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I have offered restaurant reviews for my readers in the past, but this time, I have a guest reviewer, my son Steven that reported on a recent performance of the Eugene Symphony at the Hult Center as part of his school work. I thought the report was excellent and gave me a real feeling of being in the audience. I convinced him to let me share it on my blog. So here is Steve Chamberlin’s report on Beethoven’s Fourth Concerto for Piano. Enjoy!

The Arrival

I attended the performance of Beethoven’s Fourth Concerto for Piano at the Hult Center in Eugene. I chose this performance for my first classical concert experience because I really had no idea what to expect. By choosing a professional performance, I felt my odds of actually liking the performance would go up significantly. I was not disappointed.

Originally I had intended to take my wife so we could have a ‘date night’, but due to a work conflict, I ended up taking my seven year old daughter. My daughter enjoys the ‘Celtic Women’ performances so I was hoping she might enjoy a live concert. As it turned out, there was only one other child at the performance. I think having the two children in the audience brought the average age of attendees down to about 65 years old.

We arrived at the Hult Center a little early in order to have enough time to find our seats and to have a look around the center before the concert. I purchased box seats so I would reduce the chance of disturbing anyone while I took notes during the concert. What I did not take into consideration was how high these seats are above the audience. Once I found our seats, it took a few minutes to get over my fear of heights. My daughter, on the other hand, loved the seats and immediately went to the rail to look over at the rest of the audience. We settled in and waited for the performance to start.

The Performance

As we sat waiting for the concert to start, the orchestra was busy tuning and reviewing the music they would be playing that night. What a cacophony. The sound was everywhere. I tried to focus on a couple instruments but it was impossible. It was like a runner preparing for a marathon, all the players warming up their muscles and getting ready to play for the next couple hours.

I looked away for just a couple moments and everyone in the orchestra except the string section had disappeared. The lights dimmed and I thought, ‘Finally we are going to start.’. I was wrong. What came next was a commercial from the President of the Hult Center acknowledging the commercial sponsors of the nights performance. Did I really just pay $88 dollars for a commercial? I was not impressed. After the commercial, she introduced the Conductor who came out and presented yet another commercial for upcoming events. This is not going well and I started wondering what I just wasted my money on. Finally the commercials are over and both the President and Conductor leave the stage.

The next person to enter the stage was a violinist who was greeted with cheers and applause. She acknowledged the crowd and took her seat. Following her was the Conductor, again greeted by applause and cheers. He stopped to acknowledge three people, first and second chair violin and what I assume was first chair viola. This just seemed odd to me for some reason, why just those three people? He took his place on the podium and raised his hands. What happened next was a complete surprise.

The bows came up and took their first draw across the strings. They had me at hello! The sound produced was, to say the least, awe inspiring. Being able to compare the dissonance of the warm-up with the powerful consonance of the opening note was just awesome. I instantly forgot the height of the seats, the $88 dollars I paid for the commercials and just enjoyed the feeling of awe that rose through my body as the strings began to play ‘Fantasia on a Theme’.

This was a great opening piece. The sound was playful and vibrant, consisting of only the string section. All of the instruments seemed to be talking to each other, either as group or individually. Both my daughter and I enjoyed the energetic chatter between the first chair violin and viola. The piece wrapped up with a resounding crescendo that was met with much applause and well deserved hoots and hollers from the audience. Being able to see the complexity of playing the music combined with hearing the sounds produced really made this performance well worth the price of admission.

The second performance started with another surprise as the Conductor introduced the composer of ‘Second Concerto for Orchestra’, Steven Stucky. The introduction gave way to a short Q&A between the Conductor and Mr. Stucky about the music we were about to hear. Apparently the title of the piece was lost on me at first. I did not realize that concertos were typically written for specific instruments and not for the whole orchestra. Mr. Stucky explained that he wrote the piece to include all of his friends in the LA Philharmonic Orchestra with the theme being friendship, fun and love.

The Conductor’s next question filled my head with the sound of a record player needle being scratched across the record violently. He asked Mr. Stucky to explain how the audience should interpret the music we were about to hear. Why would he do that? I wanted to experience the music from an ‘Unlistening’ perspective. I did not want someone telling me how to hear the music. Thankfully Mr. Stucky quipped, “Music is like a joke. If you don’t get it, I can’t explain it to you.”. Great answer! Mr. Stucky did point out that in the second movement he wanted to play a game with his friends throughout the orchestra but left it up to the audience to discover and interpret the game.

