Lulu is a collaboration album between rock singer-songwriter Lou Reed and heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on October 31, 2011 by Warner Bros. in the U. S. and Vertigo elsewhere. The album is the final full-length studio recording project that Reed was involved in before his death in October 2013, it was recorded in San Rafael, during April to June 2011, after Reed had played with Metallica at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 25th Anniversary Concert which led to them wanting to collaborate. The lead single, titled "The View", was released on September 27, 2011. Conceptually, the album is based on the two "Lulu plays" by the German playwright Frank Wedekind; the majority of composition is centered on spoken word delivered by Reed over instrumentals composed by Metallica, with occasional backing vocals provided by Metallica lead vocalist James Hetfield. Reed wrote the majority of the lyrics; the album was released worldwide on October 31, 2011, on November 1 in North America. Upon its release, Lulu received mixed reviews, an negative response from many fans and several prominent critics.

According to several who knew him, David Bowie claimed Lulu was among Reed's best work or his best. Reed and Metallica had both been on the bill in October 1997 for the eleventh of Neil Young's Bridge concerts; the conception of the collaboration project began in 2009 when both Metallica and Lou Reed performed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 25th Anniversary Concert. After that performance, they began "kicking around the idea of making a record together," but did not start working together until two years later. In February 2011, Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett announced that in May 2011 the group would start working on something that's "not 100 percent a Metallica record. It's a recording project, let's put it that way." The project was revealed to be a collaboration with Lou Reed once the recording of the album had been completed in June 2011. The collaboration was intended to be Metallica re-recording various unreleased tracks Reed had written over the years. Among these unreleased demos was a collection of songs composed for a play called Lulu—a theatrical production of two plays written by the German playwright Frank Wedekind.

Reed shared the demos of these songs with the members of Metallica to help bring the "piece to the next level," and the group provided "significant arrangement contributions" to the material. David Fricke of Rolling Stone heard at least two of the songs from the project in June 2011—"Pumping Blood" and "Mistress Dread"—and described their sound as a "raging union of 1973 noir classic and Metallica's'86 crusher, Master of Puppets." All tracks were made available for listening on the official Lou Reed & Metallica website before its release. Reed stated that "Everything is cut live – us staring at each other, playing"; the recording was problematic at times, with Lars Ulrich admitting that at one point Lou Reed challenged him to a "street fight". "The View" was released for streaming online in late September 2011. Examining reaction to the track and a released 30-second preview of the same, The New Zealand Herald reported that there was much negative reaction by fans online, that the song had about twice as many "dislikes" as "likes" on YouTube.

Not all reaction to the song was negative. The song's music video was directed by Darren Aronofsky, with cinematography by Matthew Libatique and produced by Scott Franklin through Protozoa Pictures and Aronofsky's production company, it was planned that Aronofsky should helm a performance video for the album's second single "Iced Honey" but "when everyone got together, it became obvious "The View" was the way to go." Upon its release, the album received polarized reviews by music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, Lulu received an average score of 45, based on 31 reviews. Staff reviewer Joseph Viney of Sputnikmusic rated it one and a half out of five and commented "The fallout from this could have dire consequences. A lot of people placing Metallica at the best seat in the house at the Last Chance Saloon have now called last orders. It's genuinely difficult to guess; as for Reed, his legacy, whatever that means in his case, is cemented and this will have no real effect on him."Pitchfork critic Stuart Berma assigned the album a rare 1.0 rating, writing "for all the hilarity that ought to ensue here, Lulu is a frustratingly noble failure.

Audacious to the extreme, but exhaustingly tedious as a result, its few interesting ideas are stretched out beyond the point of utility and pounded into submission." Essayist and pop culture writer Chuck Klosterman, in his review for the website Grantland, wrote, "If the Red Hot Chili Peppers acoustically covered the 12 worst Primus songs for Starbucks, it would still be better than this." Reviewer Julian Marszalek of The Quietus gave it a negative review, commenting that "the effect is that of Lou Reed ranting over some Metallica demos that were never intended for human consumption." Marszalek summarized the review by suggesting that time spent listening to Lulu could have been better spent watching grass grow, "or wanking into a sock." Furthermore, longtime reviewer Don Kaye, who had defended Metallica's much-maligned 2003 album St. Anger, wrote on Blabbermouth.net that "Lulu is a catastrophic failure on every level, a project that could quite do irreparable harm to Metallica's career."In the British avant-garde music magazine The Wire, David Keena

The Battle of Yellow Tavern was fought on May 11, 1864, as part of the Overland Campaign of the American Civil War. Union cavalry under Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan was detached from Grant’s Army of the Potomac to conduct a raid on Richmond and challenge Confederate cavalry commander Maj. Gen. J. E. B. Stuart; the Confederates were outnumbered, Stuart was mortally wounded. However, Sheridan’s'sideshow' did not achieve any of its other objectives, had meanwhile deprived Grant’s army of key cavalry functions at Spotsylvania; the Overland Campaign was Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 offensive against Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia; the two had fought an inconclusive battle at the Wilderness and were engaged in heavy fighting at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House. Up to this point, Union cavalry commander Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan was dissatisfied with his role in the campaign, his Cavalry Corps was assigned to the Army of the Potomac, under Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, who reported to Grant.

