01/27/10

The new Evenings in Quarantine: The Zombie Opera website is up and running! Many thanks to Virtual Epor for hosting our webspace!

01/08/10

Happy New Year everyone! There are so many things happening this year, it's quite an exciting time. Liz Rishel and myself continue writing our latest show "Evenings in Quarantine: The Zombie Opera" with plans to premiere this October. We are in the final writing stages at this point, and have begun researching possible locations, grants, and other such funding possibilities. Any suggestions are welcome!

12/19/09

Busy times this month, as I've been working on Squonk Opera's "Majesty and Mayhem" promotional video DVD and youtube spots. After many hours of tape logging and video editing, I am happy to announce they are complete and posted for your viewing pleasure! Check out the videos on Squonk's Mayhem site, their YouTube channel, or contact the company to request a promotional DVD. Enjoy!

12/18/09

I was happy to host the "Hacky Crafty Holidays" party at Hack Pittsburgh, was nice to see so many new faces! Upcoming HackPGH proposed activities for 2010 include BristleBot Challenge, LillyPad workshops, Powerpoint Karaoke, Knitting Olympics, the first Make: Pittsburgh chapter, and many more!

12/06/09

Happy Birthday to me! Last night we went to the JoCo/Paul and Storm concert at the Rex Theater. Thank you guys for making it down for your second show in Pittsburgh, we hope there will be many more!

12/01/09

In honor of Jonathan Coulton's birthday, Sporksmith and myself teamed up with fellow JoCo fans around the world to make this special collaborative video (I'm the one playing accordion, wearing purple gloves, and swinging around the stuffed monkey) - click to view "We're Having a Party"

11/25/09

The Holiday season is fast approaching, which means heavy singing time for me and my choirmates. The Renaissance City Choir has been working very hard on the winter program, especially the Camille Saint-Saëns Christmas Oratorio, which we will be performing at our 25th Anniversary Holiday Concert on December 19th and at the Edgewood Symphony Joyeux Noel concert on December 12th. Please join us!

11/24/09

We pounded out two new songs for Evenings in Quarantine this evening. Lots of progress, but we still have a ways to go. For updates check out the zombie opera dot com

11/21/09

Many thanks to all who came down to Hack Pittsburgh last evening to watch the premiere of our newest JoCo music video, "The Travels of Code Monkey" - You can check it out now on YouTube, or on my videos page - For behind the scenes information, check out Sporksmith's blog!

11/17/09

This Friday I will be hosting "Nerdcore and/or Knitting Night" at Hack Pittsburgh. Come on down to work on your latest diy projects, crafts, or to just hang out as we share our favorite Nerdcore/Geek/Gamer and other such music artists with you via music videos, documentaries, etc. Music selections include Jonathan Coulton, MC Frontalot, and more... Special Bonus, we will premiere the new "Code Monkey" music video Sporksmith and myself have been working on!

11/14/09

Squonk Opera's newest show, Mayhem & Majesty is in the process of being created. On November 20 & 21, 2009, they'll be sharing 10 scenes that we've been working on. Check out "Mostly Mayhem" at the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater in Pittsburgh - 8 pm - all shows are FREE! One of my newest video creations, titled Danger Dance, will be featured at both performances!

11/07/09

Man, it's been a crazy busy year, hasn't it? Been cranking out some new Squonk Opera videos, and finally found the time to update My Resume Page. Yes, I tackled the "beast" that is my curriculum vitae. In addition, I made some progress on "The Zombie Opera" website (it's less ugly now:)

11/03/09

We (the ELPC Festial Choir) will be performing two movements from Ralph Vaughan Williams' A Sea Symphony on Nov 9th;

Join us as Jon Tyillian, ELPC’s Associate Music Director and Organ Scholar, presents Symphonic Pipes, an Evening of Spectacular Organ Transcriptions — a concert of orchestral music, transcribed for the mighty Aeolian-Skinner! Hear Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals, Stravinsky’s Firebird, Ralph Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony, featuring the ELPC Festival Choir and guest conductor Dr. Larry Allen, and more.

Monday November 9, 7:30 pm
ELPC, Pittsburgh
Admission is FREE; a light reception follows.

11/02/09

Matt Reese and Leah Lloyd's film "Off the String", of which I was post editor and one of the cameramen, is now on YouTube. Filmed in 2007, the film won "Best Documentary" in the 2008 Duquesne Student Film Festival.

Watch it online: "Off the String" the Sidney Harth documentary

10/31/09

Thanks to all who came down to Open Thread's Variety, Variety, Variety show at the Brillo Box to support our "Zombie Opera" preview performance. We had an awesome time, and definitely plan to offer more sneak peeks as we continue in the writing process!

10/27/09

Open Thread has put a photo of Liz Rishel and myself representing our opera, Evenings in Quarantine, on the flyer for the upcoming Variety, Variety, Variety show at the BrilloBox. Check it out! (click here for flyer image)

10/18/09

Liz Rishel and myself feel this Halloween is a good time to give a preview of the zombie opera (yes, I said zombie opera) that we've been writing. We will be performing 2-3 songs from Evenings in Quarantine: The Zombie Opera at the upcoming Variety, Variety, Variety show at the BrilloBox on Thursday, Oct. 29th at 10pm.

10/10/09

"Hacky Halloween!" - Come party with the Hack Pittsburgh crew for their first ever Halloween Party at BrilloBox. Don your Halloween finest for the DIY costume contest, enter to win prizes, and groove to live music by Andy and The Shockers! Details: * Wednesday, October 28th * 8:00 pm until 1:30am

09/30/09

The Pittsburgh City Paper posted a really nice review of Gravity + Grace, "...the singers, under the direction of Andres Cladera, are integrated seamlessly to provide some beyond-beautiful musical moments..." read more>>

09/25/09

This weekend I will be singing (alongside other select members from RCC) in a new contemporary opera titled Gravity + Grace.

(gravity + grace) a contemporary opera by Frank Ferraro with music composed by Stephen Pellegrino. The opera exposes the daily struggles of people with Parkinson's Disease, seen through the eyes of the caregiver and those who are afflicted

September Fri. 25th at 8pm. Sat. 26th at 1:30pm and 8pm
Reviews/articles: Pgh Post Gazette, Tribune Review, City Paper

09/13/09

This month we celebrated our honeymoon the normal way... going to a video game convention:) Yes, we went to Penny Arcade Expo! It is very hard to describe in few words how awesome of a time was had. The highlights were definitely running into Jonathan Coulton multiple times (you may remember him from our I Feel Fantastic music video, on PopSci magazine and featured on Youtube). The concerts were amazing, featuring performances by JoCo himself, Paul and Storm, Metroid Metal, MC Frontalot, and Freezepop. We shook hands with some of the cast from The Guild, accidentally interrupted Wil Wheaton, and tasted some band-fan-made caramel bacon snacks.

I attended more panels and industry talks than I can remember, but one of the best was definitely Harmonix's demonstration of the creation of Rock Band game tracks, including upcoming software allowing individual artists to create their own tracks for the game. I was able to talk to some of the Harmonix team after the panel, and might have some future business with them... We'll see!

Oh yeah, and after PAX we went on an Alaskan cruise (the 'actual' honeymoon) and it rained the whole time, but was still a very fun trip; zip-lining thru rainforests, biking down a mountain, black bears, bald eagles, and hot tubs.

08/26/09

I got married to Sporksmith on August 8th! It was lots of hard work for all involved, but in the end it definitely helps when most of your bridal party are stage, music, art, and other such crafts people because honestly a wedding is show and everything comes down to scripts, lists, and the audience (your family). Thank you all who were involved and helped us pull it off, especially the ELPC Chancel choir who performed during the ceremony!

Two days after the wedding we left the country, (no, not the honeymoon) I tagged along on a business trip to Munich and Stuttgart. Never having left the USA before, the whole experience was very exciting for me. I would like to thank Rosetta Stone for helping crunch as much German language into my brain as could be retained in 2 weeks, it was very beneficial:) All I can say is... wow... if you're a musician, see Germany at least once before you die.

07/12/09

Went to the Pittsburgh Symphony (and Mendellsohn Choir)s' performance of "Video Games Live". IF the VGL tour ever makes it to your hometown, I strongly recommend grabbing a ticket, as it will blow your mind; "An immersive event created by the game industry featuring the best game music performed by top orchestras and choirs combined with synchronized lighting, video, live action and audience interactivity. The first and most successful video game concert tour in the world."

06/30/09

Went to my second year of Origins Game Fair in Columbus, OH. Had a blast! It was nice seeing so many old friends at the convention, as well as getting to test many new and upcoming games in the expo hall. My favorite was definitely Steve Jackson's "The Stars are Right".

06/24/09

Hack Pittsburgh has been up for about a month now, and projects are growing rapidly. We have had successful Arduino construction, synth creation, and craft workshops so far with much more to come! For more info go to http://www.hackpittsburgh.org

05-30-09

This site is going under some major edits/changes/updates etc over the next couple weeks. Please be patient if some things are a tad bit wonky. Thanks!

