What a rich musical day this was! My first musical experience of the morning was actually an interview I recorded at 9 am with one of my favorite human beings- Ralph Houghton, who for a quarter century was the coordinator of music for the Kenosha Unified School District; It was under his peerless leadership that
It’s amazing how little moments in the middle of the day can surprise us and alter the way we look at the world. I am a guy who needs his snacks in the mid-afternoon. . . usually a cup of turkey chili from Einstein’s (that’s a snack, you ask? Yes, that’s a snack!) But there
Yesterday was Honors Convocation at Carthage- a 90 minute ceremony in which various scholarship and competition winners are recognized. There are some exciting and moving moments, but after sitting through all of those names being read off and “holding our applause” until all of the recipients have been announced, etc. it’s mighty hard not to
I wish you could have heard Pastor Jeff’s sermon today, which was inspired by this verse from today’s Gospel lesson from the 14th chapter of John: “I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming for you.” Jeff began by saying that one of his favorite Greg Berg songs is “Cherish Every Child,” a song
Today was the eighth and final opera in the current season of Metropolitan Opera High Definition simulcasts to movie theaters across the country. And what a way to finish the season- with a sparkling comedy titled “The Daughter of the Regiment” by Donizetti. Friday morning I sent an email to the entire Carthage faculty and
I just got back from Carthage’s performance of the musical “Children of Eden” - by Stephen Schwarz, the composer of “Godspell.” As good as Godspell is, this is actually a much better show which, I think, leaves a far deeper impact on its audiences. I saw Children of Eden when it was done by Kenosha
I saw this scene late this afternoon, and found myself grabbing my camera- not because this photograph will win any photography awards, but because it was so remarkably reminiscent of a scene from almost eight months ago. If you’re curious, look in the blog archive and find the entry for September 1, 2007- “O master
I almost beat up one of my former voice students, Nic Sluss-Rodionov, today. Actually, that’s not quite true. Anyone who knows the two of us knows that in the unlikely event that Nic and I would ever come to blows, he would have me flat on my back and in dire need of smelling salts
It is SO scary to unveil a piece of music that you’ve composed for someone. . . because once you’ve shared it with them, all you can do is wait for whatever the honest response is going to be - cheers, jeers, or worst of all, a yawn. I shared a new piece of music
Today was the day that the morning show was devoted to composer Glenn Burleigh, a gifted African American composer who died quite unexpectedly back in December. It was way back in 1990 that the Racine Choral Arts Society (back then known as the Racine Symphonic Chorus) sang his wonderful gospel-flavored Alpha Mass to enormous acclaim
