Randuwa II: 2024

Sunday, December 22, 2024

St. Louis Botanical Gardens: 17 Views Inside the Climatron Tropical Forest

St. Louis Botanical Gardens: Christmas Trains!

The Emerson Conservatory attached to the newly renovated and expanded Jack C. Taylor Visitor Center at the St. Louis Botanical Gardens is home to this years Holiday Trains exhibits. Three different configurations surrounded by poinsettias and terrarium plantings. Amazing doll house-sized buildings with individually carved citizens engaged in a wide variety of activities up to and including a wedding. Beats both DC and Baltimore hands down!

My friend, Kevin was standing on the front porch of the very first house!

Fun details for those who take the time to look. Do you see Clarice?

Reminded me of "The Waltons"

Sometimes set behind the colorful houses were ones of similar size, but completely different aesthetic style. I assumed these were from some earlier iteration and were being integrated in with the newer ones.

Some of these older ones were based on actual buildings.

We'll leave this green house with a parting shot of a green house!

St. Louis Symphony Orchestra: 2024 Holiday Celebration!

Performed at the completely restored Steifel Hall in St. Louis, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra's Holiday concerts were being led by Maestro Norman Huynh as guest conductor, and music director of the Bozeman Symphony Orchestra in Montana. Huynh arrived with spritely personality to spare--think a happy charming Ronnie Chieng (Comedian with the Daily Show). I was immediately taken in by him and any thought I had of a B-Lister wrangled in from Montana faded with it. The Symphony was backed up by the St. Louis Symphony Chorus on several pieces and featured Jazz Singer Capathia Jenkins on a few more. There was also Santa Claus, of course! And Santa brought in a guest conductor, Gabe (age 5). Gabe was the son of one of the Cellists, and easily out-charmed Huynh's delightful shine, illustrating once again the age old maxim "Never work with Children or Animals".

The Symphony performed 16 pieces in 2 acts. The highlights from the first act included: The full rendition of the twelve days of Christmas with random guest vocalists throughout the concert hall soloing on the fifth verse (almost all were children to the delight of everyone), and two numbers by Capathia "All I Want For Christmas Is YOU!" and "Mary, did you know?" She returned in the second act and received a standing ovation for her performance of "O Holy Night". Also on the bill were two classical gems: "Fantasy on Greensleeves" by Ralph Vaughan Williams, and "Farandole" from "L'Arlesienne: suite No. 2" by Georges Bizet. The show ended with an audience carol sing-a-long featuring 7 Christmas songs from "Silent Night" to "Jingle Bells." The entire experience was joyous and full of fun moments.