The piece started with more or less of an introduction of the orchestra. The ‘Overture’ began by introducing each section of the orchestra, moving from left to right through the strings,

into the brass and woodwinds, percussion and finally the piano and harp. Once everyone was playing together, the movement built to an abrupt end signaling the start of the second movement.

Surprisingly, about one third of the audience responded with applause! Wait a minute. The audience is supposed to wait to the end of the entire concerto before applauding, right? That explains why the other two thirds of the audience responded with grumbles and gasps. This was noticeably awkward for the Conductor and orchestra. Yes, I laughed to myself and thought ‘Whew. I’m not the only newbie here.’.

The second movement started and I began searching for ‘The Game’. To me it was not as simple as someone might think. It took listening to the entire piece to form an idea of what Mr. Stucky was trying to accomplish. I found it odd that throughout the piece we were treated to some non-typical solo’s. I never expected to hear a bassoon or a french horn or even a xylophone solo in a classical music piece, but they were there. In between the solo’s, there was a lot of ‘dream sequence’ flute playing which seemed to be building in dynamics throughout the piece. Eventually, everyone played together in a what I can only describe as a crescendo to beat all crescendos, or so I thought.

To me the game was more than just bouncing a ball around the orchestra. The game incorporated not only instrumental sound but spacial arrangement. The sounds produced not only a unique arrangement but a spacial visualization to the music. Those odd solo’s are there for a reason. They allow your ear to see the music as it moves from one place to another, bridging the hard boundaries between the sections. The game was like being only able to only hear a tennis match as the ball moved from side to side, front to back and sometimes all places at once.

As promised during the Q&A, the finale was a “fasten your seat belts” kind of performance. The sound was everywhere, very fast and very loud. The ending crescendo of the second movement paled in comparison to that of the third. A very clear and distinct ending to a memorable concerto which received appropriately timed applause, standing ovations, hoots and hollers and I even heard some yelling ‘Bravo!’. Mr. Stucky returned to the stage to receive the praise and even some flowers while acknowledging the performance of the orchestra and Conductor.

Time for the intermission. My daughter and I ventured to the lobby to stretch our legs and get something to drink. It was amazing to me how many people stopped her to ask if she liked the performance. Being one of the only children in the audience, made her a bit of a novelty and people could not get over how well behaved and attentive she was to the music. Being a girl, she enjoyed the attention along with some apple juice and a cookie during the break.

We returned to our seats to find a completely different looking stage. The stage had been set for Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4. Only the strings remained with the exception of the kettle drums and of course the piano which took center stage. First violin joined the rest of the strings and played a quick tuning note for the rest of the strings to follow before taking her chair. The Conductor was the next to come out followed closely by the featured pianist Angela Hewitt. Both were met again with much applause and excitement.

As the Conductor raised his hands, there was an almost deafening silence in the hall followed by the strings section playing as one voice. The first movement progressed and it took some time before the piano joined in. I was beginning to wonder if she would ever start playing but then she did.

Generally I am not a big fan of piano music but in this case it was very pleasant. I found myself distracted by what I think are over exaggerations of movement while she played the piano but she actually seemed to be lost in the music. Throughout the three movements she would finish a large section of music and then look at the orchestra as if to say, “Did you hear that?! I rocked it! Now keep up!”.

Even though I am not a fan of the piano, I can appreciate the amount of talent Ms. Hewitt displayed. Moving through the complex notes and steps and she worked her way from one end of the piano to the other was simply amazing and she truly seemed to be enjoying the music.

As expected, the second movement claimed my daughter as she fell asleep on my lap. I almost expected that to happen as the concerto followed the fast-slow-fast format. She woke up as the vivace pace of the third movement kicked in and rounded out the concerto.

Again, the audience was on its feet as the last note played and Ms. Hewitt stood to receive the applause and acknowledge the Conductor and orchestra for an excellent performance. But when do you stop applauding? This was the question I began to ask myself after Ms. Hewitt left and returned to the stage three times. Apparently the answer to the question is; when the performer starts the encore. Ms. Hewitt treated the crowd to an encore performance. I have no idea what the name of the piece was, but as expected she rocked it. After which she returned to the stage two more times for applause and flowers. I had no idea the symphony could be filled with so much energy.

