Where I Work

Welcome to my home-away-from-home!

Thought you might like a little tour of where I work, practice, plan, and teach! We had a crazy but wonderful night of rehearsals last night - first night back for the children in Singers & Scholars and we even had a couple of new faces! Tomorrow is our Christmas Choir Kick-Off for the Sanctuary Choir (and friends joining us for the cantata - yes, I discovered a stack of cantata scores in the choir library during my Christmas planning this summer!) With rehearsal time, a potluck lunch, Christmas decorations, fellowship, and even a gingerbread house decorating contest, it promises to be a stellar way to begin the season. Pictures to follow...

Oprah Winfrey: Interview

"What are you really passionate about?"  "What would you do if you didn't have fear?"  "How can you use your life as a service to yourself, your family, and your community?" These are just a few of the challenging questions Oprah asks herself and those listening to this interview (from last week, September 8, by the way).  It's a message of authenticity and real-life experience.  Be you.  Be true and authentic.  Be the best you can be.  And don't let fear hold you back.

Watch the video here.

WCMW Round-Up: Part II

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We're back with the rest of our exciting week at the Westminster Chamber Music Workshop!

Thursday, June 23- "A Game of Musical Memory: Thematic Connections in Music Through the Year" - Artistic Directors Ashley Danyew (that's me!) & Steve Danyew

Friday, June 24- "Mythology, Modernity, and Musical Theatre: Jacques Offenbach's La Vie parisienne" - Guest Artist Elizabeth Hebbard

Saturday, June 25 - WCMW Final Concert - WCMW Chamber Choir, Faculty, and Guest Artists

WCMW Round-Up: Part I

Last week, we had our first annual Westminster Chamber Music Workshop (WCMW) - a very busy but very fun experience for all who participated!  We had a chamber choir of 15 community members rehearsing each night from 6-7:45 p.m. and a free special event(recital, lecture, presentation, etc.) each night from 8-9 p.m.  We had a different audience each night and it was wonderful to see so many faces from Westminster and the greater community!  Here's a quick round-up of the week:

Monday, June 20 - "You, Me, and Whoever Wrote This Thing: Duo-Playing and the Art of Team Interpretation" - Guest Artists: Arthur Thovmasian & McMillan Gaither (trombone duo) Tuesday, June 21 - "Journey to Jazz Through Flowers and Summer" - Guest Artists Diane Cushing (Soprano) & Virginia Eskin (Piano)

Wednesday, June 22 - "Choral Folk-Song Arrangements in 20th Century Portugal and Beyond" - Faculty Member Dr. Gregory Brown

To be continued in Part II tomorrow!

Sonntag

This strophic German song (Op. 47, No. 3) by Johannes Brahms is about Sunday love - a young man longing for the beautiful girl he only sees in church on Sunday. Steve transcribed it for saxophone and piano, as you can hear in the recording below (listen for laughter in the piano interlude and coda!) For an in-depth description of our rehearsal process for this piece, read this. Enjoy!

"So all the week I've not seen my dear love, on a Sunday I saw her standing at her door; my darling love, my darling sweet, would God, I were with her today!

So all the week I'll not cease to laugh, on a Sunday I saw her going to church: my darling love, my darling sweet, would God, I were with her today!"

-Ludwig Uhland (tr. George Bird and Richard Stokes)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pek65juDrdM&w=480&h=390]

Ave Maria

We did a few new recordings in December, so in case you haven't heard this already, here is a transcription of Schubert's Ave Maria, Op. 52, No. 4 for saxophone and piano: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDFdjgzAs0c&fs=1&hl=en_US]

Gebet

Enjoy our interpretation of "Gebet" [Prayer] by Hugo Wolf: "Lord! Send what Thou wilt, delight or pain; I am content that both flow from Thy hands.

May it be Thy will neither with joys nor with sorrows to overwhelm me! For midway between lies blessed moderation."

-Eduard Mörike

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlHMs6L9AE0&fs=1&hl=en_US]

Prelude and Dance

Have you heard our latest recording on YouTube? Here I am with Steve Danyew playing his piece, Prelude & Dance for saxophone and piano... [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6e4cabd3ZqA]