05-12-09

The Renaissance City Choirs present their annual spring concert with a delicious selection of music recalling love won, love lost and love regained. Featuring the world premiere of Love Speaks Its Name, commissioned by the choir and composed by Pittsburgh's own Dr. Jeffrey Nytch.

The Ellis School, 6425 Fifth Avenue, pgh PA
May 15th and 16th @ 8pm

Friday and Saturday night tickets are available! Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door, or $7 for students. Contact rcc@rccpittsburgh.org for advanced ticket reservations. We may sell out so get your tickets today!

05-10-09

Tomorrow night the Renaissance City Choir will be performing as part of the Celebrate Life: Celebrate Art art action at the Carnegie Museum of Art in oakland, pgh PA.

04-23-09

The Renaissance City Choir is holding a used book/cd/dvd fundraiser this saturday afternoon at the ELPC so if you have been hungering for some novels or new music to listen to, then stop on down. Its a very tough year for all arts organizations, so if you feel like showing your support for a community musical organization, or just wanna see what donated goodies we have for sale, then come on down!!!

RCC book sale/fundraiser
Saturday, April 25, 2009 12:00pm - 4:00pm
EAST LIBERTY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
116 south highland and penn, Pgh, PA

04-12-09

Beepsicle and myself are in the process of writing an operetta/musical about, the most fabulous of all topics, zombies!!! We currently have four songs near completion, and more on the way. Stay tuned for details as they evolve:)

04-09-09

For those following Twitter, check out BlackCatBonfeed for project updates and other such BCB news.

04-02-09

As some of you know I have often collaborated on short film projects with my brother, bdogfilms. He has recently started up a youtube channel of his film and video work. Check out three of my favorites: the Split Screen Duel, On My Way, shot this winter, and Code 99 (I have a fun and hardly noticeable cameo in this one as Radio Officer #2).

04-08-09

I attended an informational meeting recently about HackPittsburgh, a shared space for artists, video techs, nerd/coder/hacker types, carpenters, and metal craftsmen. I am very excited to see such an idea actually evolve in this city, and definitely planning to be a member. If you have not heard about HackPittsburgh, please do check out their info site and forum.

03-28-09

Check out the Renaissance City Womens Choir as we perform a FREE concert at the Edinboro University AMC Recital Hall. Tuesday, March 31, 2009 07:30 PM - 09:30 AM

Renaissance City Women's Choir
AMC Recital Hall, Edinboro University
This concert is sponsored by the Women's History Month Committee and the President's Commissions on Women and GLBTA.

02-13-09

If you feel like checking out a show this Valentines Day weekend, or next weekend, I strongly recommend checking out Attack Theatre's "Passion Reflected" - February 13, 14, 16, 17, 20 and 21 at the New Hazlett Theater.

02-12-09

Wow, been so crazy busy lately, haven't had a second to update here in months. Here are the highlights of the end of 2008:

Making History
We opened a new exhibit at the Heinz History Center , Pittsburgh: A Tradition of Innovation, the result of many hours of hard work for everyone, for me specifically with all the new multimedia accents to be created and installed. This exhibit will inhabit the 2nd floor of the History Center for many years to come, and will continue evolving as more innovations are discovered.
Multimedia etc etc
I began a contract position with KIT Solutions in November, multimedia training video development and audio voiceover work. Yep, I have temporarily joined the ranks of those who work in cubes, just like on tv:)
December tidings
Happy Birthday to me! Thanks to all who were available to keep me company for my first birthday weekend home and available for company in a long time:)
Happy Musical Holidays
Performed in my second Renaissance City Choir concert for the Christmas concert at the ELPC, was an awesome experience and a pleasure to hear ourselves later broadcast on WQED radio. Also, Liz Rishel was exceptionally wonderful in her opening solo, Laudate Domunium by Mozart.
January hustle
KIT's been keeping me busy. Spent most of this month working on wedding plans and finishing up choral post production for the Krone project.

11-05-08

Major kudos to all who worked on this weekend's Attack Theatre show. It was outrageously fun to work on, and one of the most challenging multimedia/performance shows I have done in a long time.

The reviews have been very positive!
AT's Latest Hits the Mark - Tribune Review
AT takes Interactive to the Next Level - PostGazette

10-13-08

This month check out Attack Theatre's latest show, "Insert Clever and Thought-Provoking Title Here" This is my third show with the company, in the role of stage manager, and I'm very excited to be working with them again. It looks to be a very awesome show, lots of video, lighting effects, and evil murderous dance numbers to get you in the Halloween spirit!. Show dates are October 31, November 1 and 3rd at the New Hazlett Theater.

10-01-08

I can now be found on Linked In and Plaxo. Let's Network:)

09-28-08

I have recieved word that Squonk Opera's newest show, Astro-rama was a huge success its premiere, this past week in College Park, MD.

I was editor of the "Texting" video segment, which features the cellphones (and fingers) of a few of my personal friends, who should be happy to hear that Astro-Rama will be playing in Pittsburgh, at Schenley Plaza, October 15-18!

"All broadcasts begin at 8:00 p.m., are outdoors and are FREE for all bipedal primates!"

09-01-08

The new Krone website has been launched, jampacked with awesome artwork, cast photos, and more! We are expecting to have the CD available by this Winter, but merchandise is in stock, and CD pre-orders are being taken!

(my role in Krone; choral arranger and singer)

08-19-08

Sporksmith and myself signed up for the Travels of Code Monkey, a Jonathan Coulton fan project where a stuffed monkey (from the song, Code Monkey) is sent to various cities to hang out with the fans and collect photographs. Here's our finished album. CM was mailed to his next location, Sweden, yesterday. Happy travels monkey!

07-27-08

Introducing, Simon and River, the newest addition to the blackcatbonifide team! (yes, they're cats) Both were adopted at the Humane Society of Western PA. They're very sweet and have already claimed my studio desk, and keyboards, as their new playground:)

07-18-08

Seussical Jr. went splendidly! Kudos to the cast, the directors, and the camp counselors for all their hard work!

07-05-08

Quick wrap-up of June happenings:

Guerilla Filmmaking
I found myself on dirque's 48 Hour Film Project crew. It was very crazy, very fast, and fun times - our entry was titled "Checking Out"
Origins
Oh yeah, I FINALLY made it to the gaming convention! Origins was everything they said it would be, games, games, games, and crazy people staying up all night watching indy scifi films, screaming "ALL HAIL KING TORG" or asking if you were a werewolf.... was awesome.
About Seuss
I'm stage managing and piano accompany...ing(?) for a children's production this summer, Seussical the Musical Jr at the JCC. It is quite a wacky show, an adaptation of Horton Hears a Who and Horton Sits on the Egg, combined with other Seussian characters, with music by Stephen Flaherty.

06-02-08

I'll be singing with the Renaissance City Choir in a few weeks at the Byham Theater for the The Lambda Foundation’s 25th Anniversary, a fundraising show and concert hosted by Joan Rivers - Saturday, June 21, 2008, 8PM

05-22-08

Eddie Izzard performed here last night... was totally awesome. If you haven't seen his stand-up show yet, catch this one while it's still on tour. Awesome Funtimes:)

04-25-08

Jonathan Coulton with Paul and Storm
When: Saturday, June 7, 2008 7:00 PM
Where: Club Cafe Live, SouthSide, Pittsburgh

04-25-08

I'm in Norfolk, Virginia this week with Opera Theater of Pgh for our second run of Kurt Weill's "Lost in the Stars" at the Attucks Theatre. Its been great so far, the Virginia Arts Festival staff have been really terrific. If you happen to be in the area, our shows are this evening, Saturday at 8pm, and Sunday at 4pm.

04-03-08

I have recieved some great news! Matt Reese and Leah Lloyd's film "Off the String", of which I was post editor and one of the cameramen, placed Best Documentary at the DuqFilm Festival this year. Congrads to all who were involved!!!

- article about the Sidney Harth documentary -
- about the film festival entries -

03-04-08

Leonard Rosenman one of the great film composers of scifi and fantasy cinema, passed away today - more info

02-26-08

The RRCO performance of L'Histoire du Soldat was apparently a major success, music, dance, and video projection awesomeness:) Major thanks to both Liz Rishel and Sporksmith for their acting skills, without you the video wouldn't have been half as sweet!

02-21-08

Lost in the Stars by Kurt Weill
at the Byham Theater in Pittsburgh
Performances Feb 21, 23, and 24th - I'm very excited to be stage managing for this operetta/musical, especially since it's my first time working at the Byham. Hope to see you many familiar faces there!

Also don't forget Stravinsky's L'Histoire du Soldat will be performed by the Red Rock Chamber Orchestra this evening and tomorrow, featuring multimedia video projection art and subtitles by yours truly. I really wish at times like this that I could be in two places at once... bahhhh!

02-02-08

Opening night went very well, I am mucho pleased:) Three more performances of Attack Theatre's Preserve and Pursue (tonight, tues, and weds) to go! Oh, and speaking of theatrical activities, I have recently signed on to be stage manager for Opera Theater of Pittsburgh's latest show "Lost in the Stars" by Kurt Weill. Shows are February 21, 23, and 24th at the Byham Theatre and at the Virginia Arts Festival in late April... stay tuned for more info!

