Sandy Hook Benefit Concert

As we all continue to mourn the tragic massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary, the question is raised what can I do to help repair the damage, ease the grief, and support the victims families. As Newtown itself is bombarded by media and visitors with good intentions, it seemed to me like the best thing to do was just to pray for the people that God comfort them. And yet, I found myself wishing I could do more.
For this reason, I was honored and blessed by the opportunity to play at a Sandy Hook Elementary Benefit Concert last Saturday in Salem, CT. My musical training as a part of Gloriae Dei allows me to participate in the Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps, and the corps was invited to participate in this great event. A representation of the Cadets hornline played Shenandoah, Simple Gifts, American Elegy, Doxology on Amazing Grace, and Philip Bliss as a small segment to close the concert. The event raised $4200 for the Sandy Hook Elementary Foundation and I was blessed to have given of myself for the victims of this tragedy.

To Sing is to Pray Twice

Maybe, in the shadow of the unexplainable tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary - when words seem unbelievably small and incapable - music might bring some solace.

A Whole New Meaning

On October 13th we returned to the Oklahoma City Memorial on our way back to Tyler, TX.  It had a whole new meaning being there a second time. After reviewing the history, through an American History project, it meant more to me. On this visit I was told about little Baylee Almon - the baby in the famous picture being carried out by the firefighter. She had just celebrated her first birthday the day before the bombing and I realized that she would be about my age today! 
Hearing her story gave me something to really relate to.

Another Dimension

On Sunday we sang at First Presbyterian Church in Tyler, TX. Our program was different here and included the Howells' Requiem in the second half.  These texts which we are blessed to sing become quite personal at times. There were moments while singing the Requiem where I felt completely overcome with emotion...without any warning at all!  It was a reminder to me that there is always a spiritual dimension at work when we share sacred texts and the gift of music. By the same token we have a responsibility to try to live the words we sing, which feels daunting at times!  I had a sense that those who came to Sunday's concert were captivated by this beautiful music and it's message.  I am so grateful to have been a part of this exchange.  

Point of View - A Rich History

I was asked to join the choir on the Oklahoma portion of their tour to do some videotaping. I had the pleasure of interviewing some of the choir members who have been in the ensemble for over 25 years. During my interviews I was struck by GDC's rich history, and how this history speaks each time they sing. Some of the members spoke about their experience of traveling to Russia in the early 90's. Of being the first American choir brought in behind the Iron curtain – and the privilege of being able to sing to the people of Russia, in their own Russian language, music that had been withheld from them for many years. I was also struck by their extensive training in Gregorian Chant and how more and more people are gravitating toward this pure form of music.

GDC has an intense commitment to singing truthfully, both technically and spiritually, which makes them unique from other groups. Some of the members I interviewed spoke of when they first entered the choir they were among the youngest members and now they are the oldest members - how they now feel responsible to pass on to the young people who are now training in GDC, the history, the training, the faith, and the mission this world renowned ensemble embodies.

Aural Tradition

It was wonderful to see so many turn out for our Gregorian Chant workshop in Tulsa at Trinity Episcopal Church. But what most gladdened my heart was that, for the first time in a workshop, there was a young family who came with two children under the age of 12.
The boy must have been 9 and sat with his father in the front row on the men’s side; and the girl, 11, sat with her mother on the women’s side. Both eagerly followed along as their parents pointed to the Latin texts (well, maybe the girl not so much). Sometimes the boy would just sit and offer wide-eyed, cherubic smiles, when I looked over to see if he was “getting it”.
The important thing is they were there - and it was obvious that their parents wanted them to be exposed to Gregorian Chant. Right next to the boy sat an elderly man who didn’t need the booklet at all, he mouthed all the Latin texts by heart. What a surreal juxtaposition!
It confirmed for me, in a very real way, that this is an aural tradition that has stood the test of time – passed from generation to generation. There is tremendous power in that, whether one “gets it” or not.

Nunc Dimittis

Last night in Tulsa, about 150 people attended an evening chant conference learning basics of Gregorian Chant as related to the office of Compline. At the end of the evening the entire conference processed - with lights dimmed, candles lit, and incense burning - to chant the service of Compline. We also had a smaller group of cantors learn the gradual "angelus suis mandavit de te....." and chanted it as part of the evening service. We chose that particular gradual because it is based on the text of Psalm 91, the central psalm of Compline. It was really quite wondrous to see a group transformed.  To watch a group of so many individuals melt into a single group just by chanting the office together. "Though we are many, we are one body......"