The Breakdown

Overall it was a fun night. I was very surprised at how much I actually enjoyed listening to the music and experiencing the live performance. Being able to see the amount of talent it takes to play the instruments and the percussionist running their butts off back and forth between various items to bang on, helps me to appreciate what it takes to not only perform something like this, but to even compose it in the first place. Taking all of the individual pieces into account and coming up with a single coherent sound is amazing.

So where does this experience leave me? I will definitely attend the symphony again. We are planning to attend next months performance of Beethoven’s 5^th to include Handel’s “Royal Fireworks” and Mozart’s Mass “Coronation”. Although I enjoyed the symphony with my daughter, I think this time I’ll take my wife for what should prove to be a very memorable date night.

Mortgage calculators are tools which allow you to quickly and easily compute what your payment will be to buy a new home or refinance your existing home. All you need to know is the value of the property, the interest rate and the term. Reverse mortgage calculators are so much more complex because take into account your expected lifespan, the lifespan of your partner, the value of your home, and how your home value compares to other homes from around your part of the country.

This is what you need for a reverse mortgage calculation:

1. When you were born.
2. When was your spouse born (if they are still living).
3. An estimate of your current home value.
4. Your zip code – needed to determine your reverse mortgage limits based on the FHA’s lending limits for your region.

AARP has one of the best reverse mortgage calculators for basic information and is provided here.  Remember, this is just an estimate. Your particulars may vary. Contact us for the full estimate.

Contact Us

If you have questions about a Reverse Mortgage, please contact one of us today at 541-342-7576. Alpine Mortgage Planning is located at 1200 Executive Pkwy., Ste. 100, Eugene OR 97401. You can also e-mail Laurie here or Fred here. We are here to help you make the decision that is right for you. Reverse Mortgages are not for everyone, but they are an excellent choice for some people. Isn’t it time that you checked out the advantages of a Reverse Mortgage?

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Statistics are interesting things. One of my favorite sayings is that, “Figures never lie, but liars figure.” I don’t know who said it, but it is really true. Now, I don’t know if these figures are the ones that never lie, or are done by liars, but I found them quite interesting when thinking about how people in the Eugene and Springfield area of Oregon buy homes.

The 2009 National Association Of Realtors Profile Of Buyers And Sellers report was released in December 2009 and it showed that:

• 90% of home buyers used the Internet to help find their home
• 78% of buyers purchased through a real estate agents
• 85% of sellers used an agent to sell

The big deal about these stats is the previous year profiles that show the growth of the web and how it plays an ever increasing role in how buyers shop. In 2008 those using the web to find a home was 87%. Prior to that it was 84%, and it shrinks little by little the further back you go. (This figure was 2% in 1995.)

Each year more people are using the web to shop for a home. If you aren’t a presence on the web as a Realtor®, that means that only 10% of the buying public will probably see your information. If you aren’t partnered with a loan officer that has a web presence, you are missing out on the opportunity to share leads and referrals from the web.

How do you, as a Realtor® find out if your loan officer has a presence on the web? Try searching either through Google, Bing, or Yahoo. What kind of homes do you mostly market and what is your clientele? Do you specialize in FHA borrowers in Springfield? Try searching for FHA Loans in Springfield. Do you specialize in $1,000,000 homes on College Hill? Try searching for that. Find someone with the web presence that is complementary to your focus and see if they know their business. How about homes in Creswell or Cottage Grove that qualify for USDA financing? What will your search results be for that one? It really is time to take the web marketing to the right point for your business.

Contact Me

Needless to say, I am hoping that some of those searches bring you to me(Fred Chamberlin, the Eugene Loan Guy). I would be happy to help you with your web presence as part of my service. If you have questions about mortgage loans please contact me at 541-342-7576/541-221-3455 cell or by e-mail. I am a Senior Mortgage Advisor at Alpine Mortgage Planning, 1200 Executive Pkwy., Ste. 100, Eugene OR 97401. I am here to help you with your mortgage needs.

Eugene/Springfield Realtors® Need Web Presence is a post from: Eugene Loan Guy

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Mortgage rates, mortgage rate, mortgage rates! What is going to happen? According to the Federal Reserve Survey, mortgage rates are 1% lower today than they would have been because the Fed has been purchasing mortgage backed securities (MBS). That all stops the end of next month.

Since March of last year, the Fed has been buying over $20 billion in MBS until they started cutting back in October will less going out each month.  You can check out a chart showing the purchase in my weekly newsletter here.

The markets were closed yesterday and it will be interesting to see what happens this week. Right now, mortgage rates are doing well, but I expect them to be going up in the next month or so. Also, we have the Home Buyer Tax Credit going away on purchases after April 30. Hopefully we have enough momentum to see the real estate market continue.