01-14-08

encore performance
After 2 years, Squonk is performing Pittsburgh: The Opera again at the Kelly Strayhorn Theatre, in honor of Pittsburgh's 250th birthday! Three of my video works are in this show, Kids Maps, All Eyes on You, and White Noise (previously on display last fall at the Andy Warhol Museum). If you were unable to catch the premiere of this, the "hometown name here" opera series, catch it while you can, January 17-20!
another attack
Attack Theatre's Preserve and Pursue is my second show with the company, in the role of stage manager, and I'm very excited to be working with them again. It looks to be a very awesome show, video and water effects in addition to some really beautiful compositions. Show dates are Feb 1,2,5 and 6th at the New Hazlett Theater.
out west we go
I have another show coming up in Oklahoma City, as I have been collaborating with my old Cusswords and Fire colleague Marlo Nash, designing the multimedia backdrop and subtitles for Stravinsky's L'Histoire du Soldat. It will be performed by the Red Rock Chamber Orchestra on February 21st and 22nd - More details to come!

12-31-07

Two new sketches have been uploaded to the Fine Arts page: HolidayCat and HolidayBunny. Enjoy the cuteness!

12-23-07

Happy Holidays, Everyone. The "I Feel Fantastic" Bloopers and Outtakes Reel has been uploaded to YouTube. Enjoy!

12-17-07

This evening three representatives of the ELPC Chancel Choir (including myself) are joining roughly 400 other singers from the Pittsburgh area to form one large choir performing at Heinz Hall's Christmas Festival. It's going to be a long night but definitely musically scrumptious. It has been a long time since I've sung in such a large ensemble, and with orchestra too... looking forward to it:) 

Selections this evening include the Halleluiah Chorus, Jenkins' Joy to the World, and an assortment of Holiday Standards.

12-10-07

As mentioned previously, I was assisting with photography and illustrations for an upcoming textbook The Complete Saxophonist by my colleagues Eric Lauver and Jim Houlik. Well, I am happy to announce that we are finally in circulation thru Northeastern Music Publishing!

A comprehensive, step-by-step saxophone method. The book is divided into two parts -- an extensive, detailed section devoted to the development of the fundamentals of saxophone performance, and a collection of musical studies providing the opportunity to use those techniques. Includes an accompanying CD which provides recorded examples of many exercises and master performances. An essential resource for the serious saxophonist!

Copies available thru various music publication sites including JW Pepper and Van Cott Information Services

12-04-07

So far looks like the Baltimore: the Opera show has been a success. Kudos and special thanks to Ann, Colleen, Glover, Andy and John at the Theatre Project for making our show go so smoothly. Click below for the reviews!

• Baltimore is star of "Opera" - Baltimore Sun
• Our Town - Baltimore City paper
• Charm City finally has its own opera - B-more Live

11-19-07

Squonk Opera will be back in Maryland very soon. Hoping to see some familiar faces while we're there!!!

Nov 29-Dec 2 and Dec 6-9, 2007, Baltimore Theatre Project

11-11-07

"I Feel Fantastic", our music video from the PopSci contest, is on the front page of Youtube, as a Featured Movie this week! We have jumped from 8 thousand views to over 140 thousand in less than a day. Thanks to all our new fans and subscribers for watching and for your comments!!!

10-24-07

During the last couple weeks I have said my goodbyes to my old position at Duquesne and begun a new career, working as Events Associate (audio, event, and stage setup) for the Heinz History Center and Sports Museum in partner ship with the Smithsonian Institute. It is a very wonderful place, seven floors of exhibits and constantly hopping with activity. Since coming on we've had a variety of celebrities in here from the Pittsburgh Steelers, Dan Rooney, to Theresa Heinz herself! If you are ever in the area I highly reccomend checking it out!

10-06-07

Phew.... been a long 2 weeks, still the show went very very well. Last night's show was definately the best of the run, selling out days before and spotless performance by all. Now that the curtain is down, and the set struck, here are some reviews and postings about Attack Theatre's Someplace, Not Here

• "Attack Theater is on a Surge" - Post Gazette
• "When Dating Meets Dancing" - The Tartan
• "Latest Looks for Connections" - Pgh City Paper
• "Attack takes Audience Someplace" - Post gazette NOW
• Show Description - This is Happening

Many thanks to Buzz n Kunz for helping to pull me on board:)

09-27-07

I have been recruited as stage manager for Attack Theater's latest show, "Someplace, Not Here". It's a very creative performance, and the venue is phenomenal considering they built the stage and seating inside a warehouse. It all gets torn down next saturday, so catch it while you can!

Someplace, Not Here
Attack Theatre
4801 Penn Avenue (adjacent to Attack Theatre Studios)
September 28, 29, October 1, 2, 4, 5 - all shows 8 pm

A world-premiere, site-specific romp through fantasy, reality with a few drinks among friends along the way. This bar room tale will lead the performers through the minefield of dating and chance encounters with the full throttle energy of Attack Theatre dancers and the heart rending sounds of band Local Honey. Tickets: $18 advance; $22 at the door; $35 premium seating (includes reserved seating and pre-show mixer), $15 students and seniors. For more information call 412.441.8444 or visit www.attacktheatre.com. To purchase tickets call 412.394.3353 or visit www.ProArtsTickets.org

08-31-07

Hi guys. I'm mentioned in an article of today's "The Washington Times", about the music video we made for the Popular Science Jonathan Coulton Music Video Competition:

"Geek Rock's New King" By Jenny Mayo
(our video is mentioned on on page 2)

Many thanks again to Barry, John and Jim. The video would not have become such a hit without your help! To date, it has been viewed 5,696 times!!!

08-25-07

The Arts section has been renovated and reorganized. Enjoy!

08-24-07

Upcoming Squonk Opera performances;
Nov 29-Dec 2 and Dec 6-9, 2007, Baltimore, Baltimore Theatre Project
Dec 31, St. Louis, First Night St. Louis
Jan 16-20, 2008, Pittsburgh, Kelly-Strayhorn Theater
Mar 20-21, 2008, Bloomington, Buskirk-Chumley Theater
May 10-11, 2008, Newark, University of Delaware
June 27-28, 2008, Charleston, FestivALL Charleston - West Virginia

08-12-07

Resume, Curriculum Vitae, and Special Projects List are now updated on resume page.

07-30-07

I have been busy writing some music for CyberCadets: the MySecureCyberSpace Game - "...boys and girls enter the Carnegie Cyber Academy to have fun and earn prizes while they learn about the dangers caused by Internet viruses and battle cyber criminals..." It is a very nifty project, and my colleague, Liz Rishel, is one of the voice actors!

07-25-07

I have given into my choral appetite for the second time this summer, this time joining up with the ELPC Chancel Choir at the Cathedral of Hope. They had a need for altos, and I love to sing. Great combination:) Concert info to be posted in as available.

06-20-07

The results are in- we are 5th runner up in the JC PopSci music video contest!!! Here's an unofficial playlist of all the entries. Thanks to everyone again who helped with this project, it was way too much fun and we are happily planning to shoot many more JC videos in the future:)

06-13-07

"The Journey Below" to Appear on the PROGPOWER USA 8 Showcase Sampler!

KRONE fans will finally get a glimpse of the project team's upcoming operatic release at this year’s PROGPOWER USA progressive and power metal music festival in Atlanta, GA. "We selected The Journey Below for this year's submission," says director and principal vocalist Jen Martire, "because we wanted to treat fans to a single that, we feel, best captures the spirit of the work as a whole. It also gives us the opportunity to showcase our wonderful choral team, who have done an excellent job in performing this track."

In addition to exhibiting the writing talents of the Lehmier/Martire team, The Journey Below features the arrangement work of Bonnie Bogovich, who played a key role in scoring the choral harmonies for this single. The vocal talent on the track features Jen Martire (Lead), Elizabeth Rishel (Soprano 1), Bonnie Bogovich (Soprano 2), Deena Hower (Alto), Bob Miller (Tenor 1), Sean Martin (Tenor 2), and Jim Newsome (Bass). Mixing and mastering of the single was done by Chris Lehmier at Runway Studios in Pittsburgh, PA. ) - Krone Productions Website

With the success of our ProgPower submission, I am more excited than ever to be a part of the Krone music team. Great things await, stay tuned for future epic/rockopera/choral adventure updates!

06-18-07

I'll be in Columbia, Maryland this week as part of the Columbia Festival of the Arts with Squonk Opera. This will be my third time performing with them in Maryland, looking forward to seeing some familiar faces. If you are free saturday night, check out Squonk Opera's "Columbia: the opera"

06-15-07

COMPLETE!!! Our entry to the PopSci music video contest is finished, posted, and sent off to the judges:) Cross your fingers, we just might win! This was one crazy project, I'm very grateful to all those who participated; Spork, Barry, and Jon. You guys rule!!! Seeing that there was roughly 3 hours of footage, for a 3 minute long video, I see a blooper in the future. Click.Watch.Enjoy "I Feel Fantastic" the music video.

