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| Issue #22 / Winter 2009 |
 America's Got Talent |
Installment 7
Results Show! |
| by Carol Taubl |
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| If you missed Installment 1, click here |
| If you missed Installment 2, click here |
| If you missed Installment 3, click here |
| If you missed Installment 4, click here |
| If you missed Installment 5, click here |
| If you missed Installment 6, click here |
We left off last week with our exciting performance of
Rihanna's hit song, Umbrella, for which we received rave
reviews from the judges. One of the producers came
up to us immediately following the performance and
predicted that we would be in the finals for sure. We were feeling pretty good about things at that moment,
but the knowledge that we had to discover our future on
the show in front of a live television audience was
keeping our hearts beating at a pretty rapid pace.
After watching
the show with all of the other contestants in the hotel
lobby, we went off to our rooms exhausted and slept
well. The next morning, we had another early call
time so we piled into the studio van and headed off to
the set around 8am. First it was off to the hair
stylist which had become a real joy for us all.
Not only were these some of the most gifted stylists in
the world, but they were also some of the nicest people
in the world. We enjoyed all those hours of
sitting in the chair and getting know these people who
had such exciting lives working with the stars.
Russell Latham worked on my hair each time, and has
become a dear friend. I have never been one to
spend a lot of time primping, but he actually got my
hair looking amazing, and then the makeup artist did
their magic. When they finished, we all felt
beautiful. Then came the hardest part - waiting! |
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Finally, 4:30
arrived and we went backstage to wait our turn.
One of the contestants had gotten very sick that
day, and was not gong to be available to do the
results show, so the pairing off of groups was not
working out evenly. We had rehearsed the
process during the day, so we knew that the plan was
to have two groups at a time walk forward and one
would be eliminated. The final two to be
called were the lowest vote getters, and they would
be decided by the judges.
We felt very
good about that first performance and to be honest,
were not overly worried. However, we got quite
a scare. We waited and waited there on stage
as they called six other groups. It was then
down to the final three and they called us up
together. Thankfully, we were the first to be
told that we made it, and our joy was quite evident
in the photo to the left! We were moving on to
the Top 20! And we couldn't wait to start the
whole process again.
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Immediately after the show, the boys were
whisked off the set because of child labor laws
in California (they were only allowed to be on
set a certain number of hours per day) and the
girls and I were left to meet with the Executive
Producers about the next performance. We
were given three song choices, and yet it is our
theory that two of the three were so completely
unacceptable that it was not really much of a
choice at all. Our first option was
Madonna's "Like a Prayer," which was simply not
an option based on theme and lyrics.
Secondly, they offered us "We are Family," by
Sister Sledge. How corny would that have
been? We were trying to avoid the hokey
family act image, and that would have only made
things worse! And the third choice was
"When You Believe" by Mariah Carey. We
love that song, and the words are so true and
applicable, but we were hoping for something
more upbeat and current. Having no other
real choice, we decided to forge ahead and do
our best. |
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The photos above show us
trying to get the stage right for this next song,
and working with the producers to perfect things.
And above right is the boys waiting for the studio van
out in front of the hotel, with their friends from
the James Gang. Some of the most memorable
things about the whole experience were the lasting
friendships that were made.
The first
week of the trip was over, and with great success.
There were television and radio interviews, magazine
and newspaper articles written, and lots of hope for
the future. But the week ahead was certain to
be a trying one, so we were gearing up for it and
praying for God's direction in our lives. That
was the one thing we could hold onto through it all.
God is in control, and He is good all the time. With that coloring all our experiences, we knew that
all would be well.
To read
about the second week of our Los Angeles experience,
check back on February 9! |
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Gretchen's Heart for Orphans |
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In early December, 2008, the Taubl Family was honored to be a part of the annual tree lighting in Stamford, CT.
On a brutally cold December evening, thousands assembled to see Santa rappel down the side of a skyscraper in downtown, and then made their way down the street to Latham Park to hear some Christmas music by the Taubl Family!
Following the festivities, we were invited to the home of some dear friends for delicious food and warm fellowship. |
After dinner, our hosts shared with us a cause that was dear to their heart. They showed us photographs of an orphanage in Bogotá, Colombia, where they had spent many weeks working with and being blessed by these children. Then we were told the story of the saintly nun and other volunteers who took care of these little ones that had no place to go. Gretchen was touched by the faces and overwhelmed by the need, and expressed interest in going down to Colombia on the next trip.
In early January, Gretchen learned that she was officially invited to make the trip, and thanks to the generosity and vision of our wonderful friends, all her expenses were to be paid. Gretchen will be bringing a shipment of violins to these orphans, and helping to set up a string program for these precious souls. She will be leaving February 7 and returning February 14.
Check out the website of this amazing place and learn more about their mission to rescue these innocent little ones. If you want to learn more about the mission, or if you are wondering what you can do to help,
please contact us at tpianist@aol.com |
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Emily and the Hartford Symphony |
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After winning the prestigious Van Rooy competition last fall, Emily was asked to perform with the Hartford Symphony in January of 2008. Emily was thrilled with the opportunity to work with such a wonderful orchestra.Shortly after that first appearance, Emily received a call from the conductor asking her to appear on a regular season concert in January, 2009. January 8 - 11 marked Emily's return to the Hartford Symphony stage, this time performing Haydn's Cello Concerto in C Major. Four nights of performing can be a daunting experience, but she handled it beautifully and each night brought more excitement and energy. The picture above left was her dress rehearsal on Wednesday, January 7. Above right is Emily with her mom backstage on Thursday evening, opening night, nervous but excited, looking radiant in her lavender taffeta gown. Click here to listen to an excerpt of her performance.
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Here is an excerpt of the review written in the Hartford Courant. "Cellist Emily Taubl joined the orchestra as soloist in the Haydn Concerto in C Major to close the first half of the program. Taubl performed Tchaikovsky's "Pezzo Capriccioso" with the HSO last January. Since then, her family, all nine of them, were finalists on NBC's show "America's Got Talent."
Taubl, a Yale grad now earning a second degree at Hartt, most certainly "got talent." She may project a relaxed and focused exterior, but she has a charismatic musicality. She plays with extraordinary accuracy and lightness. Her passage work in the third movement, taken at breakneck tempo, was breathtaking. In a work with a maze of different themes and passages, she led us through with clarity, logic and conviction. Taubl is going places." |
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