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January ‘06
Dear Friends,
Many changes in my life in ‘05. Louisa’s 2nd year of life has been all joy. She’s happy, healthy and of course a genius - primarily a voice major at this point, though she plunks away at the piano sometimes for long stretches. She mostly loves books and we’re very happy about that.
Last spring, I taught for a couple of months at a wonderful private school in Dover, The Charles River School. I enjoyed that so much I started looking for another position. Out of the blue, the day before Labor Day Weekend, I got a call from Derby Academy and taught there for the fall semester. Still only a temporary job, filling in for a maternity leave, it gave me a lot more experience and solidified my desire to continue. I hope teaching will allow me to be closer to home to be a part of my daughter’s development. I’ll still be traveling, but not as much on long trips.
Hal Leonard Corp. has published a couple more of my choral pieces and the Missa Gaia - Earth Mass is finally coming out in print. The choral score of the essential seven movements of the work is due out any day, and we’ll be premiering the published version at the American Choral Directors Assoc. - ACDA - meeting in New York in Feb. with the original Winter Consort that created it. That will be a celebratory reunion.
In April I got to be a part of a great concert with Pete Seeger, honoring his life in music, that was a benefit for the UU Service Committee. We packed the house at the Community Church of NY. I put together the music for a number of fine musicians and arranged the music for a choir. Pete was in good voice and carried on amazingly youthfully for an 85 year old. I’ve been honored to know this icon of American music and do his songs.
My choral song cycle Vessels of the Sun was performed in Costa Mesa CA by the Orange Coast UU Church Choir and we did it again at the General Assembly in Long Beach a couple of months later. For anyone interested in that music, I have a demo recording of one of those performances. I enjoyed another collaboration doing the piece with the choir of Univ. of NC Wilmington and spent a few warm winter days working with Joe Hickman and all the great musicians there. Joe’s been the editor of the Missa Gaia and was the hero of the long journey to getting the score finally published.
My Earth and Spirit Songbook continues to get out in the world and it’s very gratifying to get letters from musicians in distant places who say how much they appreciate it and how it’s provided a most needed resource.
Spring ‘06 looks to be busy with touring. I’m still looking for the long term teaching position, but for the next few months will mix teaching a lot of guitar lessons during the week with traveling on a number of weekends. Hope to see you.
In
peace,
Jim