06-11-07

Jonathan Coulton has posted a music video contest on PopSci's website. The song to be video-ized (sure, let's say that's a word) is "I Feel Fantastic". Storyboards were quickly drawn up this past Friday and off we went (a small team of myself, Spork, Jon, and Barry) to the park and other locations to shoot over 60 shots in 2 days. I'm very excited about this project. With less than a week to edit and post, the race is on. Wooohooo! Wish us luck!

05-09-07

Well, I finally did it; bought another domain name. Now you can reach this website by typing Bonnie Bogovich dot com AND BlackCatBonifide dot com:) Yey I own myself now! Enjoy:)

05-07-07

The New Jersey show ruled. Major kudos and thanks to the SOPAC stage tech crew and house management staff for helping make this weekend go so smoothly!

04-22-07

We've just returned from yet another Squonk Opera performance, "Albany: the Opera" at the PAC at the University of Albany in New York. This show definately goes into my list of favorite performances so far. I would like to thank the house crew of the PAC for being so helpful and suportive this past week, and extra kudos to our two interns Andrew and John. Here's a review of the Albany show. Next stop, New Jersy for SOMA: the Opera May 5th and 6th!!!

03-06-07

As of this weekend I have been cast as a female vocalist (mezzo-soprano) for Krone, a rock opera, currently in production.

"KRONE is a Celto-Germanic epic, sung in three languages: English, German and Gaelic. It is a hybrid work of progressive metal, power metal and traditional Baroque and orchestral elements. KRONE’s libretto is inspired by Celtic and Germanic mythology, as well as fictional works, such as The Lord of the Rings, the Conan series by Robert E. Howard and Wagner’s Ring Cycle." - Jen Martire

I am especially excited to be cast alongside my longtime musicmates Deena Hower (alto) and Liz Rishel (soprano). Check out the Krone website for an article about the female chorus!

02-28-07

My artwork and photography will be featured in an upcoming textbook, "The Complete Saxophonist" by Eric Lauver and James Houlik. So far looks like they are planning to publish as soon as this Spring. I'm very pleased to be working on this project, as Eric has been a great colleague of mine for many years (he has even been gracious enough to play winds on many of my compositions). This has been in the works for a while now, currently we are in the final touches/tweaking phase, as far as drafting and layout. More info as it develops...

02-12-07

If anyone is in the Malvern/Philadelphia/Chester County region this Friday, we will be in town doing another show. In case the expected ginormous snow blizzard does not destroy us all, it should be a fun performance - Squonk Opera presents Chester County: The Opera - Here's hoping for safe travels for cast, crew, and audience!

02-02-07

Happy birthday Barry, early birthday to Liz, and best wishes for a happy marriage to Leah and Jeremy!

01-18-07

Photos from my most recent trip to New York City are now posted on the Sceenshots page. We visited the city a few days after the massive new years celebrations had calmed down a bit. Much fun was had, many sites seen, and a very welcome escape from the busy family and friends visitation season.

01-07-07

Let's ring in the New Year with some long overdue video and animation updates. I present to you two videos/animations, produced for Squonk Opera's Hometown:the Opera series; "White Noise" (aka "Television") and segment 2 of 3 of "Map of the Heart" (animated crayon sketches). Enjoy

12-13-06

Hiya peoples. Just finishing off a long day, time for some updatin'
Electronica Concerta
This evening's recording featured the Duquesne Electronic Ensemble in its first ever fall recital. All in all was a very excellent time, including performances of Philip Glass's Metamorphosis I & II, a medley of Super Mario music arranged by Greg Davis, and a very bizarre rendition of Burnin' Down the House by David Byrne. Kudos to all who performed:)
Squonk News
The new Squonk Opera website has been launched! Here are some quick links to the recent stuff:
pictures and videos from "Pittsburgh: The Opera"
(you may recognize the person holding the tshirt in one photo)
the Bio page
(I now have a spot on as part of the main group and under 'additional video design' and my lovely former-roomie Liz is listed as one of the 'artisans':)
Photos from the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Gala
(the last five photos in the cluster are from the PCT gala we held down by the river... was pretty fun, video projections on the insides of tents which I remember describing as "a Bruce Wayne style party... somthing so elaborate you would see it in a Batman film"

12-06-06

Happy Birthday to me! Many thanks to those of you who joined me for celebrations and such. Photos from this year's Sushi Bash will be posted soon.

11-21-06

Been a very productive month, lots of things happenin'
More Squonk Success
We returned last week from yet another Squonk Opera performance, this time at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center in College Park, Maryland. Many thanks to my friends ArcaneMatt, Erin, and Michael for attending the friday night performance:)
Film Dayz
This weekend filming began on the new independant film, "Intellegent Designers" by Barry Bogovich. The shoot went very well, kudos to both cast and crew! My roles on this film include production design and sound/audio. Stay tuned for more info.
Museum Spots
Just a reminder; in case you haven't been able to swing by the Andy Warhol Museum lately, one of my video pieces ("White Noise") will be on display thru new years as part of Steve O'Hearn's Creative Heights Award Exhibit.

10-31-06

Happy Halloween!

10-11-06

Been so busy catching up on life, I almost forgot to explain to many of you what I've been up to for the last 2 weeks. Long story short, I've been on tour doing shows, and now I'm back before I go again... here's an extended version;)
Showtime in Baltimore
We (Squonk) headed up to Baltimore two weeks ago for the 2006 PAE (Performing Arts Exchange) where we presented 2 showcase performances for the opening of the convention. This was my first out-of-state show on the tour, so I was a bit nervous, but everything went fine. One huge benefit, I've noticed, of doing tour shows is there are times where you are not allowed to be onsite. Performing at the American Visionary Arts Museum, this was the case, so I was pleased to have one evening free to visit my dear friend Erin. We caught up on the last year and had some delectable Italian food:)
Busy in the Burgh
We returned to Pittsburgh that Friday, last-minute preps underway for the Andy Warhol Exhibit (installation of the video loop including one of my works, entitled "White Noise") in addition to moving all our sets and props onto Fort Duquesne Boulevard for this year's Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Annual Gala "At Home in the District". Quite a change from the normal show we've been touring, the Cultural Trust event was completely designed by Squonk Opera from the tent and reception hall designs, to the video projections on the ceilings. In addition to the general artsy atmosphere created, we also had a theater tent setup in which we performed 3 shortened shows, back to back, on the hour. The turnout was quite impressive, over 600 people in attendance, all the higher-ups from the city, decked out in gowns and tuxedos. The best way I can describe the evening would be "Just like a party Bruce Wayne would have in the movies" from every detail, sans evil villains! Click to read the newspaper review of the Gala Event
What is Next?
We're on a hiatus from heavy shows (squonk at least, the fall season at Duq is starting up, so its good I'll have the break) the next ginormous Squonk performance will be College Park:the Opera, held at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland on November 9th and 10th. (Jim Henson's alma mater, btw... I plan to get a photo or 3 of the statue of Jim and Kermit on my trip down there)

09-15-06

What can I say, things are busy around here lately, and boy howdy I like it that way:) My work load with Squonk Opera has been growing, lots of video to work on, schedules, set lists, etc.
And the Tour Begins
We performed "Martha: The Opera" this Monday at the Phipps Conservatory. It was a great experience, being my first tour show since the premiere in June, and in such a beautiful environment. Two more weeks and we're off to Baltimore to perform a Showcase at the American Visionary Arts Museum. Stay tuned for more news!
I'll Be at the Warhol
An exhibit of Squonk's artistic director, Steve O'Hearn, will be opening soon at the Andy Warhol Museum. In addition to his own works of art, the exhibit will also showcase video projection work by various artists used in the Squonk Shows, including one of my own pieces, "White Noise" also known as "Television". The exhibit will run Sept 30 - December 31, 2006.

07-27-06

Wow... such a busy month, finally a moment to type a brief update.
Techie Tykes
This summer's Telecommunity workshop went very well. The art gallery was a huge success, many thanks to all those who contributed and to the parents who helped bring goodies for the opening reception. Editing the reels was quite the task, as we had more collected animations and flash movies than ever before! This week also marks the end of my instruction during this summer's semester of T:ME, as well as the Guitar and Bass Workshop, where I once again acted as chaparone. Three jobs a day... wow this was a light summer! *chuckles sleepily*
Time to Breathe
Quite the packed schedule for the last couple of weeks, I am definately looking forward to this weekend. Plans to catch up with family and friends are in order, in addition to the production of a music video, entitled "Code Monkey" (more info later). I have a few weeks to myself before schedules get crazy again, hopefully they won't go by too fast...
On the Road
I have been asked to continue working with Squonk Opera when they go on tour in September! Looks like they're gonna keep me busy, but I am definitely looking forward to the experience:)

07-10-06

Many thanks to Spork's family for a wonderful 4th of July vacation. We headed up towards Detroit from Pittsburgh last Friday and watched the fireworks at St. Clair Shores. The next day we started an even longer drive north to the Upper Penninsula, our campsite was right alongside Lake Superior.
Wait...You Went Outside?
Yes sir, we shed our Computer Tans in the great outdoors. It was a wonderful time, smores, bbq's, hiking, biking, waterfalls, tourist traps and more. Click to see Photos
Dive Back In!!!
We returned Friday, enough time to prepare for the very busy remainder of July. I'm back to my normal double-back summer schedule, teaching stop-animation to my Telecommunity students by day, and assisting with the T:ME workshops by night. Many thanks again to Spork's relatives for their hospitality in MI, it was just the breather I needed:)

06-29-06

The Squonk Show was amazing! Congrads and mucho kudos to all involved! I had a marvelous time working with such a talented group of techies, artisans and musicians, can't wait to get started on the next installment! Video clips, photos, etc will be available on the Squonk site in July.
Let's Get Critical
Oh, and before I forget, here are some of the newspaper reviews from the premiere:
Tribune Review
Post Gazette
City Paper
Bonus Feature
Look for a cameo of yours truly in the Tribune Article. HINT: I'm wearing blue!

