Today we have a Guest Blogger, my accompanist and assistant, Ben Amenta, who is also my son. He has a few ideas about how we can get through the next few months as well as prepare for the time we can all sing together. With much love, MLGA Choir Present and Future: How Choral Musicians […]
Difficult Times
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: Time for Us All
“This is no time for ease and comfort. It is time to dare and endure.” Winston Churchill Our lives seem to be out of whack this year. Everything we do in our profession has been changed, rescheduled, revamped, reformatted, and rethought. Nothing we do is as it was, and we are struggling in ways we […]
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: Regrets, I’ve Had A Few
“Maybe all one can do is hope to end up with the right regrets.” Arthur Miller As I write this, it is the week before our presidential election. I decided to write this week’s Blog BEFORE the election because I wanted to be clear minded and not influenced by events of the week. And I […]
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: August 2020
“Around me I saw women overworked and underpaid, doing men’s work at half men’s wages, not because their work was inferior, but because they were women.” Anna Howard Shaw For the last Thursday of August 2020’s Choral Potpourri, I would like to share some thoughts about women conductors. I hope you will share some of […]
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: Songs My Mother Taught Me
“When your mother asks, ‘Do you want a piece of advice?’ it is a mere formality. It doesn’t matter if you answer yes or no. You’re going to get it anyway.” Erma Bombeck Yesterday was the sixth anniversary of my mother’s death. The last couple of years, I hadn’t remembered, or even noticed the date, […]
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: Professional Development in the Time of Pandemic, Part 2
“I was in constant demand, in my professional life and my personal life.” Hedy Lamarr One of the most difficult things for me during the Pandemic has been trying to keep up my skills, both musically and intellectually. Once this whole thing is over and we’re able to rehearse and perform more normally, there should […]