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It's been a big week of firsts for me.  In addition to my first stint as a judge for Solo & Ensemble, this week also saw the launch of the podcast version of "The Morning Show," my interview program for WGTD for which I have been the sole host for more than twenty years.   For

One of the sweetest things in life is when we finally get to cross something off of our bucket list - and I had that pleasure this past Saturday when I FINALLY did my first stint as a judge for Solo & Ensemble music contest.  It seems like it has been a hundred years that

When you play piano for a theatrical production, it's often both the best and the worst seat in the house.   You're often right where the action is- in the midst of it, in many cases-  but we also have our hands full and most of our attention has to be on the music we're playing

Every so often (although not nearly as often as I would like) I get a good idea, and I'm not sure I've ever had a better idea than the one I hatched as part of our just-completed J-Term Opera Workshop production,  titled "Then Give Three Cheers:  A Gilbert and Sullivan Gala."  The decision had been

The title of this blog post is only cute if you are familiar with a children's book by Theodore Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss)  titled The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins.   I always thought it was some ancient folk tale that he put into words and illustrated- but in fact,  the story is entirely Geisel's own

This afternoon and tonight, I have the happy task of playing piano for the Racine Theater Guild's Spotlight Series Christmas concert, "A Very Merry (Guild) Christmas."  The program, organized and directed by Robert Kroes, gathers together a talented group of RTG stalwarts to sing a delightful array of Christmas songs.  And all I have to

You can describe it in painstaking detail - and you can post hundreds of photographs of it - but unless you have sat in the sanctuary and experienced it yourself, in person,  there is no way that you can fully grasp the joy and poignancy and color and pageantry and heart of Holy Communion Lutheran

The stage of the Racine Theater Guild is ablaze right now with the magic of A Christmas Carol: The Musical.   I know of several different musical versions of this timeless classic (and I'm sure there are more than that) but this is the one I like the most.  A lot of people might argue that

Earlier this fall, Kathy and I got to see a dear friend of ours,  Elizabeth Rude, perform the lead role in what has come to be my very favorite play above all others -  Doubt: A Parable by John Patrick Shanley.  Liz, whose friendship with Kathy goes back to their student days at Carthage,  is

At a glance,  there is nothing imposing about it. It is a modest-looking church that blends easily into the residential neighborhood in which it is nestled.  There are no fancy stained glass windows - no towering steeple - no architectural grandeur whatsoever.  It's small.  It's simple. And yet, I think it's as beautiful as any