I'm back

After a fast-paced February, March has been exactly what I needed and wanted it to be: restful. Earlier in the month, I spent a day at the Dallas Arboretum. While there, I attempted to categorize and make sense of all my journal scribbling from the past few months. It's a work in progress. I don't think I can necessarily process everything until I start putting some of it to use over the next few months. The past two weeks were spent on a beach--reading, relaxing, and sipping on ...um...wonderfully cold drinks. Now it's time to face reality. With Holy Week quickly approaching, I'm reacquainting myself with the anthems I'll be conducting. If you are in the Dallas area this weekend, please consider attending the St. Andrew Chancel Choir's spring concert, Haydn's Paukenmesse (Mass in Time of War). They have worked so hard, and I'm very proud of them. The concert is Sunday, April 5 at 7 p.m., in the St. Andrew sanctuary. Terry Metzger is conducting.

March update

The first picture is with Craig Jessop, former director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. He is now at Utah State University. The next one was taken at a combined choir rehearsal at BYU. There are nearly 1000 singers in the BYU choirs. The third picture was taken near Park City. And the final one is with two of my favorite conductors, Ron Staheli and Rosalind Hall. The short videos near the end of this post are from BYU Men's Chorus rehearsals. The first is of the guys singing Bach with Craig guest conducting. The final one is just lots of fun.

It's been a fast-paced week at ACDA in Oklahoma City. I admit that the choirs overall were less stunning than usual because I just spent the month of February with the best! But...nonetheless I've heard some fantastic singing this week. Dallas was well-represented by Cynthia Nott and the Children's Chorus of Greater Dallas. She leads such a fine program. Perhaps the highlights for me were a Friday Peace Event at the memorial site of the 1995 bombing and a Saturday performance by the Incheon City Chorale from Korea. There is good coverage of the Peace Event here. If you've never visited the memorial site and museum, take the time to do so. I spent a few hours there several years ago, and that experience is forever etched into my mind and my heart.

I leave soon for a bit of vacation, and will likely not blog again until I return at the end of the month. If you are in the Dallas area, please don't miss the Mississippi College Singers on March 29. They will be the St. Andrew service choir at 9:30 and 11 that morning, then they will perform a brief 30-35 minute concert, immediately following the 11 a.m. worship hour.

I almost forgot...

For those of you who thought I spent all my time at Disneyland, here is proof that I actually sang with the Crystal Cathedral Choir. Click here then click on the anthem.

It just keeps getting better and better

Last week was incredibly fulfilling. From observing some of the finest university choral singing and conducting in the country to singing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in rehearsal to hiking in the Arches National Park in Southeastern Utah, it has been a week I'll never forget.

This morning at the Tabernacle on Temple Square, I was granted permission to observe the taping of Music and the Spoken Word from inside the control room. What a unique perspective that was! Following the broadcast, conductor/composer Mack Wilberg and I had a very meaningful half-hour visit in his office.

I'm constantly learning the value of knowing what one wants and then asking for it. Remember that the worst answer you can get in those situations is "no". And on this journey, I've yet to hear that word.

I leave you tonight with wisdom from Joseph Campbell: "Follow your bliss. The heroic life is living the individual adventure. There is no security in following the call to adventure. Nothing is exciting if you know what the outcome is going to be. To refuse the call means stagnation. What you don't experience positively you will experience negatively. You enter the forest at the darkest point, where there is no path. Where there is a way or path, it is someone else's path. You are not on your own path. If you follow someone else's way, you are not going to realize your potential."

Have a great week!

