Latest Blog Posts

This is part of a sermon that was originally preached by lay preacher Scott Tyra, whois a member of the choir at Desert Springs United Methodist Church in Las Vegas.   A few excerpts from his sermon are below – you can read the entire sermon here.   Nobody in a choir is that important. […]

Paul Carey pointed me to his latest blog post about a colleague’s recent concert that focused on peace.   Read a little here and then travel to Paul’s blog for more.   My good friend Paul LaPrade, a humble genius, presented a program on September 10th (note, not September 11th) entilted “A Concert for Peace […]

It is exciting to see where we are heading with all of these new apps:    

An historic opportunity has become available to American Choral Directors Association members and selected choral ensembles.  After fifty years of separation between Cuba and the United States – a period during which both countries have developed a thriving choral tradition – ACDA, through the auspices of its International Choral Exchange Program, has established the first-ever […]

Allen's post yesterday about the "print on demand" problem with a publisher reminded me of a two great experiences I have had lately with online publishers.  They have different business models but both offer superb service:   First, Saint James Music Publishing.  For a yearly fee of $139, I have access to every piece of […]

Today's gripe: print-on-demand bureaucracy.   I ordered a piece for my Christmas concert for choir, organ, and trumpet. I placed the order with my usual vendor for the p/v scores and a separate trumpet part. Today (six weeks after I placed the order) I get a phone call saying they can't send me just the […]

By now the  choral season is a month old (for some, even older).  You’re back in the swing; the initial jolt of new-year energy has faded and we should all be settling in for the long haul.   Now is the time when our singers start to get sick, the drama-queens become shrill (sorry, but […]

Ken Robinson gives us another insightful lecture.     Watch the whole thing:    

This from A Cappella News: A musical piece composed by a Concordia College professor will be on center stage in New York City for the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Rene Clausen will conduct “Memorial” on Sunday at Lincoln Center. He was commissioned to compose the piece based on the events of […]

Eric Whitacre is pointing me to all the great videos these days: