When I was five years old, I had my first public singing performance. It was a holiday pageant for children and I was Head Angel.
I know the details are a bit fuzzy, but I assure you this is me. I still have the wings and the halo, in fact. My mother made them.
As circular as life can be, it seems things may have come ’round. This evening I played the role of The Angel in a performance of a Calvin Hampton arrangement of We Three Kings. His title of choice is The Wisemen Cometh and it is a really lovely 20th-Century adaptation and harmonization of the story and melody. See the three kings in the lower right-hand corner of the photo up there? Well, this time around I got to stand nearer the kings. Like, right next to them. And, they sang better, too.
What’s even better is that I … Read more »
Yesterday morning, as part of a special Sunday service, I did some solo work on Chris DeBlasio’s The Best Beloved with Old South Church (and some of you were there!). There had been a rehearsal Saturday morning for which we trekked through much rain so we could rehearse certain pieces with a string quintet, a horn, and an excellent harpist with a gorgeous instrument. All the instrumentalists are students at Harvard, I believe. The performances went well, with a variety of featured musicians and singers, and very interesting repertoire composed by three fascinating composers, all of whom died as a result of complications of the AIDS virus, including Kevin Oldham and Calvin Hampton.
Prior to the service, though, I spent quite a bit of energy unnecessarily, waiting for the bus. I live in a metropolitan area and I try to take advantage of the public transportation …
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