Festival Singers of Florida

Kevin Fenton's Festival Singers of Florida sang a beautiful concert last night at Winter Park Presbyterian church, which included my A DIVINE VOICE SINGS THROUGH ALL CREATION.  I stopped by rehearsal in the afternoon and was invited/persuaded/convinced to conduct it in the evening.  A joyous performance!  Thanks, everyone.

Big Blue Bear!

I smiled each day I passed the whimsical -- and gigantic! -- big blue bear sculpture peering into the windows of the Denver Convention Center.  A brilliant piece of public sculpture!  Inside, the Colorado All-State Middle School Women's Chorus was an equal delight, in every way imaginable.  Their total involvement in the rehearsal process brought them to a place of confidence, enthusiasm, and connection with emotion and message.  Friday night's program included my SPIRITUAL MUSICK and GRACE, along with music by Andrea Ramsey, Ken Berg, Nancy Cobb Hill and Rollow Dillworth. Brava, everyone!

Tampa Times Two

I was in Tampa last week for the annual state conference of the Florida Music Educators Association, where I participated on the panel 21^st Century Leadership for Music Education, moderated by Mary Palmer, and presented an SSA/SSAA reading session for the Florida Vocal Association.  It was great to see old friends and former-students-turned-teachers!  There was also the annual pilgrimage to Bern's Steakhouse (and the desert rooms, of course), a legend in the restaurant biz, and also a memorable dinner at Boca, a newer farm-to-table eatery in Hyde Park.  The berry cobbler and deep fried chocolate truffles (read that again) were stand outs!

Just home last night from my second trip to almost-Tampa, for the Hillsborough All-County High School Women's Chorus, a terrific group of well-prepared and eager singers, whose engagement in the rehearsal process was amazing.  They performed my RADIANT SISTER OF THE DAY and GRACE (my first time conducting this one) on the evening program.

New Art, TX, on the Llano River

Though this event happened over a month before today's posting, it remains fresh in my memory.  My sculptor-painter-poet muse Bill Worrell hosted his annual Legend of the Christmas Nachos party the first weekend of December on the grounds of New Art, Texas, his property on the Llano River.  This was my third time attending this gathering of friends, relatives and neighbors, gallery owners, artists and musicians.  It is truly unlike any other party I've attended. Music, barbecue, laughter, and Worrell's spirit and art are everywhere -- monumental, towering sculptures overlooking the river and tiny treasures tucked in unexpected places. I especially enjoyed introducing my friend and colleague Kelly Miller to Worrell and observing her encountering the magic of his art for the first time.  I feel a special -- and spirit-filled -- connection to this place and was honored to speak about our collaboration and introduce a recording of his SOMEDAY I WILL FLY, during the "concert" portion of the evening in his studio, built on the design of the Monastery of Christ in the Desert.  His gift of a raku sipapu incense burner now graces my home studio. (The sipapu was a hole in the floor of a kiva, the ceremonial chamber made and used by the ancient Pueblo Indians.) The inscription on the back is “Light candles, burn incense, and think of those you love, knowing their spirits are with you.”

The Song of Harvest Home

The UCF choirs sang a moving concert on Thursday in the round sanctuary of Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Winter Park, emotionally -- and literally -- moving through the entire space of this unique contemporary building.  We love the acoustic and grandeur of this space!  The Song of Harvest Home featured American, folk, classical and world musics all on a theme of gratitude and thanks-giving, UCF theatre faculty Kate Ingram reading poems of many cultures and traditions, UCF jazz faculty Per Danielsson improvising at the piano, and Theatre UCF dancers, directed by Judi Siegried.  This is a performance I will long remember.