This song of mine that has only been sung once – and I’m not sure it will ever be sung again because it was crafted for a very special occasion as a gigantic surprise for my sister-in-law, Polly. She missed a few weeks at Tremper High School because of the birth of her daughter/my niece Lorelai. During her absence, her dear friend and mentor Sue Cawley filled in. At some point as Sue was preparing the students for their holiday concert, I approached her to say that I had an idea for a song commemorating Lorelai’s birth, if she was willing to take it on. She was delighted with the idea and helped make it happen- AND helped to keep it all a secret from Polly, who was returning to school from time to time for occasional rehearsals. The students somehow managed on top of everything else to learn and memorize this piece- a real gesture of love for their conductor. At the end of the December concert, I began playing the introduction to “Silent Night” as Polly conducted …. but as the choirs onstage began singing, it wasn’t “Silent Night” – but rather my song “Thank you for this Baby” that they sang. Polly was completely surprised and profoundly touched that her students would do that for her and for her brand new baby girl. Here is that performance as it took place- plus some warm words of explanation from Sue Cawley right afterwards. This is such a sweet memory for me- and I hope it is for Polly as well.
