“Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return”
What is Lent and why do people “give things up for Lent”. Is it that they just want to be depressing? Hare are some answers to the tradition of Lent and it’s purpose in the church calendar.
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. The [...]
Con Anima, a vocal group from St. Petersburg Russia, will perform at Mount Vernon Presbyterian Church on Saturday March 3rd, 2007 at 7pm. The concert is free. Read more information about the Con Anima Russian choir.
I’ve been writing music for Charlie and the Chocoloate Factory, including a theme song for Augustus Gloop. I ran across this article today about a boy in London who is 8 years old and weighs 200 pounds. His mother says he will only eat junk food and she refuses to stop feeding him.
The English [...]
The nefarious middle piano pedal, the bane of piano teacher and student alike. Yes, it does have a function, but rarely used in contemporary music.
Piano pedals from left to right: una corda, sostenuto and damper.
THE THREE PIANO PEDALS
Left Pedal
The right piano pedal is called the “una corda” pedal, or in common usage called the “soft” [...]
In a nationwide crackdown, the music industry is sending thousands more copyright complaints to universities this school year than last. In some cases, students are targeted for allegedly sharing a single mp3 file online. Read CNN Article.
Continue reading about Music companies take crackdown to campuses
Often I see forum members who are actively trolling and when confronted with this respond: “What is trolling? I’m not aware of what that is.” I think their response is genuine. So here is a fairly detailed definition of trolling. It usually applies to online communities. The act of trollling also consists of entering communities [...]
St.Petersburg, Russia - Con Anima is a vocal ensemble of Saint Petersburg. Visit the Con Anima Russian Choir website.
Read a review of a Con Anima Church Concert.
All singers in the group are graduates of Saint Petersburg Conservatory. Conservatory in Russia is a higher musical educational establishment. Term of training - 5 years. Conservatory diploma [...]
 The Brigadoon Cast List has been posted at the Lyric Light Opera of the Northwest website. Please visit that link for updated casting information.
Cast List as of 02/19/07Â
Thank you to all who auditioned for Brigadoon! And, congratulations to those who made the cast list:
Tommy Albright - Troy Wageman
Understudy - John Hepola
Fiona MacLaren [...]
Official Dracula Overture Remix Competition. One hundred dollar prize to the winner that does the winning remix using my Dracula Overture audio files. Winner will be decided by the RapDogs.com moderators.
Here’s details:
My Dracula Overture was premiered on February 10, 2007 at McIntyre Hall, Mount Vernon, WA. Here is a track of the vocals [...]
Cast photos, set pics and cast/crew credits for the live stage production of Dracula presented by the Skagit College Theater Department at McIntyre Hall (Mount Vernon, WA) February 2007.
Dracula by Steven Dietz
From the novel by Bram Stoker
Originally produced by the Arizona Theatre Company, Tucson/Pheonix, Arizona. David Ira Goldstein, Artistic Director. Robert Alpaugh, managing director.
Check [...]
Here’s a simple way to do live sound effects for Tinkerbell in stage productions of Peter Pan.
Use a colored laser pointer for Tinkerbell, preferably a professional projector made specifically for this effect (you can rent these). In the picture above you’ll see a nose flute, kazoo, metal chain to rustle for tinkle effects, [...]
I have heard about Kenneth DeJong for many years and finally got to meet him at the Augsburg Fortress Music worskshop in Seattle, WA. An original wedding march he composed for organ was played by concert organist Douglas Cleveland (Music Director, Plymouth Congregational Church, Seattle, WA)
Mr. DeJong is music director for St. Andrew’s Lutheran [...]
Continue reading about Kenneth DeJong - Organist and Composer
Douglas Cleveland is music director of Plymouth Congregational Church in Seattle, WA. He was our guide for the 2007 Augsburg Fortress music seminar. Mr. Cleveland is a master concert organist and played very difficult pipe organ music with ease. We picked up quite a bit of choral and pipe organ music and are currently [...]
Relative size planet images are clickable for full size view
I have learned much in this life. Some that I have learned are things that I wish I hadn’t. That is my introduction to Haggis, the unearthly revenge of Scotsmen they call food.
Lutefisk is something I am proud of as a Norwegian. True, it’s entirely disgusting. But Lutefisk gives Norwegians something to talk about [...]
January 2007 I had the pleasure of hearing Tony McManus play guitar at the Robert Burns concert in Mount Vernon, WA. I was directing the Scottish choir in between his guitar presentations.
Tony McManus is not just a performer or musician, he is a divine experience. Let me tell you about it.
He was very [...]
Fonzie jumps the shark
“Jumping the Shark” is a term that designates the tipping point for an idea having run it’s course and has run out of new ideas. It comes from the episode of Happy Days where Fonzie jumps the shark, a widely accepted all time low in television. Visit www.jumptheshark.com for more info or [...]
Here it is, my new Dracula Overture. People have had emotional experiences listening to it. I wrote this for the Skagit Valley College Theater Department’s presentation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula at McIntyre Hall (Mount Vernnon, WA) - February 2007.
UPDATE - Check out the Dracula Overture Remix Competition!
I was asked to write music for the show [...]
Somebody who only reads newspapers and at best books of contemporary authors looks to me like an extremely near-sighted person who scorns eyeglasses. He is completely dependent on the prejudices and fashions of his times, since he never gets to see or hear anything else. And what a person thinks on his own without being [...]
For years magic fairies have been doing my dishes. Sometimes the dishes pile up for a few days but the magic fairies always make their way around. I don’t leave food or money for them because fairies don’t eat food and don’t use money. It never occurred to me that there was something I [...]