06-16-06

We had our last in-studio rehearsal today after a very long week of details, notes, do-overs, and such. Maaaaan I'm exausted! But wow, everything seems to be going great, and I'm really looking forward to the show. We started striking all our sets and props this evening, I can't wait to move into the theater this coming Monday. For those of you who are planning on attending one of the Pittsburgh performances, remember you can buy your tickets at the door, or call ahead for reserved seating.

06-03-06

Information about Squonk's latest show, "Pittsburgh: The Opera", is now available on the main site. For those of you who cannot make it to the Pittsburgh premiere, check the tour schedule for locations and times of our future performances.

06-01-06

Welcome home, Barry! My brother has been in Chile over the past month working on a documentary with a crew from Robert Morris. More information on the finished film as it develops.

05-31-06

Month in Review:

• My work with Squonk seems to be going great:) I am now helping on three videos in addition to my production mananger duties
• Started taking Server-Sided Scripting, a graduate multimedia course, at DU for non-credit (for prof development and fun... I'm such a nerd:)
• attended a They Might Be Giants concert at Mr. Smalls Theater
• got my 5K in with Spork during Pittsburgh's Race for the Cure
• Recieved my certification in BlackBoard while attending a variety of instructional technology seminars organized by the ETC
• attended a performance of ThouShaltNot and BellaMorte at Dead Man's Party (location moved to the Sphinx Cafe)

05-21-06

Links page updated! Been soooo busy lately, much to do and little time! Never fear, an update will be posted soon with more details of what, and why, and who, and where, and when, and how.... but not yet:)

05-06-06

Congratulations to the Duquense University Graduation Class of 2006!!!

04-28-06

Happy Birthday Brian!

04-22-06

Looks like my passion for stage screw, multimedia, and electronic music is soon to have a new creative outlet. I am pleased to announce that I have been offered the position of Production Manager for the premiere of Squonk Opera's newest show, Pittsburgh the Opera, June 22-25th at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater. I am very excited at the opportunity to be part of the company, especially since I have been also asked to assist in editing some projection footage for the show!
What is a Squonk?
The group specializes in original musical performances, combining synthesized and acoustic instruments, obscure props and sets, as well as projected live and edited video footage. (yes... some of you may be saying, like Cusswords and Fire???.. and I say yes... scarily so and oh so much more advanced... )

04-10-06

This weekend marked my return to the Big Apple, yes, New York City, for the first time in about 9 years (we're talking business class back in 9th grade here). Through my mother, I became aware of a New York tour bus deal, created by one of her coworkers at Mercy Hospital. The gist of it, enough people reserve spaces on the tour bus, we all get a cheap rate for the whole weekend in NYC, in addition to group rates on our hotel rooms in NJ. Mom, Dad, Spork and myself went and we had a very much awesome time. We did so much and yet it's amazing how much we still did not get to visit in our weekend stay. Even though the weekend felt short, we got so much accomplished; Chinatown, New York Public Library, Empire State Building, NintendoWorld, FAO Schwartz, The Museum of Television and Radio, scottish bagpipers parading, and Avenue Q on Broadway!!! I will post photos as soon as there is a free moment to do so. Now, back to work!!!

04-06-06

Happy birthday Jim, aka Spork!!!

03-27-06

Latest version of my interactive portfolio CD-ROM is finished!
*Breathes major sigh of relief!*

03-26-06

After what seems a lifetime, the first legible draft of my curriculum vitae is finally complete! I would like to extend special thanks to Amanda and Spork for helping me with the terror that is organizing the past 6 years of a workaholic on paper and MSWord. You can view the latest versions of my Resume and CV on my resumes page.

03-22-06

After some editing (mixing footage from the concert itself with the actual projection footage) now you can finally watch Cusswords and Fire, from my Synthesia multimedia concert! I plan to make a more detailed page about the piece, all in due time.

03-11-06

I have added a recording of Dance of Deceit (pizzacato plucky string quartet piece) to my concert recordings page - violins, Austin and Kendra Osterhout, cello, Rob Saunders, doublebass, Malo Nash

03-04-06

On a roll, I made some more changes on my latest videos page. Now, thanks to better compression technologies, all files on this page are now streaming quicktime videos, with better and more manageable file sizes than their predecessors. Spiffying up the Past Videos Page is next on my codec compression agenda.

03-03-06

Finally had a moment to compress some new videos for the website. You may recall, I have started teaching a stop-animation workshop at Telecommunity. I tried a new demo this past weekend, showing examples I had filmed at home. Now, pasted on my latest videos page, you can view two examples I used for last weekend's class, Sneakin' and Construction Confusion (available in both medium and low quality quicktime downloads). Enjoy!

02-27-06

Resume page has been updated.

02-25-06

Major congrads and kudos to all who were involved in last night's production of "Squeezin' it Out", the new musical by Spence and Buckley!!!

02-21-06

Tension is high, many things to do so little time to do them in. Concert season is getting busy, as predicted, and this weekend will be the premiere of "Squeezin' it Out", an original musical by Randy Spence and Brian Buckley, at the PNC Recital Hall. Final dress rehearsals are this week, and with luck my lighting design will be perfected and ready to go for the Friday and Saturday performances. For those of you who are interested in attending (as apparently both shows are almost completely full now) I strongly suggest you get tickets ASAP. Seats are free to the public, available by contacting the cast or crew, or the main office, but you are not guaranteed a space if you do not reserve ahead of time.

02-14-06

Happy Valentines Day! It was a relief to be able to take a break Saturday night and attend CMU's Computer Engineering Winter Formal with Spork. The theme was "Casino Nights". We had an awesome time!
Winter Party Photos

02-05-06

From The Duq Spiritan Weekly

The mandate of Spiritan Founder Fr. Libermann was to spread the good news of the Gospel even "to the ends of the earth." This has taken on new dimensions with recent compact disc recordings by Stephen Steinbeiser, Duquesne's Director of Liturgy...More recently Stephen recorded the beloved Irish Spiritan hymn Go Ye Afar on the University Chapel pipe organ. Thanks to Duquesne's School of Music engineer, Bonnie Bogovich, the Duquesne Chapel organ will be heard throughout Ireland and England as it accompanies a presentation on the history and works of the Spiritan Congregation.

02-02-06

Entry deadline for the third annual Duquesne Student Film Festival is fast-approaching! Best of luck to all entries!!! (Peoples' Choice winners of the last two festivals included a very funny ninja short, by Josh Bales, and my personal black comedy, The Sweet Tooth Stratagem, starring the marvelous Liz Rishel and Jeremy Sment.)

02-01-06

Thanks to Epor, the new DNS is set!!! Now, as you are hopefully noticing on your web browser, there are no more funky links to pages!!! (again, special thanks to VirtualEpor.com for hosting my website)

01-29-06

To any of you who have ever suggested that I take yoga, to which I probably scoffed or giggled, I humbly apologize. In my exercise routines these days (which includes a very awesome 5 mile run with Spork last weekend around North Park) I finally gave in and tried out my first yoga session. After the initial pain and interesting joint-popping-cracking sounds, the exercises have become very helpful. I feel healthier, more relaxed, and more energetic than I would have thought possible from such a curious fitness technique.
All Concert Technicians Could Benefit
The workouts have been much appreciated, I might add, since lately we are taking on more and more technically and physically challenging concerts at work. Lots of lifting, wiring, light adjusting, and such going on, so it helps to be on your toes and ready for anything... including the occasional amplifier that might try to leap onto you, or in my case, an evil marimba.
Easier Dealings with the Young
In addition to helping with the above-stated, I've found that its also been a great boost to my teaching chops with Telecommunity. Working with children ages 8-18 for 5 hours straight on a saturday is usually a very stressful environment, they have so much energy you know? It seems to me that this past session (I was teaching stop-animation videography with a new group of students) went a little easier, not as exhausting.. mebbe the yoga helped? Who knows:) Anywho, hope everyone is having a great winter!

01-26-06

Happy 250th Birthday to Mozart!!!

01-22-06

It's that time again! The Great Lakes Film Association has opened its Call for Film Submissions and is also accepting screenplays for its Scriptwriting Competition. This will be our fifth year, and it sure has been quite an experience being a part of the GLFA. In the last five years I have helped out as much as I can, going from volunteer film projectionist, to a producer of the Run and Guns, to Board Member and judge of the animation category. We are getting more organized, more members and support than ever before, so I have agreed to take a seat on the new Advisory Board and I shall continue judging the animation films.