Contact Me

If you have questions about mortgage loans please contact me at 541-342-7576/541-221-3455 cell or by e-mail. I am a Senior Mortgage Advisor at Alpine Mortgage Planning, 1200 Executive Pkwy., Ste. 100, Eugene OR 97401. I am here to help you with your mortgage needs.

Fed Nearly Done Buying Mortgage Backed Securities is a post from: Eugene Loan Guy

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I am the Eugene Loan Guy and Oregon is my home. I am very proud of my home state, but we have only one National Park in the entire state and that is Crater Lake National Park, a simply breathtaking place to visit. Today, I am taking a few minutes from my mortgage business to tell you more about Crater Lake National Park.

Take a look at this short video about the lake that was done for school children in the area. It is very impressive.

I hope you enjoy this presentation and be sure and take the links above that will take you to the Crater Lake Trust website and you can see some outstanding photos of Crater Lake. I love my state and hope to help you if you decide to move here too.

Contact Me

If you need help with a mortgage loan, contact me either at 541-342-7576/541-224-3455 cell or e-mail me. I am a Senior Mortgage Advisor with Alpine Mortgage Planning, 1200 Executive Pkwy., Ste. 100, Eugene OR 97401.

Crater Lake Trust Offers Video Information is a post from: Eugene Loan Guy

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Especially if you are a poodle.

My son took my dogs to the groomer this week, and my poodle came back with a Mohawk. I guess I should be happy that they didn’t have any dye, or she would have come back with a purple Mohawk. Well, I get the last laugh, his Great Dane is afraid of my French Poodle.

Be sure and call me when you need a loan, I promise not to cut too close around the ears. You can reach me (Fred Chamberlin) at Alpine Mortgage Planning, 1200 Executive Pkwy., Ste. 100, Eugene OR 97401, or at 541-342-7576/541-221-3455, or by e-mail. I am your local connection for great real estate mortgage loans.

You got to be tough to wear a Mohawk is a post from: Eugene Loan Guy

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This question was posted on our website recently. It is a complicated question with a very simple answer. If you want to purchase a home that needs some repairs and would like to include the repairs in your loan, the way to do it is with an FHA 203k Streamline. This loan works no matter where you are and is one of the easiest ways to get your home in tip top shape once you purchase it. The Eugene/Springfield, Lane County Oregon area has some prime properties that this is an exceptional way to advance. Here is the question:

Can A New Home Loan Include The Cost Of Initial Repair?

I’m looking to buy my first house, and I want to seem reasonably intelligent before I sit down with a mortgage broker. If I am interested in purchasing a home in need of a few, minor repairs, can the cost of repairs be included in the home loan? Or, say: for aesthetic purposes, the lawn needs to be sodded…let’s say…to prevent erosion, etcetera. Can that be included in the loan? Or, do both of those instances fall under the category of home equity loans? Ahhh – here’s an additional question: Just for curiosity’s sake, how long must you own a home before you qualify for a home equity loan?

The 203k Streamline allows repairs of about $31,000 to be included in the purchase. (The program is for $35,000 but has a 10% contingency and closing costs and make it just over $31,000 usable.) These repairs can include almost anything except structural or landscaping. That means you can replace the HVAC system, put a new roof on and even buy a new washer and dryer. The program takes slightly longer than a regular FHA loan and has slightly higher closing costs, but overall is very nice to work with to get things done that otherwise are not being done by the seller. In many cases this is due to the seller not having enough equity in the property to do specific repairs.

If you are in the market to buy a new home in the Eugene, Springfield, Cottage Grove, Veneta, Creswell, Junction City, Florence or Harrisburg area and have found one that needs some repairs to make it what you want, talk to me (Fred Chamberlin) about an FHA 203k Streamline. If, however, you have found a home that needs a complete makeover, the full 203k may be right for you. You can reach me at 541-342-7576/541-221-3455 cell or e-mail me. Alpine Mortgage is located at 1200 Executive Pkwy., Ste. 100, Eugene OR 97401.

FHA 203k Streamline Is The Answer is a post from: FHA Loans Oregon

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There are some pretty important changes coming in FHA loans that I wrote about earlier, but so far we don’t have those changes in place making purchases harder or more expensive in the Eugene/Springfield, Lane County, Oregon area. Those HUD rules don’t go into effect for some time, so it is still a great time to purchase a new home in Springfield or Eugene using FHA. The UFMIP (up front mortgage insurance premium) hasn’t increased yet but will, so take advantage of the lower amount now.

