…at least, in a relative sense. I haven’t dropped to a four-day week – quite the contrary. With Chorale rehearsals Monday night, church staff meetings and planning Tuesday night, and choir rehearsal Wednesday night, I’ve started looking forward to obligation-free Thursday evenings. Last night I think I finally got beyond the choir’s comfort level and … Read More “Thursday is the New Friday” »
Category: Music
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Saturday night marked the 45th Anniversary performance of the Greenville Chorale. For this occasion, the Chorale had commissioned a work by Mark Kilstofte. Mark is a colleague and fellow vocalist, in addition to being a world-renowned composer. His works are innovative and beautiful, but can be challenging to perform. The commissioned work, “Of Rivers Within”, is no exception. Also on the program was Ralph Vaughn William’s “Dona Nobis Pacem.”
First full choir rehearsal at Fourth on my own. Things went well, except… Sunday’s Anthem: "How Can I Keep from Singing?" Quaker hymn made famous by Enya. Today’s News from Florida: Choir refuses to stop singing and must be removed by authorities. The pastor of a Charlotte Harbor church had 16 church members booted from … Read More “Cosmic convergence” »
I tend not to be nervous on Sunday mornings. I figure what’s going to happen will happen. Wendesday evenings are another matter, as I worry about getting everything ready. Even with this being my first Sunday as choir director at Fourth Presbyterian, I wasn’t too nervous. Excited, yes, but not nervous. This, despite nightmares this … Read More “First @ Fourth” »
Last night I officially met the Fourth Presbyterian choir and had my first rehearsal with them. I don’t start until October 9, but the Wednesday before that is supposed to be a celebration of the tenure of Dr. Kyser, and it would have been awkward for me to follow that with a rehearsal.
Came up with a couple of good titles for Country and Western songs today.. "It’s Just Thursday and I need it to be Friday Night" "Your Love’s a Tornado and My Heart’s a Mobile Home" …although I can’t really claim that second one. Of course, with brilliant titles like these, I just had to do … Read More “Never could get the hang of Thursdays” »
Monday night there was a call waiting for me from Fourth Presbyterian in Greenville. My good friend and colleague, Dr. Ramon Kyser, is retiring, and I was asked about taking the interim Minster of Music position. The call did not surprise me – I’ve worked closely with Dr. Kyser over the years, as well as … Read More “Picking up the baton” »
Yesterday we learned of the passing of Robert Moog, physicist, musician, and inventor of the Moog Synthesizer. Moog had brain cancer, and died at his home in Asheville, NC.
After watching the Fantastic Four and drawing the inevitable comparisons with The Incredibles, I got to thinking about the really cool soundtrack for the Incredibles. It seemed the perfect addition to my “cool music” collection, so I set off in search of a copy. It took some doing, but I did finally found a copy.
Since I hadn’t spent money on music in awhile, I decided to drop by Horizon Records. My targets were some kind of complilation by the Rat Pack and the new CD by The Duhks, plus whatever else interesting I might find. Tonight I scored big time – with two wonderful CDs that offer a new … Read More “A New Twist on Some Old Tunes” »