01-20-06

The Halloween 2005 and NEW Michigan Trek 2006 photo pages are finished!

01-19-06

The moment you have been waiting for... Sushi Birthday Photo Page is complete! I am sort of working in reverse order, fine-tuning the Halloween, Michigan, and Vacation pages next. Stay tuned!

01-13-06

Finally found a moment to update on my resume and CV (still a work in progress). I have added a new section to my resume page, a "List of Original Works and Projets". A spin-off of the constantly evolving curriculum vitae, this new segment contains a list of films, exhibitions, associations, music compositions, awards, and other such activities to date. Enjoy!

01-12-06

Life's a Show, and We all play a part...
This will be the busiest concert season of the music department, we have over 20 shows and a large number of student recitals to run. I'm looking forward to using our new and improved PA system and video projection setup in the Recital Hall (installed over Christmas Break). In addition, I have been asked to do lighting design for a new musical, written by some colleagues of mine, which will be performed this February. Will be interesting to see, the storyline is quite humorous. More info later.
Mink Stoles can bite 3 years later...
My, the weather has been crazy lately. Pittsburgh has been bounding between freezing and startling warm temperatures. I've been sick now, off and on, for almost 2 weeks now, and hoping its only weather related. Could be a combination of that and perhaps a reaction to helping clean out the opera department's storage closet last week (many props, sheet music and costumes, some over 30 years old). Seeing as our first class of Telecommunity is this weekend, I am hoping this cold will be over very soon.
Thank God for Michigan...
I'm very glad to have taken this past weekend off to relax, seeing how it seems it will be a while till there's such an opportunity again. Busy busy busy!

01-09-06

Happy New Year, everyone! One of my New Years resolutions for 2006 was to definitely find more time to travel. The opportunity came up much quicker than I had anticipated as I have just returned a weekend trip to Michigan. Sporksmith invited me to join him on a trip to visit his family in the Detroit area. I had personally never been to Michigan, and for once I had an opening in my work schedule that allowed me this chance. We had lots of fun, and many adventures ensued;
(see run-on sentence below);
I was given the shortshortshort tour of Detroit, rode the People Mover (yes that's what it's called), ate flaming cheese and Baklavah in Greektown, gambled away 3 dollars at the casinos, stared across the lake at Canada and waved, tasted the delight which is EggBake, snuck into the Cobo Center while they were setting up the Auto Show, toured the University of Michigan campus, drove through Grosse Pointe (from that wonderful John Cusak movie), and as far as was determined 'safe' thru 8 Mile, watched a child express her geek roots with a video game, and played with a dog that is smaller than my cats!
And back to the chaos!
All in all a very nice weekend, a fine vacation, and great way to break in the new year (before the heavy work load ensues, as concert season begins in a few days). Oh yes, there are photos of the weekend... for now a few are posted on my Flickr site, but I will have a more detailed bonifide photo page up here under "screenshots" soon:)

12-30-05

Happy Holidays, everyone!

12-06-05

Happy Birthday to me!!!

Been so busy in the last 2 months I apologize for not posting an update sooner. I will be posting a number of backdated statements summarizing up the events of Oct and Nov soon, I promise. As far as server issues go, Phred will not be brought back online, so VirtualEpor is now our home server. Thanks again to Epor for letting BlackCatBonifide make its home here.

11-12-05(backdated entry)

I was asked to lecture for the School of Education again and gladly agreed. The students I would be speaking to had been developing an educational television program for their final class project, made up of a variety of skits and commercials. I was told that any information or demonstrations as far as music and sound would be helpful. After a few weeks of preparation, and hitting up as many children's videos I could from the public library for source material, I gave my presentation, entitled "Enhancing the Learning Experience through Music and Sound, Roles and Influences of Audio in Educational Television". I did my best to be as thorough and fun as I could, and seems the talk was a success. I'd like to extend a personal thank-you to Kermit the Frog, as he was in the majority of my video examples. Sometimes there's no competition when you have classic Sesame Street.

11-04-05(backdated entry)

On the side, in those minute gaps of free time, I've been helping with the creation of an upcoming documentary on world-renowned conductor, and violin virtuoso, Sidney Harth. I have been running camera 2 for some of the behind the scene footage during rehearsals, backstage, and even managed to sneak shots of the WQED interview with the Piano Trio (man that room was tiny, thank god for handhelds). I must say it is an exciting process. Aside from Geeks IRL, which was proudly deemed a 'mockumentary', this is my first time helping with an actual documentary project. For now, we are looking at a spring completion date. I'll keep yah posted.

11-03-05(backdated entry)

A few weeks ago I helped do boom/sound and some post-production work on a movie my brother to be entered in the Chimera Online Student Film Competition. (some of you may remember the film shoot as one I talked about where we shot two nights in a row, in the rain, till 4am... cold, wet, and very much fun!) For such a film shot in 2 nights, and edited in 2 days, I think Barry did an awesome job and our cast and crew were remarkable! The main rules for the contest were make a film, and it must be under 5 minutes long. Watch "Code 99" - by Barry Bogovich. It was wonderful working with so many familiar faces again, I hope we can make another hit soon!

10-29-05(backdated entry)

• Time left before work to invent a costume - 1 hour
• blue long sleeve shirt from goodwill - $3.99
• plastic shotgun - $2.99
• children's battery-operated chainsaw - $6.99
• the look on many geek males faces when I came to Masquerade as the female version of Ash from Evil Dead? PRICELESS!!!

10-28-05(backdated entry)

I was teaching a demo on music concrete and came up with this little experiment - journey into a cat's dreams with A Cat Caricature. This work is made entirely of cat sound effects, with a tidbit of drumbeat for support. Take a listen, I hope you like it.

10-09-05

I've been so busy in the last two weeks I don't know if I have the energy to finish typing this update...

10-06-05

Time for a scare! The GLFA Eerie Horror Film Festival is this weekend! Guest stars include John Hancock, Alice Cooper, and Gunnar Hansen!

9-26-05

Many congratulations to all who helped make this year's Great Lakes Film Festival a success! Special kudos to the cast and crew of Artisan of Tangibles, this year's Run and Gun project. It was definitely our best film to date and could not have been completed without the hard work of so many talented people. (It was by far one of the most challenging film shoots I have ever been on). Kellene, it was wonderful to meet you in person. I hope you continue to write more screenplays as charming as Artisan. With any luck we will have a finished DVD ready for press in a month!

9-21-05

Don't forget, the Great Lakes Film Festival is this weekend! I am heading up tonight for the Run and Gun pre-production meeting. This year marks the fourth festival ever and our third Run and Gun!
<more info>

9-20-05

Sorry to those of you who have been trouble accessing my web site in the last couple days. The server (phred) went down and still hasn't been fixed. For the time being my site will be hosted on VirtualEpor. Special thanks to Epor for hooking me up so fast, blackcat bonifide was only unaccessible for a day! (while the move/temp site is up, you may notice that some links are not working. I will do what i can to fix this issue while we try to figure out server problems)

9-13-05

Starting today I am Part Time staff at Duquesne University School of music, assisting the AV/Audio Recording Department. Its great to be back working here, helping with concerts and recitals, and I'm looking forward to getting my hands deep into microphones again.

9-12-05

I just returned from one of the best vacations ever. I know I know, you're all saying "but Bonnie, you never take a day off?" and I guess thatÂ’s usually true. According to those who know me personally, I havenÂ’t taken an actual vacation (i.e. non-work trip out of town) in over 7 years. Any trips away from home always had a meeting, convention, or some sort of non-relaxation connection.
Planting the seed
A few months ago my good friend Epor invited me to South Carolina to spend Labor Day week with his family. Imagine the shock on both partiesÂ’ sides when I finally said yes. I havenÂ’t regretted the decision since. Since I was going to be down south, I contacted my cousin Tom in Savannah. We continued to make plans to meet up while I was in the vicinity.
Well-deserved rest
So, end result = Sept 3-8 I spent a very fun and relaxing time with the Epor family around Hilton Head, SC, and the 8th-11th I visited with Tom, Barb, and Alex in beautiful Savannah, GA:) I had such a good time it is near impossible to write all about it in one update. Thank you all very much, you guys, for helping to force me to take a break from life for a week. I had so much fun; I'll even forgive you for making me tan for the first time in years (omg my paleness is gone!!!)
WhereÂ’s the proof?
Stay tuned for a plethora of photos and journal entries from BlackCat's Southern Vacation

8-31-05

The Run and Gun crew position of Sound/Audio Recordist is still open and needs to be filled ASAP!!! We need someone who understands the nuances of the proper collection of sound, from the proper placement of mics, and mixing levels (sound shaping), to understanding what is good sound (vs volume). We need this person to work with the camera and post production crews. <more info>

8-28-05

Incredibly busy the last few days. The auditions went very well. Thankyou all who attended the casting sessions for Run and Gun 2005: Artisan of Tangibles. In addition to RnG business, we wrapped up shooting for Opposition this Saturday. Though we were attacked by scattered rain showers in the afternoon, we were able to film the needed sequences. I did my best to get ADR recordings and othersuch sound accomplished while on site with all the actors available. We are shooting for an early screening date, Sept 22nd, at the Great Lakes Film Festival. Can't wait to see how things turn out!

