I was introduced to the Brooklyn Rundfunk Orkestrata (BRO) in all places, Louisville Kentucky, when they performed live on stage at the annual Idea Festival in late September.
The band is an instrumental quartet led by Peter Kiesewalter, founder and arranger of Grammy nominated Opera revisionists East Village Opera Company. Featuring the rhythm section from EVOC’s tours and recordings, BRO’s first project is a bold adaptation of the songs featured in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s score to the classic musical “The Sound Of Music.” The stellar group of guest singers includes Jane Siberry, Carole Pope (Rough Trade), Everett Bradley,Victoria Cave, Carolyn Leonhart, Dave Wall (Bourbon Tabernacle Choir), and TK Wonder.
Imagine listening to the songs from the Sound of Music through a funk, jazz, blues and rock filter. As a fan of the classic musical and someone who knows the words to every song, I was stunned at how creative and brilliant their variation was and didn’t find that it took away from the original version. If anything, it adds to it. It brings texture to one of the most famous and adored musicals of all time – hot, hip, and modern texture. I loved it.
Below Peter explains in his own words how it started and his inspiration behind their Hills Are Alive album.
And below, the band performing Something Good.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
