Monthly Archives: November 2015

Short Requiem- “Kyrie”

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Here's another movement from my Short Requiem, commissioned several years ago by the Waterford High School Choirs and their director,  Derek Machan.   To set this text,  I envisioned the liturgical chants-  one might almost call them cries - that might be intoned from the top of a tall tower.   That is the image

Good Guys

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As I look back on this past weekend's competition sponsored by the Wisconsin chapter of NATS - the National Association of Teachers of Singers - my thoughts keep circling back to something that was said at our chapter meeting on Saturday.   We were in the midst of a discussion about a potential change in

When the Boys Come Home

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On this Veterans Day,  I wanted to post this recording of me singing an amazing song titled "When the Boys Come Home."  I included this on my 2014 faculty voice recital,  which commemorated the 200th anniversary of the day that Francis Scott Key penned "The Star Spangled Banner."  The program consisted of various patriotic songs,

Student Teachers

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You would think that after 24 years of teaching at Carthage, I would finally be accustomed to the sight of seeing my former students becoming teachers themselves ....  but no,  it's something that still pretty much blows my mind.   And it happened again the day before yesterday when I had the pleasure of playing

Short Requiem: Requiem Aeternam

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Here is the opening movement of my Short Requiem, as performed at my 25th anniversary concert "Streams of Mercy Never Ceasing" at Holy Communion Lutheran Church.    This piece was sung by the combined forces of my senior choir and the Lincoln Chamber Singers, with Laura Wangaard playing clarinet.   Laura Jansen,  a soprano in

Finding Focus

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It's funny how little we tend think about our eyes .... or the gift of sight. Then you hear the words "Cataract Surgery." After that, you can scarcely think of anything else. Yesterday was not the first day I had heard the words "you have cataracts."   The last time I got glasses, which was

MS- Searching for Mary Poppins

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I am in the midst of rehearsals for the Racine Theater Guild's production of "Mary Poppins," which is why this Morning Show interview from a few years back came to mind.  Nancy Davis's fascinating book is a collection of a number of essays written by a number of woman writers - exploring in various ways

It Begins with Hope

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I was given a very precious gift tonight -  and what's more,  it was given to me by a bunch of complete strangers. That gift was hope -  and it was given to me by the amazing young people who comprise the top choir of the Milwaukee High School of the Arts .... and their