Meade had employed Sheridan's forces in the traditional role of screening and reconnaissance, whereas Sheridan saw the value of wielding the Cavalry Corps as an independently operating offensive weapon for wide-ranging raids into the rear areas of the enemy. On May 8, 1864, Sheridan went over Meade's head and told Grant that if his Cavalry Corps were let loose to operate as an independent unit, he could defeat "Jeb" Stuart, long a nemesis to the Union army. Grant was convinced Meade of the value of Sheridan's request. On May 9, the most powerful cavalry force seen in the Eastern Theater—over 10,000 troopers with 32 artillery pieces—rode to the southeast to move behind Lee's army, they had three goals: first, most important, defeat Stuart, which Sheridan did. The Union cavalry column, which at times stretched for over 13 miles, reached the Confederate forward supply base at Beaver Dam Station that evening; the Confederate troops had been able to destroy many of the critical military supplies before the Union arrived, so Sheridan's men destroyed numerous railroad cars and six locomotives of the Virginia Central Railroad, destroyed telegraph wires, rescued 400 Union soldiers, captured in the Wilderness.

Stuart moved his 4,500 troopers to get between Richmond. The two forces met at noon on May 11 at Yellow Tavern, an abandoned inn located 6 miles north of Richmond. Not only did the Union outnumber the Confederates by three divisions to two brigades, it had superior firepower—all were armed with rapid-firing Spencer carbines; the Confederate troopers tenaciously resisted from the low ridgeline bordering the road to Richmond, fighting for over three hours. A countercharge by the 1st Virginia Cavalry pushed the advancing Union troopers back from the hilltop as Stuart, mounted on horseback, shouted encouragement; as the 5th Michigan Cavalry streamed in retreat past Stuart, a dismounted Union private, 44-year-old John A. Huff, a former sharpshooter and shot Stuart with his.44-caliber revolver, from a distance of 10–30 yards. Stuart died in Richmond the following day. Huff was killed at the Battle of Haw's Shop a few weeks later; the fighting kept up for an hour after Stuart was wounded, Maj. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee taking temporary command.

The Union cavalrymen suffered 625 casualties, but they captured 300 Confederate prisoners and recovered 400 Union prisoners. Sheridan headed south toward Richmond. Although tempted to burst through the modest defenses to the north of the city, they continued south across the Chickahominy River to link up with Maj. Gen. Benjamin Butler's force on the James River. After resupplying with Butler, Sheridan's men returned to join Grant at Chesterfield Station on May 24. Sheridan's raid achieved a victory against a numerically inferior opponent at Yellow Tavern, but accomplished little overall, their most significant achievement was killing Jeb Stuart, which deprived Robert E. Lee of his most experienced cavalry commander, but this came at the expense of a two-week period in which the Army of the Potomac had no direct cavalry coverage for screening or reconnaissance. Eicher, David J; the Longest Night: A Military History of the Civil War. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001. ISBN 0-684-84944-5. Longacre, Edward G. Lincoln's Cavalrymen: A History of the Mounted Forces of the Army of the Potomac.

Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2000. ISBN 0-8117-1049-1. Rhea, Gordon C; the Battles for Spotsylvania Court House and the Road to Yellow Tavern May 7–12, 1864. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1997. ISBN 0-8071-2136-3. Salmon, John S; the Official Virginia Civil War Battlefield Guide. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2001. ISBN 0-8117-2868-4. Smith, Derek; the Gallant Dead: Union & Confederate Generals Killed in the Civil War. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2005. ISBN 0-8117-0132-8. Starr, Stephen Z; the Union Cavalry in the Civil War. Vol. 2, The War in the East from Gettysburg to Appomattox 1863–1865. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1981. ISBN 978-0-8071-3292-0. Thomas, Emory M. Bold Dragoon: The Life of J. E. B. Stuart. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1986. ISBN 0-8061-3193-4. Wert, Jeffry D. Cavalryman of the Lost Cause: A Biography of J. E. B. Stuart. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2008. ISBN 978-0-7432-7819-5. National Park Service battle description CWSAC Report Update Grimsley, Mark.