8-22-05

Reminder:
Cast and Crew auditions for the Run and Gun Thursday and Friday!!!
<more info>

8-21-05

Barry and I headed up to Dayton, Ohio this weekend to hang out with elder sibling Brian. I must say, the state of Ohio is much flatter than I remembered it, though my opinion of roads is swayed by Pittsburgh's many potholes I suppose:) We had an ultra fun time, going out to dinner, watching Star Wars Episode III on the big screen for the last time (yeyyy a dollar theatre in the area still had a copy of star wars, what luck!), playing atari and other oldskool video games, cooking up a very tasty brakfast, finally getting Barry to see the BBC Hitchhiker television series... the list goes on. Thanks Brian, for a very fun and relaxing weekend. We approve of your new apartment, it r4wk5!!!

8-15-05

Updated the movie and rambling pages, as well as added new banners to the links page.

8-14-05

Happy Birthday, Mom!

8-07-05

The Run and Gun has now opened its official call for Cast and Crew. This year we will be holding auditions/interviews at two locations, Pittsburgh and Erie, PA. For more information, visit our info page on the GLFA website. We are looking for actors, artists, sound engineers and much more this year, so please stop by the casting sessions and contact us if interested!

8-06-05

Congratulations to Eggman and JillJill who were wed today in Conneaut, Pennsylvania. It was a beautiful ceremony, and I wish you both the best and a happy life together:) Additional thanks to Dreck for giving me a ride to the ceremony.

7-21-05

Quick Updates:
Run and Gun Film picked!
The winner of this year's Run and Gun screenplay competition is Artisan of Tangibles by Kellene Kneale!!! The first runner up is Sheila Bloom, by Patty Penalosa, and the Second Runner Up is The Freelancer, by Nathaniel Wellplay. Info on cast and crew auditions coming soon...
Caffiene strikes again!
I was recently given a Starbucks gift card and due to the exhaustive schedule of at least two summer teaching gigs a day this past couple weeks, in addition to the scorching temperatures outside, I stopped in yesterday seeking a cold beverage. I was very pleased to see a new treat, the Green Tea Frappacino!!! I strongly recommend (helps if you have a gift card or coupon though, Starbucks is crazy expensive)
Beam me up Scotty
Another very sad moment in Star Trek history, Scotty died yesterday. I know many who didnt think he would last this long, but James Doohan left this world at the age of 85. He was one of my favorite original Trek characters of all time, I am sure that the trekkies of the world will all remember him for ages to come. I wasnt suprised to find out that in the end, Scotty will find his resting place in outer space, as his family plans to have his ashes 'beamed up' into the stars, like Gene Roddenbery.

7-19-05

The more I teach, the more certain I become that I shall never have the desire to reproduce...

Now, cats, however....
Yes, I shall have many cats... They dont eat sugar...

7-12-05

Today was day 2 of this summer's Telecommunity session. We added some new projects, I developed a new stop-animation video workshop for some of our more advanced students, and things are running smoothly. Right now I have them working on basic motion tests with wooden bendable figures (sound familiar?) and today we did a chalk board draw and erase animation experiment that turned out awesome. I feel like I've been coughing up chalk dust since 4pm, probably so, but still its the taste of success:) I will look into getting permission to post a clip on my website in the near future. Its like... man I keep suggesting wierd and crazy ideas and these guys actually understand what I'm talking about... I cant wait to show them some Jan Svankmajer next week:)
SummerTime... stay cool
The summer has been very long and too fast at the same time. I cant believe the 90 degree temperatures we've been experiencing constantly, ended up making me rather ill for the past week or so. I guess being a computer addict, you cant argue with the stereotypes... perfer indoors, moniter tan to sun tan, and AC to humidity... (laughs quietly).
Busy busy... full schedules
Many projects are underway, and I find myself at the busiest part of the summer. I had to take this week off from my Mullen internship to survive the rest of my schedule, teaching with Telecommunity up till 4:30pm, then instructing adults from then till 9:30pm at Duquesne for the TIME workshops (this week is Digital Audio, yey Protools!) So basically I am spending more than 12 hours a day in various computer labs instructing... funfunfun... well, it is fun but man I could use a nap:) Yup, lots going on... preparations for an upcoming film, Opposition, by Atticus Cain, are underway. We are also wrapping up on the last pile of screenplays to judge before announcing the Run and Gun screenplay winner this monday. Good luck and thanks again to all writers who submitted this year, and special thanks to my wonderful judging panel for volunteering their time!!!

7-10-05

It is Run and Gun screenplay judging time again, and we should be announcing the winner on Monday. Lots of entries this year, which may be tons of extra work for me and my judging panel, but I'm very pleased with the quality of the writing. No doubt, this year's Run and Gun production will be better than the last two:) BTW as of this past month, you can now order dvds from the last two run and gun projects!!! - click to view or order Wrong Number and Dualife - each purchase helps to support the film association:)

6-26-05

Busy busy busy! Lots of things going on, I will write more later, promise:) Oh, and check out my compositions page for three new pieces!

6-24-05

Happy Birthday, Dad!

6-23-05

Its going to be a long day... I'm working about two jobs a day now, morning internship with Mullen up till 3:30ish, leaving me time to hustle over to Duquesne to run the 4-9pm night class of the TIME workshops, aka teaching teachers to teach music with computers. So far I'm pleased with how the summer courses are running, and thank god the air conditioning is working this summer, since it is 92 degrees outside.
Yey Burnin the Candle at 3 Ends
Things will get interesting as soon as Telecommunity kicks off in July. I'll be bouncing around 3 jobs a day then for about two weeks straight... just gotta remember to eat and sleep... how hard can that be... *wimper* Just kidding. You know what I say, sleep... bah... what a waste of a good 5-8 hours of the day! You dont get anything done:)
The King of Evil Dead is in Town
This evening, as soon as 9pm hits, I'm gonna hightail it over to the Oaks Theater because tonight, yes friends, tonight, Bruce Campbell himself is in town to introduce a special sneak preview, and Pennsylvania premiere, of his film The Man with the Screaming Brain!!!! Liz and Hunkie are going to head up ahead of time and try to save me a good seat, hope they are successful. Muchos Gratzi to Liz also for reserving tickets ahead of time, since the show is completely sold out!

5-23-05

My god, has it really been 2 weeks since graduation. My diploma is in the mail as we speak... wow... Masters Degree... still makes me tingly all over... I'll be posting graduation pictures soon, I promise.
Edit Edit Edit
Adapting to the post-college experience has been quite an ordeal, but I'm taking it pretty well. I started my first week at Mullen and so far I'm loving the internship. I am really looking forward to working with the creative team this summer, as the people are awesome and I will be working on developing a few commercial/video editing projects using FinalCut Pro HD and other fun softwares. Its going to be a bit of work but its what I love and I just know I'm going to have a great time.
Fun in the Sun with a Chum
I had a really great weekend. Epor came down from Rhode Island to go to a wedding of two of his best friends from college and asked me to tag along as his date. We had a fun time, and did tons of side things such as dinner at Molly Brannigans, running around the and having a picnic on the beach at Presque Isle, and seeing Star Wars Episode III (Anikin finally gets turned into Vader and JarJar Binks has no lines... thak you god). Seeing how it was really my first actual go-out-and-do-non-work-things vacation in a long while, it was a really awesome time and very relaxing. Thank you Epor!
Run and Gun Productions Reproductions
On a side note, I finally finished the cover artwork for the last two Run and Gun films, Wrong Number and Dualife (yes, we are on IMDB now:). We are sending the master film copies and lables off to Cineflix so duplication will kickoff before you know it. Stay tuned for info on how to get copies!

5-10-05

Updates Updates Updates! Finding lots of stuff to keep me busy on my first week off since... when was I in Middle School again? Anywho, my Resumes, Webcaptures and Siggraph 2002 have been fixed up, and more improvements on the way including photos from this and last year's graduation ceremonies:)

5-07-05

I am now officially a graduate of Duquesne University with a Masters of Science in Multimedia Technology!!! I'd like to thank all of those who have supported me, my family, my friends, and the wonderful faculty of the Liberal Arts and Music Technology department. Also, I'd like to congradulate all my friends who graduated this semester as well:)
Let the Geek Times Roll
Today was a very long day, but it was nice to be able to spend quality time with the family after the graduation ceremony. Brian gave me his old laptop as a graduation present, a nifty little iBook I lovingly renamed ChiBook, from which I am typing right now:) We ran out to catch an afternoon showing of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, and then dinner at Mallorca's in South Side. We swung by my grandparents for a Mothers Day visit, and then I headed off to Gwen's graduation party spectacular at the Colony. It was nice to see so many familiar faces, many of whom I havent had time to visit in such a long time. Its been a busy 5 years, hard to find free time when you're doing two degrees side by side, planning concerts, and helping run 3 film festivals.
Back.... to the future!
Yup... Long... long day, but very much fun and I'm so relieved that school is behind me now. Time to take a break and prepare for the next wave of things to come. I am still teaching this summer, through Telecommunity and for the T:ME workshops. I begin a video editing internship with Mullen next week, and I'm really looking forward to the experience. In addition, there are some film projects and music concepts in the works as well, more info later:)

5-05-05

This evening was fantastic. My friend Kenneth had an extra ticket for the famous Cirque Du Soleil and their performance of Varekai. The show was amazing, beautiful lighting, gorgeous costumes, and the stunts were very well choreographed. It was like Squonk Opera and ninjas combined:) Again, thanks Ken for bringing me along!

