Marcia Adair

Highlights

Marcia — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 06:30:28 +0000

Hi – thanks for stopping by.

If you’re so inclined, 4 years of clips are linked up here. If you’re not, the highlight reel follows.

Top Seven (links to originals)

TSO tsoundcheck program: BBQ, beers — and Mahler (Globe & Mail – 18th June 2011)

Wedding Music Fit For A Prince And His Bride (LA Times – 27th April 2011)

Cultural Exchange: The World Cottons On To ‘Little Mosque On The Prairie’ (LA Times – 10th April 2011)

Gustavo Dudamel And The Vienna Philharmonic Go To Kentucky – But Why? (LA Times – 24th September 2010)

Jackie Evancho’s Voice Strikes A Chord (LA Times 31st August 2010)

Re-inventing The Book Tour – Again (Toronto Star – 9th September 2009)

Body Cavities: An Anatomical Risk Assessment (pdf) worth reading for the best pull quotes ever (Aviation Security International – October 2008)

Top Seven in a PDF packet (click to download)

Resume (you guessed it)

News

Marcia — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 01:59:00 +0000

28.02.09 — I’ve got my first piece in The Star today. Yippee!

Photography

Marcia — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 01:25:25 +0000

Galleries: (will open in separate tab) Portraits | London | Manchester | Wedding | iPhone

The Omniscient Mussel

Marcia — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 01:22:53 +0000

More coming soon. In the meantime, head on over to the site and take a peek.

Les Autres Choses

Marcia — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 08:03:39 +0000

This page is the junk drawer section of MarciaAdair.com, meaning it contains things that are useful to have around but don’t logically fit anywhere else.

Have fun poking around. Who knows, you might just find that roll of electrical tape you’ve been searching for.

graphic design
Your Home Your Future – 8 page newsletter InDesign
Website Banner Advertisements Photoshop
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websites
AndrewGoodwinPhotography.com – bio text only
MarciaAdair.com (design, coding & content)
Respossesion Helpline UK – text only
TheNationalMortgageExpert.com (design, coding, no maintenance)
TheOmniscientMussel.com (design, coding, content)

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last updated February 2010

Journalism

Marcia — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 21:52:30 +0000

Mostly I write about arts and culture but much to my delight, pop music is getting a good look in these days too. As a rule, I do like to have a few assignments on the go on entirely unrelated subjects so I’m not boring at parties.

In addition to writing for newspapers and mags, you can find me online at TheOmniscientMussel.com, a website I started in September 2007. 1,100 posts later, it’s still going strong.

The following is a list of everything that I’ve written or created for newspapers, magazines and radio since 2007.

2011/12

All pieces for The Los Angeles Times unless otherwise noted.

13th January — Ricky Gervais’ cohort Stephen Merchant talks about comedy
11th January — Bass-baritone Thomas Quasthoff retires from the concert stage

11th December — A new dawn for Tori Amos with “Night of Hunters”
8th December – Straight No Chaser’s hit “Twelve Days of Christmas” comes to LA
7th December – Christmas carol lyrics have a unique history
7th December – 5 beloved Christmas carols: Listen and deck the halls

20th November — Cultural Exchange: CBC Radio links Canadians from shore to shore

26th October — A new kind of digital compilation, where looks count
26th October — Naxos goes bold with digital-only classical music titles
21st October — Like weird foods? Jumping off gondolas? Then you’ll love opera (Globe & Mail)
1st October — Elbow build music out of small details

18th September — Cultural Exchange: The diplomatic view of classical music
17th September — Muslims, Christians, Kurds, music: Wikileaks finds a connection
1st September — Anti-Israeli protests disrupt London Proms, punches thrown

2010/11

All pieces for The Los Angeles Times unless otherwise noted.

Series: 12 Days Of Christmas Flash Mobs; Monster Quiz

20th August — Photo Gallery: TTC Busker Auditions (Globe & Mail)
7th August — Cultural Exchange: At The Proms, There’ll Alway Be An England.