Week 1 in Utah

I arrived in Provo, UT, late Sunday. On Monday, I was invited to join my friend, Dr. Stephen Jones, (Fine Arts Dean at BYU) and his beautiful family for an afternoon tour of the new Draper Utah LDS temple near Provo. There are just over 100 LDS temples in the world. 12 of them are here in Utah. (There is also one in Dallas...perhaps you've seen it.) It's been almost 30 years since the last one was built here. The public can tour temples during "open house" prior to their dedication. Once the temple is dedicated, entrance to it is restricted to those who apply for and receive a "temple recommend" from their bishop. The most common ordinances that take place in a temple are marriage, confirmation, sealing of children to families, the endowment, and baptism for the dead. Here is a page with a bit more information on those temple ordinances.

For a Methodist boy, this was a unique and intriguing opportunity! The Draper Utah Temple is built of the finest materials including granite from China, Makore wood from Africa, and limestone from France. The "celestial room" was particularly stunning. The construction lasted two years. Read more on the Draper Temple here.

These two weeks will be intense. I'll be in rehearsals, lessons and classes at BYU most days. On Friday of this week, I'll be at University of Utah to meet and observe Dr. Brady Allred and his choirs. Brady was a student of Ron Staheli at BYU and Don Neuen at Eastman. It's a small world, indeed! Today, Stephen called Mack Wilberg (Morman Tabernacle Choir director) and asked if I could attend rehearsal this Thursday. Wilberg invited me to sing with them! And, I was asked to provide a brief bio so that Wilberg can introduce me to the choir. What an opportunity!

The weather here is not bad. We had a bit of snow today, but the rest of the week should be nice. To say the mountains that surround this place are stunning is a gross understatement. When the skies clear, I'll post some pics. More soon!

Final set of California pics

For all those who think Crystal Cathedral can do nothing but FORTE, I'm here to tell you this morning would prove you wrong. It was a comtemplative service that included Holy Communion, beautiful solos, an expressive anthem with flute and cello, and appropriately beautiful organ improvisations. You might find it interesting to note this type of service is much more common on the "non-taping" Sundays. The non-taping services focus more on the local congregation (the folks actually in the pews) and the taping services focus on the world-wide tv audience.

I had a great time in Pasadena on Saturday. The Fred Bock Institute and Fuller Seminary sponsored a workshop with presenters Gloria Gaither and Michael Hawn of SMU. I would have paid the money just to see those two side-by-side! It was great. Gloria spent most of her time effectively expressing her heart for worship and the church today. Michael was the nuts and bolts guy as he exposed us to seven streams of influence on church music since Vatican II. If you're interested in knowing what those streams are, email me. I'd be happy to share.

I'm sitting in LAX, waiting for my flight to Salt Lake City. Perhaps a good night's rest wouldn't be so bad at this point. Hope your week is off to a great start, my friends.

More pics

1. UCLA Choir rehearsal
2. Paul Salamunovich
3. Professor Neuen
4. Jon Bailey
5. Malibu sunset

More California pictures

1. Beth and Sean Groombridge
2. Don and Sue Neuen
3. Gloria Gaither
4. Looking west from Palm Springs
5. Sean and Fred Swann

The California journey comes to a close

It's not easy to leave this place. At some point last year, a wise friend told me to be prepared to learn more about myself than what I learn from others during this sabbatical. That person was correct, but I'll add that it is only through others that I learn more about myself. God has always blessed me with the best of friends. I leave this place with even more. Don Neuen is my new hero...indeed one of the most gracious and inspiring men to walk this earth. His beautiful wife Sue is a precious soul. I feel that I've gained a brother and sister in Sean and Beth Groombridge. I absorbed so much while here. My head is spinning, and my heart is overflowing. Thank you, God, for two weeks that will forever change my life.

Southern California Double Rainbow

You must look closely to see the outer band, but it's there.

Thursday/Friday Highlights

Thursday:
-My memorable visit with Paul Salamunovich
-Meeting the rest of the music staff at Crystal Cathedral
-Sitting in on a script run-through for Sunday morning worship at CC
-Choir rehearsal at CC
-Dinner with Don and Sue Neuen and Sean and Beth Groombridge Sean and Beth are on staff at CC. If you watch Hour of Power online or on TV, you'll recognize Sean as principal organist; Beth is a wonderful soprano in the choir.

