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About Vannou

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adri

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About Vannou

PostMon May 23, 2016 9:07 pm

Remember that delightful girl who came upon our scene with wonderfully played music?

Then she suddenly disappeared from the scene. So I wrote her to inquire.

She told me she will be back to CB but I'm not sure about playing / contributing.

The truth is that she confided to me that she is totally blind. This is at once news that left me speechless but also filled me with a wish and prayer for her that this condition will prove to have been a blessing in disguise after in the future having become a great and even famous musician like Louis Vierne and many others.

She sends hugs and kisses to everyone.

May divine blessings guide this very talented young woman and may she grow to become an even greater blessing to the music community and beyond.

-Adri
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engrssc

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Re: About Vannou

PostMon May 23, 2016 11:07 pm

Another "star" in the organ sky is Candi Carley-Roth, blind since birth.

http://gstos.org/CandiCarleyRoth.htm

As well, an organist to be admired - Crystal Cathedral Organist Mark Thallander Loses Arm In Car Accident

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6QUxWbYgpE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5Ds8e5Y4iE

I think of these folks many times as I sit on the bench in front an organ in great admiration of what they have accomplished.

Rgds,
Ed
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adri

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Re: About Vannou

PostTue May 24, 2016 5:31 pm

She posted a Galiarde by Scheidemann on the barde.

Here she also talks about her vision problems.

God bless this wonderful soul. Her playing is most delightful and a sure expression of her precious heart.
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josq

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Re: About Vannou

PostTue Nov 14, 2017 4:17 pm

Post deleted. I had and have some questions about the story of these young girls. Exceptional talent may need exceptional evidence. But suspicions need evidence too, and after a bit of research I have found some evidence that seems to support part of the story of Vannou and her friends. My apologies.
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Erzahler

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Re: About Vannou

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organsRgreat

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Re: About Vannou

PostWed Nov 15, 2017 9:01 am

Helmut Walcha was blind from the age of 19, after vaccination for smallpox - arguably the greatest Bach player of his generation. I heard him play at the Royal Festival Hall in London during the 1960s – a wonderful recital which I shall never forget.
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OrganoPleno

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Re: About Vannou

PostWed Nov 15, 2017 10:13 am

josq wrote: Exceptional talent may need exceptional evidence.


Vannou and her friends always posted such lovely music! Our household will be forever grateful.

Now, the passing of an age. Because of the paranoid posts against them in the new CCH Forum, they have packed up and left. And the Concert Hall will be forever the poorer.

Vicious attacks by an organ wannabe who couldn't take beauty at face value. And, shamefully, others piling on with their own "suspicions". Absolutely tragic.

Why would anybody say, "Exceptional talent may need exceptional evidence." Doesn't talent speak for itself... wherever it may occur?

And surely, age is no barrier. (Nor is gender, of course.) Considering Vannou's most recent post (and the ONLY ONE of 70 now remaining on the website)... ranking so highly both for views and for comments... there are FEW performers of ANY age who could have done this. Surely those few exceptionally talented performers, of whatever age, ALL started out as childhood prodigies. So some of those must surely exist... and why shouldn't they be free to post their art for us on-line?

What if we were to actually accept the very worst of those horrid accusations... that Vannou is really part of a North African Criminal Conspiracy lurking somewhere in southern France. What difference would it make? Isn't the Music still just as beautiful? Regardless of race or language or national origin. Can't we just appreciate art and beauty... wherever they may be found?

With profound sorrow, -- OrganoPleno
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josq

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Re: About Vannou

PostWed Nov 15, 2017 3:06 pm

See http://www.contrebombarde.com/concerthall/home/expand for a response from the site administrators.
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adri

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Re: About Vannou

PostWed Nov 15, 2017 3:59 pm

My original post here has been deleted in light of new information.
I withdraw all my comments.
If there is anything I can say in the near future, I might. But for now it will be better for me to listen and not make any more comments at the moment.
Last edited by adri on Sat Nov 18, 2017 3:46 am, edited 4 times in total.
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James

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Re: About Vannou

PostWed Nov 15, 2017 6:33 pm

Vannou is on Facebook with the name of Vanessa Jorgensen, and has several videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Vanessa+Jorgensen Her Facebook page shows that she is friends with several of our community.
James
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OrganoPleno

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Re: About Vannou

PostFri Nov 17, 2017 10:32 am

adri wrote:So, Vannou has vanished.


Sad, indeed.

adri wrote:Apparently a fiction of our own and her(his; theirs?) imagination.
Had us all going for a while.


You are so wrong.

adri wrote:But when asked to identify herself for real after serious questions arose, she/he/they decided to have all posts removed.


She has her reasons. And I agree with her.

Believe, or don't believe. Or just let the music speak for itself.

