Thanksgiving

I don't know how most Americans celebrate Thanksgiving. From what I've been able to gather, though, I'm guessing a lot of it has to do with travel, food, family, friends, and, of course, for many, football. 

For me, for as long as I can remember, it's been mostly about music. Since I was old enough to read, I've been singing in choirs of various sorts and sizes. This year has been no exception. Last night I sang McCullough's For the Fruit of All Creation for a congregation of some two hundred souls. So if I had to say what I'm thankful for this year, it's that--both the opportunity and the ability to sing with a choir.

How about you? What are you thankful for this year?

Cantique

 

So I've started work on Fauré's Cantique, which means my going through the proper French pronunciation of the lyrics line by line with the help of a coach for whom French is her native language. So many subtle distinctions in vowel sounds! 

Epiphany 2024

 

Happy Epiphany everyone! Kind of sad to see all the Christmas decorations coming down, but I know there's lot more to look forward to in 2024. So buckle up and let's go! :-)

Mendelssohn

 

Okay, so this is going to be a little bit of a stretch for Skywatch Friday. But since I am spending so much time indoors this week preparing for an upcoming performance of Mendelssohn's "There Shall a Star from Jacob", I thought it was worth it. Right? After all, the magi, whoever they were, were certainly "skywatchers". So, anyway, that's my pitch. :-)

Severikirche Pipe Organ

Severikirche, Erfurt