Harlem United – Karen's New York Love Affair

The David Bowie tribute at the Orpheum on Oct. 5 was amazing! I got caught up in a bizarre flow of energy that led me to spend the two days before the show recreating David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust look, complete with the Kansai Yamamoto rabbit romper! I had so much fun that night, with a great view of the concert from the second row. The VSO and a five-piece rock band were faithful to Bowie’s music, with innovation in the arrangements, and the audience vibe held appreciation, love, and enjoyment of this chance to remember and celebrate Bowie’s life and music.

vso-4 — *The orchestra is doing exactly what I tell them! lol*

During the interval I received a million compliments on my hair, make-up, and outfit, and lots of people took their photo with me. I thought I should make the most of it all, and was waiting for the right opportunity.

As I mentioned, the VSO was joined by a Windborne Music rock band for this Bowie tribute. The singer, Tony Vincent, gave a lead-up to each song. In between songs he began talking about Bowie’s fashion sense and innovative style, and I thought this is my moment. (I had a feeling I knew which song was coming!) So I strutted back and forth like I was on a fashion runway along the “catwalk” in front of the stage during the song Fashion. Turn to the left, turn to the right!

And then the band invited me up to conduct the VSO for Golden Years! What a rush! I went up onstage and was up there for the whole song. The drummer cued me on how to do the final crescendo at the end of the song. They were all so nice to me on stage. It was an unbelievable night—so much love, celebration, sadness, remembrance.

After the show, many people thanked me for bringing a beloved memory-image of David into the air of the event, and said it was the icing of the cake. It was truly magical for us all.

This is me on stage at the Orpheum, with the VSO and the rock band, actually conducting, dancing, and making a fool of myself! This was one of the best nights of my life. I still can’t believe it really happened! (P.S. The lead cellist is gorgeous!)

I’ve been rocking the Ziggy Stardust mullet since the devastating news of David Bowie’s sad death in January. I will be running the New York Marathon on Nov. 6 in Ziggy Stardust costume, in memory of Bowie and to raise money for Harlem United. If you can help this fantastic cause with a small donation, please visit my donor page.

Bowie tribute — *With Judith and another serious Bowie fan*

concert-2 — *Nathanael, a hunky dory Bowie fan sitting near me and rockin’ his own Bowie tribute look. And here you see a close-up of Siobhan Uy at MAC Granville’s great make-up work.*

b-michael — *With Michael at Threads Fashion Alterations – he turned a dress into the rabbit romper in less than 24 hours. Amazing work!*

costume-1 — *Check out the detail in this fabric. It’s not woodland creatures like the original romper, but I think it’s unbelievably representative of the original outfit.*

Save

This is so exciting! I will be running in the New York Marathon on November 6, 2016 to raise money for Harlem United. My goal is to raise $3,000 for this fantastic organization that helps Harlem community members by providing access to health care, resources, and education about AIDS and HIV. They provide quality HIV prevention, housing, and care services in a safe and nurturing environment to unite Harlem’s diverse communities and address the needs of all people living with and threatened by HIV/AIDS.

I’m asking all my friends, family, and colleagues to help support the amazing work that Harlem United does, and cheer me on in my dream of running the New York Marathon.

If you can help, please visit my donor page. You can sponsor me by:

Mile ($26 for the 26.2 miles of the marathon)
Kilometre ($42 for the 42 kilometres of the race)
Meal ($100 to buy a group lunch for LGBT youth at risk for contracting HIV)
Or pick your own amount!

Here is an inspirational video on YouTube about the impact Harlem United has made in helping people who had no hope.

Visit my donor page often for photos and updates on my race training progress.

I’ve been wanting to run in the New York Marathon for 20 years, since I first began running in 1996. It’s the largest marathon in the world (yikes!) and goes through all five boroughs of New York City. This will be my first full marathon, though I’ve run ten half marathons. I’m thrilled to finally run this race and to raise money for Harlem United. This is a celebration of my new life in New York and I am putting down roots by contributing to the well-being of my community there.

Tag: Harlem United

Karen Rempel conducted the VSO at Bowie tribute concert!

Karen Rempel is running in New York Marathon to raise funds for Harlem United