Sincerely, -- OrganoPleno
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adri

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Re: About Vannou

PostFri Nov 17, 2017 4:05 pm

If i am so wrong, I would love be set straught. Just saying I'm so wrong doesn't help me. After all, I'm the original poster on this thread.
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OrganoPleno

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Re: About Vannou

PostFri Nov 17, 2017 4:45 pm

adri wrote:If i am so wrong, I would love be set straught. Just saying I'm so wrong doesn't help me. After all, I'm the original poster on this thread.


That's why I sent you a Private Message, offering further details "in case you are interested". But so far, no reply there from you.
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Agnus_Dei

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Re: About Vannou

PostFri Nov 17, 2017 6:41 pm

My wife has told me NOT to be involved with this in ANY way, but...

I was contacted 2 (?) years ago by an individual asking me to "start a Vannou fund" and give the first donation myself.

I said there was NO way that I was going to do that, as I just did NOT buy into all of it. He wanted to buy her an organ, sample sets, and a number of other things.

I was pressured further and said to the individual that I would a promise to "match his donation," assuming I would receive proof of his donation to start the fund. I was never contacted further, and I don't think the individual has ever appeared again. I've kept an eye open for him, but have never seen his screen name appear since that date.

I also think that I was the first person to welcome Vannou, and I was certainly pleased and VERY supportive.

The individual/s performing the music is/are very gifted to be sure, so why the need for the big side story, the ever increasing number of cousin's (who appear and disappear when Vannou did), the changing profile pictures showing beach scenes, Vannou as a rock singer, etc., and flirting comments in at least 3 or 4 languages? And who is tying the flirtations for her? Bibi? Her mother?

It bothered and even angered me to see highly intelligent people participating in massive comment chains right to the end. I even lost a friend, who I appreciated greatly, because of my unwillingness to praise and comment. I had politely said, "THANK YOU!" to Vannou up unto maybe a year ago, but out of guilt, in case I was wrong.

I'm a "pray-er," and I often prayed for her and her "special needs," and asked for help to overcome any "prejudice or jealousy" that I might be feeling.

For me, it has been a massive turn off. I used to try to listen to and comment on EVERY performance, but this put a stop to that. While that would be very difficult now with the high number of uploads, now I only do my own uploads, and listen to the uploads of several people, at least only a few on a regular basis.

I still want to be friendly and polite to new people, and try to welcome any newcomers, but I'm sure I missed a few along the way.

Whatever the "Vannou Investigation" was, or whatever individuals were involved in it, I was NOT one of them, and played no part in it, nor would I, if I had been requested.

Speaking frankly, I feel relieved.

I'm not going to get into a responding contest, or a battle of words, as I have no desire to fight about it. We all have our own beliefs, I'm sure.

I just felt the need to offer my opinion as a sincere one, without "knowing" exactly how "accurate" my "information" is.

Peace to all.
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adrianw

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Re: About Vannou

PostSat Nov 18, 2017 4:59 am

It is a brave man who posts against his wife's better judgment. But this puts an important piece of the jigsaw into place. So thank you Agnus Dei.

I also want to publicly thank CCH user Dutchess Aida who finally voiced - and more importantly proved - the suspicions that I, Agnus Dei and I am sure many other CCH users, had long been harboring privately.

"Vannou" and her extended family of sisters, cousins and aunts (at least 7 separate CCH identities by my count) always seemed far too good to be true. Most were young girls of 13-15, all had appealing profile photos, were musical prodigies, sometimes touchingly naive yet also often flirty and wise beyond their years with a wonderful range of languages and accomplishments. If this was not appealing enough, "Vannou", we later learned, was also blind.

There were other red flags. "Vannou" played on some amazingly good "unreleased HW harpsichord sample sets made by my Uncle" - or were they live recordings of real instruments? The cousins posted "live duets" of eg organ and harpsichord which sounded to me like multi-tracking. The rare sceptical question was brushed aside - "Daddy did it for me. I am only 13 and not very clever."

These CCH identities were supported by an array of matching facebook, twitter and youtube accounts which someone must have spent an inordinate amount of time building and tending. When I read Dutchess Aida's comments I checked a few profile and cover photos myself with Google reverse image search and found, beyond those Dutchess Aida had already demonstrated, examples that were clearly just pilfered from the internet. One I found to be of an English travel blogger. Another was a hairstyle model, the image cropped and horizontally mirrored presumably in an effort to avoid easy identification. Identity theft from a hacked Facebook user seemed to be the basis for "Vannou"'s name and location. I concluded that all these identities were fakes.

I have no idea and we will probably never know why someone might go to such obsessive lengths to deceive. It would almost be a relief if the motive were simply a financial scam, as Agnus Dei's experience suggests. But sadly we must all be aware of and alert to even more troubling scenarios of sexual grooming, blackmail or vigilanteism.

No doubt "to the pure, all things are pure". But it certainly sullied my own enjoyment of CCH.

Dutchess Aida does not yet seem to have received from anyone the thanks and appreciation the CCH community owe her. I previously messaged her my appreciation privately, but I would like to say a public personal "Thank You" to her for blowing the whistle on this tawdry affair.

- Adrian.
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