It's May and Spring is now in full force. In fact, it will be Summer before we know it! This Spring has already brought about some wonderful activities and is looking to be the precursor to a fantastic Summer!
As far as music goes, I played a recital at Saint Stephen's Episcopal Cathedral in Wilkes-Barre in April and I played in the first annual 'Organ Gala' at the First United Methodist Church in Catawissa. My choir has been working very hard on music for our evensong on Mother's day - just a week away!
Aside from the music, today I attended a church dinner at the house of some of my dearest friends. There were nine of us total. The company was lovely and the food was magnificent. I was the youngest one there by far, and it was amazing to hear their stories about 'how things used to be'. Even though I couldn't sympathize, I was more than content to reminisce vicariously with them.
I find myself so blessed to have made relationships with so many older people. Some of my closest friends are anywhere from their late twenties to their late seventies or older. I think for a young person to develop meaningful relationships with adults is incredibly beneficial for ones character and understanding of life. When you can find mutual respect across generational borders, it helps you look at the world in a different way.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Spring 2012
The weather has been warming, flowers have started to peak about, people are outside more, and Spring is here!
As Spring begins, so I begin planning many things for Spring (and Summer).
First on the list is an organ recital at Saint Stephen's Episcopal Cathedral in Wilkes-Barre, in late March. I will be playing pieces ranging from the German Baroque, to English Romantic, to French Modern on the Berghaus pipe organ, the largest pipe organ in all of Central and Northeastern Pennsylvania. After the concert is over, I plan to go to lunch with several of my music teachers, as well as some of my choir members, my boss, and my mother. It should be a very fun event.
April, of course, begins with Holy Week and Easter, for which I am planning some rigorous choir music by Johann Sebastian Bach as well as music for two trumpets and organ. After the heat of Easter is over, we will begin preparing for choral evensong for Mothers' Day in May. For this evensong, the choir will be singing a four-part Ave Maria by Tomas de Victoria, Brahms' 'Geistliches Lied', and we may even be singing a Nunc Dimittis composed by myself. Mark Laubach, winner of the 1986 AGO national young artists competition, will be the organist for this evensong. The evensong will be a service of light, which I find especially beautiful, meditative, calming, and concentrating, being so rewarding in the way it aids congregants to connect with the Spirit on new and diverse levels.
After evensong, the annual Pops concert quickly approaches! Still don't know what I will sing for it, but I am not terribly worried about it because I am just beside myself with excitement to see and hear what everybody else does - by far my favorite concert of the year. I am always touched by the nearly unbelievable talent and joy which is exhibited from my beautiful classmates at this concert.
During the Summer, I will be working on lots of solos with people at Saint Paul's, we will be having a choir concert in June (to say farewell to our retiring rector), and will perform an organ and voice recital in the end of July.
Very busy times, to say the least! Hopefully what I do will make somebody else satisfied, bring some beauty through music to another person, even for just that moment. That's my life.
As Spring begins, so I begin planning many things for Spring (and Summer).
First on the list is an organ recital at Saint Stephen's Episcopal Cathedral in Wilkes-Barre, in late March. I will be playing pieces ranging from the German Baroque, to English Romantic, to French Modern on the Berghaus pipe organ, the largest pipe organ in all of Central and Northeastern Pennsylvania. After the concert is over, I plan to go to lunch with several of my music teachers, as well as some of my choir members, my boss, and my mother. It should be a very fun event.
April, of course, begins with Holy Week and Easter, for which I am planning some rigorous choir music by Johann Sebastian Bach as well as music for two trumpets and organ. After the heat of Easter is over, we will begin preparing for choral evensong for Mothers' Day in May. For this evensong, the choir will be singing a four-part Ave Maria by Tomas de Victoria, Brahms' 'Geistliches Lied', and we may even be singing a Nunc Dimittis composed by myself. Mark Laubach, winner of the 1986 AGO national young artists competition, will be the organist for this evensong. The evensong will be a service of light, which I find especially beautiful, meditative, calming, and concentrating, being so rewarding in the way it aids congregants to connect with the Spirit on new and diverse levels.
After evensong, the annual Pops concert quickly approaches! Still don't know what I will sing for it, but I am not terribly worried about it because I am just beside myself with excitement to see and hear what everybody else does - by far my favorite concert of the year. I am always touched by the nearly unbelievable talent and joy which is exhibited from my beautiful classmates at this concert.
During the Summer, I will be working on lots of solos with people at Saint Paul's, we will be having a choir concert in June (to say farewell to our retiring rector), and will perform an organ and voice recital in the end of July.
