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Schola Magdalena meets Darbazi

When Darbazi first approached us to sing a concert together, I thought this was an unlikely partnership. We are so different. Schola Magdalena sings all ethereal and high, and Darbazi sings all earthy and low. Our music reaches for the celestial; their music strikes the heart. However, when we got together at St. Mary Mag’s, one cold night in the dim December light, we discovered the essence of our music is extremely compatible, even in its diversity. I was reminded of the words of the poet George Herbert who explained that, “all music is but three parts vied and multiplied.”… Read More »Schola Magdalena meets Darbazi

The Great Shoe Purge

It’s the February long weekend in Canada. Maybe you have resolved to do a bit of a clean up as I have. I could do with some serious streamlining of my belongings. I’ll share my process with you. I decided to start at the bottom, with all the shoes I have accumulated over several decades. My shoe purge method follows: Step 1. Bring out all the shoes in your house; all the boots sitting in corners, all the fancy dress shoes stacked in dark closets, the flip flops tucked under the bed, the dance shoes in bags, the winter shoes… Read More »The Great Shoe Purge

Toronto Consort tonight

Toronto Consort presents Kanatha/Canada: First Encounters tonight at Trinity St. Paul’s Centre in Toronto. I stepped out into the sub-zero temperatures last night to see the Toronto Consort’s stimulating new show. It features instruments from the time of Champlain, as well as some traditional music performed by First Nation’s People, who are keeping their own music alive and well. What did it sound like, centuries ago, when the original inhabitants of our land encountered visiting Europeans? The concert conjures up this imaginary soundscape. The programme is built around a new piece by John Beckwith who, at age 90, stands as… Read More »Toronto Consort tonight

tea cup

Tea with Milk

My friend is normally a rational, kind, reasonable sort of person. But there’s this tea thing. If you dare pour in the tea before you pour in the milk, you face a tirade of explosive accusations: ‘How could you possibly pour in the tea before pouring in the milk? How were you brought up!’ etc. Now, see, I’ve had plenty of embarrassing situations in my long life. I have forgotten names and called Bob ‘Jim’ and Sally ‘Marie.’ I have spoken audibly in sacred spaces, between ablutions and blessings. I have cheered when a goal is scored – against the… Read More »Tea with Milk

The Arrow and the Song

I’ve posted a new ‘free score’ for you to enjoy with your choir. No, it’s not a Christmas piece. My dear friend Tricia will be celebrating a significant birthday and she asked me to write a piece for her, in lieu of chocolates, flowers or silk stockings. She chose the text from Longfellow which turns out to be a delightful reflection on friendship and artistic effort. She also ran an important fundraising evening for ALS to celebrate her birthday. What a beautiful and selfless thing to do. Thanks for the opportunity Tricia! Just go to my Compositions Page and you’ll… Read More »The Arrow and the Song

Birmingham Town Hall

Elijah and bicycles?

Wrapping up my final year with Pax Christi Chorale is a profound, bitter-sweet pleasure. Things will get rolling on the first weekend of November with Mendelssohn’s dramatic oratorio Elijah. I have adored this piece since I learned it in 1977, at 15 years of age, one of the younger singers in Waterloo region’s Mennonite Mass Choir, conducted by my Dad. I really could not believe that as a choral singer, you could throw yourself into the role of a Baal worshipper, and sing really nasty things. It was delightfully naughty and the big sound of about 230 voices with full… Read More »Elijah and bicycles?

Cloister Gloucester cathedral

Packing

I got the Wanderlust early on when my parents planned a three-month trip to Europe with four children aged 7-14 in tow. My late husband and I made travel a priority in our lives, and we often found interesting ways to fashion extended trips around organ recitals, visits with friends, choir tours, or musical exchanges. All of this was marvelous of course, but one thing in preparing for a long trip drove me around the bend. Whereas I would be fussing about and organizing my suitcase several weeks before the trip, Bruce would calmly leave his packing until the night… Read More »Packing

Parry's autograph score

JUDITH – the video

At long last, our video of C. H. Hubert Parry’s oratorio JUDITH is available for you to watch and listen to on Youtube. Click here for Pax Christi Chorale’s video of JUDITH. We performed JUDITH on May 3, 2015 at Koerner Hall in Toronto. This was the first full performance of Judith in a very, very long time. It was certainly the first full performance of the 21st century, and the first in North America. We hope that other choirs will perform it, since the work is dramatic, beautifully crafted, and satisfying to sing. This enterprise was much more than… Read More »JUDITH – the video

Babel

Babel: a choral symphony – the video

Due to the forward thinking folks at Wilfrid Laurier University, the premiere performance of my choral symphony “Babel” is now up on Youtube for you to see and hear. I’d love to share this with you. If you have 45 minutes to spare, click through to the video and watch. Here’s the link to the movie: Babel: a choral symphony There is no scrolling text in the video so if you want to reference the words of Cori Martin’s beautiful and thought-provoking poetry, you can click on this link here: BABEL How did the premiere go you ask? Very well.… Read More »Babel: a choral symphony – the video

Always ahead

When hiking on hills, I have to remind myself to turn around. In the moment it seems so important just to keep climbing, climbing, always ahead, but the real reward comes from a 180 degree turn, to look back and enjoy the fabulous scenery behind – after all that’s what climbing hills is all about – the view. How about you? In real life, I am so often engaged in forward planning that sometimes I forget to look back. When someone asks me “so how did it go last weekend?” I have trouble remembering what they are even talking about!… Read More »Always ahead