Ana Elsner speaks about The Arts

In a recent interview about the arts,
poet Ana Elsner said,



"It seems to be part of human nature to be single-minded. Art lovers go to exhibitions, music lovers go to concerts and poetry lovers go to readings. There is not enough cross-traffic.

I wanted to change that, if only for one night. So I choreographed a dialogue between a musical instrument and my poetry. I chose the oboe as my preferred partner and was most grateful when principal oboist Laura Griffiths of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra agreed to participate.

It was very exciting to design a program where my poems alternate with the oboe, in order to demonstrate the connection between the two. I called this project "The Sounding Reed", with a double meaning of (a) the actual reed of the instrument and (b) the 'reeds' of the human vocal chords. My concept was very well received by Robert Carlson of the San Francisco Public Library. He hosted it on June 12, 2007.

Having set the stage, I read in front of a combined audience of both music and poetry lovers and thereby made this cross-traffic happen. The evening was a big success and garnered excellent reviews."

Click to see Ana Elsner's event listing at The Academy of American Poets

--- See also: Ana Elsner's German Language Poems

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"Without poets, without artists, men would soon weary of nature's monotony. The sublime idea men have of the universe would collapse with dizzying speed... There would be no seasons, no civilization, no thought, no humanity...,"

Guillaume Apollinaire (1880-1918) was a poet, writer, and art critic. The foremost French poet of the early 20th century, he is credited with coining the word surrealism and writing one of the earliest works described as surrealist, the play Les Mamelles de Tirsias (1917).

Related topic: Why Poetry?

Applause for the Oboe

When asked about her favorite musical instrument, poet and classical music aficionado Ana Elsner said,



"Without a doubt, the instrument that speaks to me most is the oboe. Although sometimes overshadowed by other woodwinds, not to mention the testosterone-laden brass, I perceive the oboe as being a full-bodied female voice. Perhaps this is due to its mezzo-soprano to soprano range. In fact, I have written a poem titled 'Oboe' which defines how I feel about it."



Later on in the conversation, Ana Elsner added,

"My favorite oboist, these days, is Ms. Laura Griffiths of the San Francisco Opera and Ballet Orchestra. Her lyrical tone quality and masterful vibrato distinguish her among the woodwinds, indeed, among the entire orchestra. Her soli simply shine. It is a treat to hear her play."

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Side-by-side: Laura Griffiths and Ana Elsner

The
Sounding
Reed
(borrowed from a poem by Ana Elsner)


Born out of her affection for the oboe, Ana Elsner conceived of and choreographed a special evening of dialogue between the spoken word as represented by Elsner's poems and the voice of the oboe as presented by Laura Griffiths, acting principal oboist of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra.

This unique event, headlined 'The Sounding Reed', will take place on Tuesday, June 12, 2007 at 7p.m. at the North Beach Branch of the San Francisco Public Library, located at 2000 Mason Street, corner of Columbus Avenue, (415) 355-5626.

The sponsor of this exciting program is 'The Friends of the San Francisco Public Library'. Admission is free.

Lovers of Poetry and Lovers of Classical Music: unite!

[Read OBOE, the signature poem for this event]

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When? On June 6, 2007

Author and wordsmith Ana Elsner

is the Featured Poet

on Wednesday, June 6, 2007 at 7p.m.

at Sacred Grounds, 2095 Hayes Street, San Francisco.

(If you need more information please call the host

at 415-346-0347)

Ana Elsner will read from her most recent work in this convivial coffeehouse setting.

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[See also The power of poetry]


[Ana Elsner speaks Words that are Poems]

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