30th July — Glyndebourne, an opera festival like no other.
31st July — Glyndebourne Opera Festival: Music In A Rustic English Setting

30th June — TSO Strikes Gold With The Kids
28 June — O, say can you write an anthem?
28 June — What’s an anthem? Our Top 10
27 June — Watch Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg from Glyndebourne
18 June — TSO tsoundcheck program: BBQ, beers — and Mahler (Globe & Mail)
14 June — ‘Dream With Me’: A new album and TV special for Jackie Evancho
14 June — A Chat With Composer David Lang

1 May — Royal Wedding: Coming Soon To A Choir Near You

29 April — Royal Wedding: What The Music Says About William & Kate
28 April — Royal Wedding: Recessional Revealed
27 April — Wedding Music Fit For A Prince And His Bride
27 April — Will William And Kate Choose Traditional Music Or Go Modern? (Globe & Mail)
26 April — Royal Wedding: A Video Music Guide
13 April — Got Concert Milk?
11 April — Monster Quiz: Epic Fail Edition
10 April — Cultural Exchange: The World Cottons On To ‘Little Mosque On The Prairie’
7 April — Eric Whitacre Virtual Choir Video
6 April 2011 — Eric Whitacre Virtual Choir revealed
1 April 2011 — Monster Quiz: Black Swan Edition – Fakers or The Real Deal?

25th March 2011 — Monster Quiz: Elizabeth Taylor
21st March 2011 — Music Review: Youtube Symphony Final Concert
18th March 2011 — Monster Quiz: Romeo & Juliet
14th March 2011 — Before I Die…..
11th March 2011 — Monster Quiz – Inaugural Edition
7th March 2011 — 400 year old Philip IV of Spain signs autographs at The Met
3rd March 2011 — Re-imagining Carmen

24th February 2011 — Should badly behaved audience members be fined?

Valentines Day Favourite Love Song Special: Kiri Te Kanawa, Joyce DiDonato, Thomas Allen, Constantine Maroulis, Keely Smith, Betty Buckley, Nathan Gunn and Wynton Marsalis.

9th January 2011 — Opera Star René Pape likes recitals’ intimacy
8th January 2011 — René Pape: Rock Star?

25th December 2010 — Merry Christmas Poll: The Actual 12 Days of Christmas
12th-24th December 2010 — The Twelve Flash Mobs of Christmas
10th December 2010 — Diary Of A Youtube Tryout: Well That Was Short
16th December 2010 — Why Messiah is King of the Season — The Globe & Mail (not available online)
8th December 2010 — Not Just Comfort & Joy: The Truth About Christmas Carols — The Toronto Star

29th October 2010 — Diary Of A Youtube Tryout: Meet The Horn Player
24th October 2010 — Young Concert Artists Has Come Up In the World
13th October 2010 — The YouTube Symphony Orchestra is back for a second year — but why?
8th October 2010 — The Metropolitan Opera’s live movie screenings turn 5, despite early skepticism
24th September — Gustavo Dudamel And The Vienna Philharmonic Go To Kentucky – But Why?

18th September 2010 — Opera’s Rail Is A Change Of Perspective – Toronto Star

15th September 2010 — ‘America’s Got Talent’ Jackie Evancho Wins A Duet With Her Idol
15th September 2010 — Prince Poppycock Takes On Jackie Evancho
10th September 2010 — What Should Jackie Evancho Sing To Win $1 Million?
8th September 2010 — Choose One For Jackie: Stardom Now Or A Real Career Later
2nd September 2010 — Is Jackie Evancho Changing Her Sound?
1st September 2010 — Before Jackie Evancho

31st August 2010 — Jackie Evancho’s Voice Strikes A Chord

2009/10

1st August 2010 — “Talent, timing land Yannick Nézet-Séguin with the Philadelphia Orchestra” — Los Angeles Times
1st August 2010 –“The Passions of Monsieur Nézet-Séguin” — Los Angeles Times
11th July 2010 — “Is Opera Mean To Be Fun?” Los Angeles Times

11th July 2010 — “Opera Is Rufus Wainwright’s Main Squeeze” — Los Angeles Times

June 2010 — “Human Trafficking: the aviation industry to the rescue” — Aviation Security International

April 2010 — “Albus Cavus: A Profile” (pdf not available) — Energy of the City – lifestyle mag for Washington Gas in D.C.

March 2010 — “The Singing Policeman” — Short radio documentary for Saturday Afternoon At The Opera CBC Radio 2 (link forthcoming)

Jan/Feb 2010 — “Sounds Like Love: songs that stir the heart” (pdf) — Grand River Magazine (Kitchener-Waterloo)

16th November 2009 — DaCapo choir opens season with brilliant effort — The Waterloo Record
13th November 2009 — KWS: Baroque and Beyond — The Waterloo Record
11th November 2009 – Loads of promise, but young quartet has some mellowing to do — The Waterloo Record
30th October 2009 — Conrad Centre and orchestra need time together — The Waterloo Record

18th October 2009 — “NonClassical: London” — radio documentary for Sunday Afternoon in Concert CBC Radio 2 (last audio sample on page)
18th October 2009 — “The Nightingale And Other Short Fables” — TheOmniscientMussel.com
18th October 2009 — “Quartet tackles the meaning of life from a weighty, Goethe point of view” — The Waterloo Record
16th October 2009 — “Setting’s more comfortable, but jazz event at Music Room felt a tad uneven” — The Waterloo Record

October 2009 — Musical Instruments: A Screener’s Guide (pdf) — Aviation Security International

7th September 2009 — “To Aria Is Human, To Tweet Is Divine” — The Toronto Star – review of the Twitterdammerung, the Royal Opera House’s Twitter opera project.