Additionally, the amount of seller contribution is still at 6% so you can make a great deal on a home and have the seller pay all of the closing costs and all you will have to pay is the 3.5% down payment and get a great interest rate and then a tax rebate if you are a first time home buyer. Talk about a win-win-win situation.

Rates will change. Seller contribution will more than likely be reduced. Prices will eventually go up. The First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit has an expiration date.  So, what are you waiting for? Call me (Fred Chamberlin) today at 541-342-7576/541-221-3545 cell or e-mail me and let’s get your path to home ownership started. It really is a great time to be a buyer. Alpine Mortgage Planning is located at 1200 Executive Pkwy, Ste., 100, Eugene OR 97401.

FHA Loans Haven’t Changed Yet is a post from: FHA Loans Oregon

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The headline says it all. Short term interest rates that banks pay each other will stay the same. Prime rate will stay the same. Mortgage interest rates will undoubtedly go up at least by the end of March. An interest rate spike could make the fragile Oregon housing market continue to struggle to recover. The Eugene and Springfield areas could just be getting shoring up and drop down again.

That is not the ideal, but the Fed did make it absolutely clear that they will not be purchasing mortgage backed securities (MBS) after March 31. By their own internal survey, they had determined that the purchase of MBS over the past year had brought mortgage interest rates down about one full percentage point from where they would have been. Additionally, the First Time Home Buyer and Move Up Tax Credits are due to expire on any offers made after April 30, 2010.

To me, this gives one more reason to be looking to purchase now, rather than waiting until late Spring or early Summer. Rates are low currently and will probably be going up soon. Call me (Fred Chamberlin) today and let’s get together to discuss your options. You can reach me at 541-342-7576/541-221-3455 cell or e-mail me. Alpine Mortgage Planning is located at 1200 Executive Pkwy., Ste. 100, Eugene OR 97401.

Fed Meets – Leaves Discount Rate Alone – Reaffirms MBS Purchase Stops March 31 is a post from: Eugene Loan Guy

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What is going to happen with mortgage interest rates in Eugene/Springfield? Right now the bond market is being partially supported by purchases of mortgage bond by the Federal Reserve. They have purchased about $1Trillion in mortgage backed securities so far and plan on buying almost $200 billion more between now and the end of March when they are supposed to stop buying. What will happen when the Fed is no longer buying Bonds when you are trying to buy a home in Lane County or anywhere in Oregon? Good question that I think will be answered with higher mortgage interest rates for Cottage Grove, Creswell, Veneta, Junction City, Oakridge and Florence.

David Cho, Neil Irwin & Dina ElBoghadady, with the Washington Post have a lot to say about this soon to be enacted change:

The wind-down of federal support for mortgage rates, set to end in two months, is a momentous test of whether the Obama administration and the Federal Reserve have succeeded in jump-starting the housing market and ensuring it can hold its own. The stakes for the economy are massive: If the market again falls into a tailspin, homeowners could face another wave of trouble, and it would deal a body blow to President Obama’s efforts to get the economy on track.

There is a lot of disagreement as to whether this program has done all that it could. Should the Fed be exiting now with the housing market still so fragile? Or should the Fed continue buying securities? Interesting questions on both sides. For me, I want to know if the Fed can actually afford to continue buying securities and should they be artificially be keeping rates low? I don’t know, but I think we are about to find out. 

“Mortgage rates are the lifeblood of the housing market, and we have cautioned the Fed about the sudden stoppage of this program,” said Lawrence Yun, chief economist of the National Association of Realtors. (again from the Post article)

(This company doesn’t do business in Oregon, but I like their ad. Take a look.)

So, my best advice is to get off of the fence and get into the Real Estate market while prices and rates are low. With the probably change coming to FHA loans limiting seller contributions for closing costs, it could get a lot more expensive to purchase a home shortly. Therefore, you should give me (Fred Chamberlin) a call today at 541-342-7576/541-221-3455 cell or e-mail me. Alpine Mortgage Planning is located at 1200 Executive Pkwy., Ste. 100, Eugene OR 97401. Interest rates are low, prices of homes are low, mortgage programs are available. Now really is the time to buy.

Mortgage Interest Rates, Mortgage Interest Rates, Mortgage Interest Rates, Mortgage Interest Rates is a post from: Eugene Loan Guy

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