Very busy times, to say the least! Hopefully what I do will make somebody else satisfied, bring some beauty through music to another person, even for just that moment. That's my life.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Winter Update
I know many people send out Christmas cards including a brief letter describing what has happened with them and their family throughout the preceding year. Given that I haven't really been posting here, I think such a note from me might be as good as any a use of this blog right now.
So what has happened to me since I last posted in September? I've made many new friends in school from a variety of classes, backgrounds, and ages. I am so pleased to become friends with people I have been acquainted with for up to seven years in many cases. They are all wonderful, beautiful people and I love them very much. The most important friendship I developed is a friendship with a couple separated from me by nearly sixty years. Dr. Bill Decker and his beautiful wife Mary have become some of my dearest friends. Bill and Mary have been incredibly gracious and loving to me. They can both attest that I spend an incredible amount of time with them - more than any of my other friends. From eating lunch and dinner, to spoiling their cats, listening to music, going to opera, visiting cities, and our weekly trip to Saint Stephen's in Wilkes-Barre, I have had incredible fun and memories with them that I will cherish forever.
On Christmas Eve 2011, I became the Organist and Choirmaster at Saint Paul's Episcopal Church in Bloomsburg, heading a choir of about twenty talented and dedicated singers. We rehearse twice a week and sing a wide variety of literature. I have made many friends through my new post at Saint Paul's and I could not be more grateful.
This Sunday, we will have our annual parish meeting, I have a report regarding the music program prepared - many things are looking good for Saint Paul's! Our membership has grown, we had a surplus due to far more income than we were expecting (a very exciting surprise), a new and successful fundraising committee, choral evensongs, and a forthcoming website. Most exciting of all, my friend John Shirley is preparing to enter the priesthood.
My grandparents are in Dayton now, I'll be visiting them in a few weeks for my audition in Oberlin. I am also auditioning at Eastman and Westminster Choir College in the coming weeks. I am very excited!
My sister Maeve is doing Super Saturday as well as Zumba for kids. She has also signed up to play soft ball! Riley has had some illnesses and visits to the hospital, but remains resilient and ever-vibrant! He's the funniest guy I know. Wilder has gone to Dayton to spend the rest of the semester with our grandparents. He rode a plane for the first time (and drove it! Courtesy of our uncle Dan sho is a flight instructor).
I am very thankful for friendship, peace, laughter, travel, church, school, music, play, and family. I've had a lot of those things this year and I am so blessed for it!
So what has happened to me since I last posted in September? I've made many new friends in school from a variety of classes, backgrounds, and ages. I am so pleased to become friends with people I have been acquainted with for up to seven years in many cases. They are all wonderful, beautiful people and I love them very much. The most important friendship I developed is a friendship with a couple separated from me by nearly sixty years. Dr. Bill Decker and his beautiful wife Mary have become some of my dearest friends. Bill and Mary have been incredibly gracious and loving to me. They can both attest that I spend an incredible amount of time with them - more than any of my other friends. From eating lunch and dinner, to spoiling their cats, listening to music, going to opera, visiting cities, and our weekly trip to Saint Stephen's in Wilkes-Barre, I have had incredible fun and memories with them that I will cherish forever.
On Christmas Eve 2011, I became the Organist and Choirmaster at Saint Paul's Episcopal Church in Bloomsburg, heading a choir of about twenty talented and dedicated singers. We rehearse twice a week and sing a wide variety of literature. I have made many friends through my new post at Saint Paul's and I could not be more grateful.
This Sunday, we will have our annual parish meeting, I have a report regarding the music program prepared - many things are looking good for Saint Paul's! Our membership has grown, we had a surplus due to far more income than we were expecting (a very exciting surprise), a new and successful fundraising committee, choral evensongs, and a forthcoming website. Most exciting of all, my friend John Shirley is preparing to enter the priesthood.
My grandparents are in Dayton now, I'll be visiting them in a few weeks for my audition in Oberlin. I am also auditioning at Eastman and Westminster Choir College in the coming weeks. I am very excited!
My sister Maeve is doing Super Saturday as well as Zumba for kids. She has also signed up to play soft ball! Riley has had some illnesses and visits to the hospital, but remains resilient and ever-vibrant! He's the funniest guy I know. Wilder has gone to Dayton to spend the rest of the semester with our grandparents. He rode a plane for the first time (and drove it! Courtesy of our uncle Dan sho is a flight instructor).
I am very thankful for friendship, peace, laughter, travel, church, school, music, play, and family. I've had a lot of those things this year and I am so blessed for it!
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