5th September 2009 — Re-inventing The Book Tour – Again — The Toronto Star – reviewing Margaret Atwood’s book tour/road show

2008/09

All pieces for The Record unless otherwise noted

14th July 2009 — “A Respectable Effort From Novice Wainwright” — The Toronto Star – review of Prima Donna

11th July 2009 — “Prima Donna Get Premiere After All” — The Toronto Star – interview with Rufus Wainwright

11th May 2009 — “Da Capo caps season with a masterful show of colour and texture”
24th April – 3rd May –Open Ears Festival 2009– TheOmniscientMussel.com
2nd April 2009 — “KWS Back To Baroque” — TheOmnsicientMussel.com
23rd March 2009 — Kitchener Waterloo Chamber Music Society — TheOmniscientMussel.com
10th March 2009 — “DaCapo pours it on”
2nd March 2009 — “Menno masters Mozart”

28th February 2009 — “Opera Thrives Outside The GTA” — The Toronto Star — A look at what’s happening in Kitchener, Hamilton and London.

28th February 2009 — “Opera, Classical Music Branch Out” — The Toronto Star — A short round up of where to watch concerts, ballet and opera online.

2nd February 2009 — “Latin American Quartet Delights”
9th January 2009 — “Saint-Georges adds flavour to improving Baroque series “
24th November 2008 — “Cellists Show Off Improv Genre”
14th November 2008 — ” Miller Delivers Haydn With Style, Knowledge”
3rd November 2008 — “Oboist Adds To Nota Bene Offering”
27th October 2008 — “Bravo, Aviv’s Shostakovich”

October 2008 — “Body Cavities: An Anatomical Risk Assessment” (pdf) — Aviation Security International

26th September 2008 — “Penderecki Remains Tight Even In Close Confines”
30th September 2008– “The Kid’s Classic Approach” — Nico Muhly concert preview
22nd September 2008 — “Nota Bene Notes Well Violin’s Rise “

2007/08

June — “Religious Clothing And Artefacts: A Guide For Security Screeners.” (pdf) — Aviation Security International

12th May 2008 — “Da Capo Choir Gets It Right”
3rd May 2008 — “Reaching For Nothing Is At Once Imaginative And Confusing “
2nd May 2008 — “Bringing The Back To Baroque Series To A Beautiful Crescendo “
28th April 2008 — “Trio’ss Choice Of Repertoire Not Quite As Balanced As Dinner”
14th April 2008 — “Traditional Organ Pipes Up In Duel With Digital”
4th April 2008 — “Twos Wild At Combined Choirs’ Second Glance”
2nd April 2008 — “All Of The Sudden – Zapp- And They’re Different”
24th March 2008 — “Oft-Neglected Viola Gets Its Day”
10th March 2008 — “Fun Music, Fresh Menu Just Right”
3rd March 2008 — “Collaboration Proves Sonorous”
1st March 2008 — “Black Umfolosi Step It Up” — The Guelph Mercury

29th February 2008 — “Why I Cried When The NY Phil Played Arirang” The Guardian– a response to the NY Philharmonic’s landmark concert in Pyongyang, North Korea.

25th February 2008 — “Chamber Singers Shine In Sacred Odyssey”
20th February 2008 — “Violinist Gilles Apap, KWS mix musical styles for new series” — The Guelph Mercury
4th February 2008 — “Soloists Shine For Grand Phil”
11th January 2008 — “KWS Puts Fine Note On History, Tops With Sweet Birdsong”
31st December 2007 — “Ballet JÃ¶rgen’s Nutcracker Showing Wear “
24th December 2007 — “Elora Festival Singers Full Of Christmas Cheer “
17th December 2007 — “The Messiah Time Of Year”
3rd December 2007 — “Nota Bene Handles Handel Authentically”
1st December 2007 — “With players from across UW campus, orchestra lays down a pleasant groove “
19th November 2007 — “Grand Phil’s Youth Choir On To A Good Thing”
15th October 2007 — “WLU Soloists Shine”
25th September 2007 — “Trio Takes Command Of Room’s Emotions “

August — “Passport Fraud: Are You Who You Say You Are?” (pdf) — Aviation Security International

Publications

Canada’s largest newspaper.
Daily circulation 435,000

The most liberal of Britain’s 5 broadsheets and famous for once printing its title as The Grauniad. Daily circulation 360,000

A regional daily published in Guelph, a smallish city in Southern Ontario.
Daily circulation is 15,000.