And Keep Moving On: The Virginia Campaign, May–June 1864. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2002. ISBN 0-8032-2162-2. Trudeau, Noah Andre. Bl

The Toronto Children's Chorus is a children's choir based in Toronto. It was founded in 1978 by Jean Ashworth Bartle; the group has close to 500 members aged 6 to 30. In 1982, the choir won first prize at the International Eisteddfod in Wales. Other awards followed, including first place in the prestigious Let the Peoples Sing Competition in 1993 and numerous 1st places in the CBC choral competition. Over the course of its history, the Toronto Children's Chorus has performed throughout the world, including debuts at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Kimmel Center, Royal Albert Hall, Sydney Opera House, Salzburg Cathedral and the Stephansdom; the Chorus was honoured to serve as Artist-in-Residence for international children's choir festivals in Tuscany and Sydney, Australia. In August 2007, Elise Bradley, a New Zealand conductor and teacher based in Auckland, became the new Artistic Director of the organization; the TCC consists of five main groups: Preparatory Choir, Training Choir I, II and III, the Toronto Children's Chorus.

In 2012, the Toronto Youth Choir was founded for those. In the 2019/20 season, the TYC had 65 choristers aged 16 to 30. Children as young as 5 or 6 can audition for the youngest choir begin moving up in the training choir levels until they reach the Main Choir. In the Main Choir, there are several subgroups, including the Cantare and Chorale ensembles. Within Cantare are Apprentices, Senior Apprentices, full Cantare members. Within the Chorale choir are Chorealis and the Choral Scholars; the Chamber choir is the group. 2019 - New Zealand and Australia 2018 - New York 2014 - Podium 2014 in Halifax, Canada 2013 - Ihlombe South Africa Choral Festival in Cape Town, South Africa 2012 - Podium 2012 in Ottawa, Canada 2012 - Adolf Fredrik Music School's international "Let the Future Sing" festival in Stockholm, Sweden 2011 - 9th World Symposium on Choral Music in Puerto Madryn, Argentina 2011 - Melodia Festival in Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires, Argentina 2009 - Austria, Czech Republic, Germany 2006 - New York State 2006 - Hungary, Austria Dancing Day Mostly Britten Come Ye Makers of Song My Heart Soars Songs of the Lights How Sweet the Sound A Song for All Seasons A Ceremony of Carols Sounzscapes from Our Lands 2019 - 2020 Barbora Frynta, Elizabeth Frynta, Catherine Fullerton, Maisie MacNaughton, Gabriela Martins 2018 - 2019 2017 - 2018 Aramea Copeman, Summer Figueroa, Julie Anne Frynta, 2016 - 2017 Nicole Chung, Jessica Nigli, Alisha Suri, Vivian Illion 2015 - 2016 Paula Castillejo, Lydia Frank, Georga Lin, Adela Lam 2014 - 2015 Annick Read, Sabrina Wasserman, Sherrie Cheng 2013 - 2014 2012 - 2013 2011 - 2012 2010 - 2011 Emily D'Angelo, Lian Francis, Lauren Toccalino, Alexandra Jederman, Michael Johnston 2009 - 2010 Laura Jamieson, Elizabeth Ferguson, Elizabeth Laushway, Mackenzie Clark, Ellen Hayes, Lian Francis 2008 - 2009 Grace Athanasiadis, Elisabeth Heatherington, Hannah Tarder-Stoll, Danielle Toccalino 2007 - 2008 Jonah Schermbrucker, Charlotte Hodgkins, Matthew Bobkin, Joe Osborne 2006 - 2007 Joe Osborne, Julia Raffaghello, Claire Renouf, Lauren Saunders 2005 - 2006 Mabel Fulford, Kyrie Vala-Webb, Alexandra Rolland 2004 - 2005 Shannon Chun, Cassandra Luftspring, Alexandra Rolland 2003 - 2004 Rena Ashton, Alexandra Mealia, Hannah Renglich, Kate Van Buskirk, Laura Cameron, Michael Saunders 2002 - 2003 Laura Cameron, Michael Saunders 2001 - 2002 Aleha Aziz, Katie Mann, Emily Shepard, Heather Hurst 2000 - 2001 Heather Hurst, Gabi Epstein 1999 - 2000 Laura Kishimoto 1998 - 1999 Lauren Simmons, Vanessa Wiley-Anderson, Christina Chabot, Naomi Shin 1997 - 1998 Valerie Kostyniuk, Katie Wylde, Naomi Shin 1996 - 1997 Naomi Shin, Alessandra Nosko 1995 - 1996 David Stewart, Alessandra Nosko 1994 - 1995 Fiona Shand, Giles Tomkins 1993 - 1994 1992 - 1993 1991 - 1992 1990 - 1991 Gillian Howard 1989 - 1990 Sharon Berger 1988 - 1989 1987 - 1988 1986 - 1987 Daniella Brown 1985 - 1986 Loriann Simpson 1984 - 1985 Darleen Hubley 1983 - 1984 Maureen Price Toronto Children's Chorus web site