We’re at the annual Hinshaw Celebration, Friday, in Durham, NC. Should be a good time! We got to reconnect with several Hinshaw friends at the composer/clinician dinner tonight, and met some new friends as well. The Hinshaw world really is very family-like, with a lot of really neat people.
Several of my pieces will be presented tomorrow, and some of my music will be featured on the gala concert tomorrow night in Raleigh, as well, I’m told.
Also, I’m told that this week’s Choral Conductor’s Retreat with Rodney Eichenburger has featured several of my Hinshaw pieces, and a couple will be featured on their closing concert tomorrow night, as well.
God is good to me in these things, and I’m thankful!
To keep it all straight, here’s the list of church choral anthems I’ve written this spring/summer, with publishing info:
- Hymn of Hope (formerly known as Prayer of Devotion): Hal Leonard spring 09
- How Firm A Foundation: TBA
- Here Is Love: Hal Leonard fall 08
- Good Shepherd: TBA
- My Song Shall Bless The Lord: TBA
- There Is A Fountain: Soundforth spring 09
- Beneath The Cross: Soundforth spring 09
Several of these are tentatively slated for inclusion on the next Soundforth/BJU Singers CD- more on that later…
These were all interspersed with many other projects- but I wanted to post a clear list of the new church choral music.
I’m now running Finale 2009. I’ve been in 2007 up until now, as I strongly refuse to pay annual dues of 100 dollars. But 09 looks like it has some MAJOR improvements over 07. I’ll blog more about it after I’ve used it a while…
PS) My BJU Press work is now done- yeah!
PPS) Check out three new entries in my blogroll…
I’ve been doing lots of things and not posting much- s0 here are random newsbits in no particular order:
- A last-minute job for the BJU Press is coming along nicely- almost completed. It’s taken me away from the other things I was going to be working on these last couple weeks, but it was worth it, and I’ve had fun writing polkas, barn dances, hoe-downs, bluegrass, lullabies with electronica, and a slew of other things that are quite off my beaten path!
- My collaboration with Anthony Silvestri, “What is the Wind?”, is simmering, with a few ideas in the pot. It’ll be my main project when the BJUP work is done.
- I recently wrote an alma mater for Tracy Resseguie’s new high school, which he/they commissioned- it came out quite nicely, and, I’m told, moved the new principal to tears when he heard it. (Hopefully those were tears of joy, not anguish!)
- We’re working hard to finalize the track list for the next Soundforth CD. Another meeting this week, hopefully, will bring closure to this months-long process…
- I wrote a couple new choral introits for our church, a few weeks ago…
- I got inspired and worked day and night, a few weeks ago, on one more choral anthem for this summer, entitled “My Song Shall Bless The Lord”. It’s a beautiful text by William Cowper that haunted me for several days until I finished it.
- Publishing-wise,”Here is Love” has been accepted by Hal Leonard- should be out late this fall.
- Earlier this summer, I revised an old piece for band, a transcription of the Prokofiev Toccata, and I think the BJU Symphonic Wind Band will be premiering it this coming school year…
- I have a couple large, exciting things in the works- one commission and a performance- that I’ll blog more about when they become more official…
I didn’t realize this was on YouTube… It’s a beautiful performance! I never cease to be thrilled at finding out about performances, but it especially in thrilling when they’re this good!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5VDSLLUgls
Today was the premiere of my new arrangement of “How Firm A Foundation” for SATB choir with piano and/or organ. I arranged it late this spring for First Baptist of Easley, SC, who commissioned it in honor of Carolyn Hamlin’s fifty (!) years as organist at their church. I’ve had to keep quiet about it, since it was a surprise for her.
Dr. Greg Fuller (head of choral activities at University of Southern Mississippi, and Carolyn’s nephew) guest conducted it, and it was fabulous. It’s a bit unusual, but they really caught the idea of what was supposed to happen, and it raised the roof by the end, as was intended! It was thrilling.
Fifty years at the organ, in one church…think about that for a while!