One of the larger regional dailies west of the GTA.
Daily circulation is 70,000.

Grand Magazine is a lifestyle mag published bi-monthly by the Waterloo Region Record.
Circulation: 20,000

Washington D.C. provider of natural gas. Produces an annual lifestyle magazine called Energy of the City.

Aviation Security International is the trade publication for aviation security workers. It is based in the UK, but the audience is international.

Currently, I write notes for the Royal Northern College of Music in the UK. If your organization is outside of Kitchener-Waterloo and you’re in need of notes, drop me a line and we’ll chat.

A full list of samples is available at The Omniscient Mussel.

Ghostwriting

Marcia — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 21:21:50 +0000

I write non-fiction books for people on a variety of subjects. My involvement in your project can range from a light edit to a from-scratch creation of your manuscript in press-ready format.

Here is a partial list of projects I’ve worked on.

Buying Foresclosures (CAN) — 400 pages containing step-by-step instructions for Canadian investors on how to buy real estate in the United States.

A New Approach To Diversity Training (US) 250 pages — outlining, explaining and supporting a new post-racial model for diversity training in the workplace based on the principles of biodiversity in the natural world.

Sub Prime Mortgage Crisis Book Project (US) — 250 pages (65,000 words) devoted to explaining what happened, who was involved and how to avoid problems in future. Audience is readers with a high school education or some college. The text was assembled from my own research and interviews with the client.

Intuition Book Project [2 books] (UK) –The first title is Intuition and Business, the second Intuition and Creativity. There is very little reliable information on this topic currently accessible by the layperson, so the entire project was researched from scratch. The books are approximately 35,000 words each.

Dan Kennedy Business Book Project [5 books] (US) — updating the 1991 first edition of a series of four books detailing how to get started in business. Topics included finding the business most suited to your personality, creating a business plan, marketing, getting funding, getting sales and making a profit. A fifth, entirely original, book was created on the topic of marketing a small business online.

A Surfer’s Guide To Wealth Book Project (US) — this project was a collaboration with the author. The final manuscript was roughly 45,000 words and was a combination memoir/self-help project. The author contributed the big ideas and biographical information and I provided the research and examples to back up his points as well as tightening and unifying the text.

Female Genital Cutting: A Primer (AUS) — a handbook for Western aid workers in Africa. 16,000 words researched and laid out completely from scratch with the purpose of helping Westerners see the issue from the African point of view. The style is detached but not stuffy and the text challenges preconceived ideas without preaching.
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While I will consider writing on practically anything, the following are subject areas in which I have previous experience:

History, Religion, Philosophy, The Arts, Classical Music, Biography, Memoir, Autobiography, How To [Pretty Much Anything], Business, Photography, Europe, Politics, Travel, International Development, Health/Medicine

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Get in touch to discuss your project. I’d be happy to give you more detail about how the whole process works over the phone.

Samples of previous projects are available upon request.

CV

Marcia — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 20:45:22 +0000

Work

2005-present – freelance ghostwriter and print and radio journalist [click links for respective portfolios]
2003-2006 – various admin jobs in a local government office, an operating room and a primary school. These positions were later identified as the breeding ground of my officitis.

Education

2003-2004 – The Royal Northern College of Music (UK) – Masters In French Horn Performance with Merit
1999-2003 – Wilfrid Laurier University (Canada) – Honours Bachelor of Music

Languages

French – reading and writing: nearly fluent | speaking: conversational

Obligatory Bits Of “Fun” Personal Information

I like to swim and read but not usually at the same time. I have been known to play the violin, the carillon and, very occasionally these days, the horn. The Montreal Canadiens have my lifelong support but the England XI can only count on me during the Ashes.

Contact

Marcia — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 05:13:49 +0000

Talk to me: +1 519 341 3138 (GMT-5) | Skype (For best results, ring after 1pm GMT)

Write to me: marcia.adair@gmail.com (Inbox open 24/7)

Hello There

Marcia — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 04:43:27 +0000

More to come soon but for now the basics:

–freelance journalist, classical music critic and non-fiction ghostwriter

–endlessly fascinated by the absurdities of quotidian life

–lifelong fan of the Montreal Canadiens

–absolutely hopeless at the pop music part of the pub quiz but otherwise, quite a good person to have on the team