Music Came and Startled Me

Last night singers and players from Maitland Middle School in the Orlando area premiered my MUSIC CAME AND STARTLED ME as the finale of their bon voyage concert before starting a trip to New York City, where they will also perform it at Riverside Church.  Lori Lovell was, again, my muse, when she suggested last summer that I should write something for all of their music students. She also gave me a wonderful text by her author-poet friend Stacey Barton about the feeling of soaring on music's song -- vibrant imagery of flying -- "I watched my feet float past the ground, they framed the world inside its sound and all at once I knew before, I had flown on music's score".  And that was that.  Last night's performance was a culmination of Lori's vision, her instrumental colleagues Lisa Hopko and Eric Mendez's commitment to the project, and their student's engaged music-making.  Bravo to all on this first-ever Maitland commission!