5-01-05

This weekend I was lucky enough to have Friday night open, so I dashed up to Erie for the Great Lake Film Association's 2nd Annual Music Video Festival. Last year's fest was such a hit that I'm glad we were able to swing another one. Even though we were competing with many events around the area, college graduations, a monster truck rally nearby, and many others, we still had a great turnout! The videos were very professional this year, and my favorite was definitely "Crushed" by Lareau, incorporating the sad tale of an action figure (played by Skelator from He-man) when he discovers that his whole life has been misguided, as he is not a hero but 'the bad guy'. Very amusing! We showcased many bands as well, including a very cute girl 80s rock band, the Killerinas, the marvelous Phantasm, and we were fortunate to be the USA premiere of Bedouin Soundclash, a reggee rock band from Canada. I'd like to commend those who really ran the whole show this year, Frank, Steve, and Ropp; hats off to an excellent start to the 2005 GLFA events!

4-27-05

Excellent News! I guess award-winning blood runs in the family because Barry has informed me that his film, "the Brotherhood", won Best Film of the Robert Morris University Film Contest!!! (you may remember me mentioning the film shoot in a previous post, as I was brought on as sound design and 'boom' operator) Congratulations to everyone from the cast and crew, especially to my brother for writing such a nifty screenplay and pulling it all together.

4-17-05

Spent a long time today designing the DVD case artwork for the last two Run and Gun films, Wrong Number and Dualife. Yes, thats right folks. We are finally going to be part of the media distriubution world very soon! Check back later for info about how to obtain a copy of the Run and Gun projects, or email me with any questions:)

4-08-05

Awesome news! Last night Liz Rishel and myself attended the Duquesne Student Film Festival. I walked away with not only Best Overall Film (and best drama) of the fest, BUT ALSO the People's Choice Award!!! Thanks to everyone who helped out with The Sweet Tooth Stratagem, especially to my wonderful cast, Liz and Jeremy, to the Ricks for their technical support, to Scotto for writing such a wonderful screenplay, and to my family! (click here for more info)

4-07-05

Had a moment, between moments of chaos and final projects, and updated the webcaptures page (photos of yours truly). Thanks to my buddy Vincent for the black and white picture of me at work in the labs. This picture is, I believe, from the first day back after Spring Break. Wow.... I look tired....

4-03-05

Wow, march went by too fast. So much going on! I was informed this weekend that my short film, The Sweet Tooth Stratagem, has been accepted into the Duquense Student Film Festival! It will be screened with the other finalists this thursday at 9pm. Who knows, maybe this pastry dark comedy will win best drama of 2005??? Also, best of luck to Julia Hannan, a fellow musician, and Run and Gun's Josh Bales, whose films Introspection and The Craving (winner of last year's fest) have also been accepted into the festival. Stay tuned!

3-26-05

Yey! Been very busy lately compressing video and music files for an upcoming interview, and for the evergrowing CD-ROM project. I FINALLY posted some new tunes so check out my Concerts Page for audio clips from Synthesia, my concert last spring. For now I have posted the infamous, and ever amusing, Vox Layers 3.0 as well as all three movements from Cusswords and Fire and Verbum Supernum Prodiens, my choral work!!! I'll be uploading video files from Cusswords as soon as the month settles down a bit. Enjoy!

3-24-05

Been a very busy week, thankfully it is spring break so I dont have to go to class. Graduation day is creeping up on me very fast, I get my Masters the first week in May. I've been spending lots of time on my curriculum vitae and gathering materials for my newest portfolio/resume CD-ROM (expected completion date April 22nd.) I added a few things to the graphics page this morning, more to come including plans to fix the broken links on my movies page. Stay tuned!

3-16-05

The GLFA is still accepting Music Video entries till March 31st! Check the website for details and information about our other current competitions, the Run and Gun screenplay competition and the 2005 Film Festival.

3-03-05

The longest weekends are those that seem to run nonstop from thursday till sunday night and you're still mentally asleep by the time tuesday comes around.... I had a grand time, did my lighting design for the tango concert, worked sound on set, indoor and outdoor scenes, for my brother Barry's film shoot all weekend, two hours of sleep between friday and sun... tired as hell and still in pain from overwork.
*happy wheezy sigh*
I am not complaining, at least not in a way that you might think I would. I enjoyed every moment. Getting to do lighting design, to hang from a ceiling covered in dusty gels was so much fun... I miss working technical theatre. And to do sound on a film shoot with an honest to god crew, half of them my cohorts from the Run and Gun projects, was like returning home after a long voyage. Yes, I am tired. Yes, I hurt all over. Yes, the outdoor shoot all sunday was 10 degrees and I swear it will take a month before I can feel every part of my toes again. But, hey. At least I know why I'm in pain, I did too much, I teched too much, I gave my all... and... enjoyed every moment of it:)
On a side note...
Barry's film is going to be awesome when it is complete. Unfortunately, due to weather and rented film equipment not always working as much as you want it to, we had to stop the shoot early. We shall resume filming on sunday March 20th. Stay tuned for more info about his latest short, "The Brotherhood".

2-22-05

Sorry if I've been distant lately, guys. Lots of things going on, and some of them really great. The latest is I have been asked to do the stage and lighting design for a concert by my dear friend, Jeremy Sment. I had another meeting this evening with Jeremy, some of the dancers, and Lea, the artist and creator of the videos to be projected, and so far we seem to be headed in the right direction. The performance space is far from ideal, but I'm hoping to make the most of it and add whatever color and flavor I can to match Jeremy's vision, a non-conventional performance artwork. I cant wait to start ripping out gels and gettin my hands scorched on the lights thursday morning, and you know I'm serious:)

Thursday, February 24 at 8pm: Tangueros de Ley
in
Gran Concierto Gran

PNC Recital Hall Duquesne University.

"Pittsburghs premiere tango ensemble revives the full tango orchestra from the Golden Age of Tango. Come to listen as Tangueros de Ley and their orchestra play Piazzolla, Mores, original works by Jeremy Sment and more. David Stock Conducts. Admission is $10 at the door. Special Guest Performers and Dancers will be there." For more info..

2-07-05

Posted a new rambling and some new graphics today. Enjoy:)

2-05-05

Time for me to get back up on my filmfest soapbox: Now, on the Great Lakes Film Association website, we have information and forms up regarding entries for this year's Music Video Film Festival (April 2005), the annual International Film Festival and Run and Gun Screenplay competition (September 2005), and the Eerie Horror film festival (October 2005). Please check out the website and feel free to email me with any questions:)

2-01-05

Man... things are crazy... graduate school is lots of work but you know me, workaholic till the death! Honestly, I'm enjoying all my classes this term, taking Cross-Platform Authoring, Streaming Media, and Typography. I'll try to post some of my projects as time goes on, text is really addictive once you start studying it as an artform, lemme tell yah. Oh, and stay tuned for some updated artwork, ramblings, music, and videos (including the oh-so-anticipated Sweet-Tooth Stratagem.)

1-17-05

I have another film credit on IMDB now! I am listed as Co-Producer of Wrong Number. Its almost hard to believe that we did that film two falls ago. Dualife was this past season's Run and Gun project, our second film after Wrong Number, and I cannot wait to see what screenplays are entered this year. If you know anyone interested in submitting a screenplay for the Run and Gun Project for this fall, September 2005, there will be information posted soon on the main website, but for now feel free to email me with any questions.

1-13-05

I attended a job fair this past week, hosting 20 Pittsburgh radio and television stations, including WTAE, Fox22, Disney, ESPN and WRRK. Passed out a bunch of resumes, maybe somthing will turn up. It was rather startling how many different people gathered at this fair, a wide variety of ages and degrees, resulting in waiting in line for at least 10 minutes for some of the recruitment booths. If anything, at least I got a good impression of what the competition is, and what to change/prepare for the next time I try applying for a position in that field (porftolio cd-roms, and audio demos, etc).

1-04-05

As winter quietly slips by, in its rainy glory (where is all the snow?) I have been able to finally update my resume. I'll be tweaking this document for a while, as I expand it into my curriculum vitae for Duquesne University. I recieve my Masters this Spring, and somtimes it feels like I just started classes yesterday... but then I feel the pain in my wrists, pop an advil, and stare at the very large word document before me... no wonder I'm so tired. When, in five years, did I find time to sleep, let alone breathe?

>> Past Updates <<

>>1/22/04 - 12/14/04<<

>>2/07/03 - 12/28/03<<

>>7/07/02 - 2/03/03<<

>>1/01/02 - 6/14/02<<

>>7/29/01 - 12/19/01<<