the evening. Laura had a viola-de-gamba, which we enjoyed hearing for the first time (we had only ever read about one). David brought his mandolin.

Krista enjoyed attempting to sightread recorder ensembles with Andrew, Brian and Laura. The rest of us tried to double parts on our respective instruments. The impromptu arrangements sounded quite good, I thought!

We closed the evening by singing hymns together. What a blessed way to finish the visit!

When the day is over and the music gone by, I think that it is not so much the music itself, but the sharing of music that binds the evening, and us, together in a special way. Truly, "The most beautiful music of all is the music of what happens." - Irish Proverb

~ Janna Rae

Unanswered Riddle 10:

2010-05-27T03:27:00.001-07:00

What do you do if you see an endangered animal eating an endangered plant?

Unanswered Riddle 9:

2010-05-20T03:27:00.000-07:00

How does a snowplow driver get to work on a snowy morning?

The Rehearsals

2010-05-15T19:57:00.000-07:00

Behind the scenes of a concert, there is rehearsing. That word conjures up lots of other words describing my experiences practicing together...painful, fun, energetic, slow, distracted, focused, effective, arrangement-building, even relationship-building...the list goes on. :) Although there was a time when I didn't enjoy practicing together, I'm happy to say that in more recent years I've grown to enjoy and appreciate it more and more.

Unless it's a before-breakfast-instrumental-only rehearsal, we typically gather in the living room for vocal warm-ups. Of course there was yesterday when Janna, multitasking, was still on the computer upstairs and so she warmed up her voice from there, (apparently not taking into consideration the delay between the sound downstairs and her sound upstairs). After warm-up and transitioning into the rehearsal by running through a song a few times, we prioritize what we want to spend time working on. We practice various parts of a song various ways, listening for a tight, beautiful blend. There are decisions that have to be made about details; precisely when should we finish singing a word? All four of us need to pronounce the ending consonant at the same time! Exactly how do we want to sense that ritard? Sometimes we get intense, and we've found that breaking it up with a good laugh and then focusing again is quite helpful. Other times Mom dances in and gives encouragement. Still other times I get extremely excited about making a new arrangement, or remembering a forgotten one, that I jump up and down. And there are always times when I'm coming up with a new harmony part, and have to have the other girls play a section over and over and over. At least the end result is gorgeous and fresh. Sometimes we stay focused, and sometimes we start out focused and stay so only until something is interesting enough to distract us. For example, yesterday Janna randomly said, "If we ever get a clear player, I think we should watch Seabiscuit". Sarah asked why and Janna explained...part way through the discussion we suddenly remembered we were supposed to be practicing, but we finished the discussion anyway. ;) That's all for now; Sarah is calling me to come rehearse!

~Kathrina