Friday:
Sean was kind enough to drive me to Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, etc...then have me over to their place for dinner. The day was full of stimulating conversation.

I'll post pics soon. Have a great weekend, my friends.

Southerners do not hold the copyright on hospitality

Every day I'm amazed even more at how gracious these folks are in California. After spending three hours interviewing Don Neuen at his lovely home on Tuesday, I had a great evening meal and visit with Jon Bailey. Jon and I have a mutual friend who is a member of my sabbatical council. I'm very thankful for the connection. I feel like a tiny ant at the feet of musical giants. Wednesday was a long day, and I loved every minute of it. It began with the choral conducting class at UCLA. [Side note: Just when I was really beginning to feel like one of the students, I had a conversation with one of Don's grad assistants. We were talking about Southern California weather and she said "I think one time when I was very young...just a tiny thing...way back in 1991 or so, it snowed in L.A." 1991, huh? I was quickly snapped back into reality about my age!] This afternoon I observed my second chorale rehearsal. Around 5:30 I had dinner with Don and his wife Sue at a great little restaurant near the school. Perhaps the musical highlight of the day occurred this evening at a 2 1/2 hour orchestra rehearsal where Don's students conducted. This has inspired me to visit more orchestra rehearsals in the future. Perhaps I'll even have time to do this in Utah. Off to pack and then to sleep. I'm transferring to a hotel near the Crystal Cathedral tomorrow. I'll stay there until Sunday when I come back into L.A. Before I leave L.A. in the morning, I have the opportunity to visit with the legendary Paul Salamunovich. Wow!

The California adventure begins

Just a quick update to let you guys know that this part of the journey is already more exciting than I imagined it would be. I have meetings and dinners lined up this week with folks I don't deserve to know. Today's experience at UCLA was exhilarating. I think I gained more insight, both practical and philosophical in nature, in one day than I have in all the conventions and workshops I've attended since graduate school. Don Neuen is simply amazing. Today he spent every single minute he could with me between classes and rehearsals. He even gave me his faculty ID number so that I could eat whenever, on his tab, at the faculty center! Then he drove me back to my hotel at 7 tonight when rehearsals were over. Tomorrow I'm spending several hours with him, on his day off, at his home. And this is just the beginning.

Dallas Ice

After spending four days in temperatures that never reached 20 degrees in Kansas City, I came home to experience what we in Dallas consider an "ice storm". Mind you it was only 0.14 inches of freezing rain and sleet, but nonetheless a mess that paralyzed the city. By the way, thanks to Scott and Brad for getting my weather website up and running. I'm able to check out current weather at my house from anywhere at www.crookweather.com. Yes, I know I'm a nerd.

Kansas City

So many highlights to the past weekend...where do I start? I spent Thursday evening at two rehearsals at Village Presbyterian in Prairie Village. This church has a tremendous music ministry and a rich heritage. Check out their website. Mark Ball is the Director of Music; Stephan Casurella the Organist; and Matthew Shepard is the Youth Choir Director. What a team! I so enjoyed getting to know these guys and their work. I brought back lots of ideas for my choir and tremendous personal connections that will be lasting. On Sunday afternoon, I had the pleasure of hearing the Village youth choir perform on a concert with the William Jewell College Choir. I cannot say enough about how impressed I was with this youth choir. Many thanks to Mark and his team for allowing me to invade their lives for a weekend.

On Saturday and Sunday, I spent time at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas. COR is known as a great teaching church in our denomination. It is currently the largest UM church in the nation. There are many interesting things about this church. One is the dual music ministry. There is a Director of Contemporary Music, Lance Winkler; and a Director of Traditional Music, Kevin Bogan. Each have their own staff. Both guys were very gracious to spend time with me and allow me to visit their rehearsals.

On Sunday evening, I was granted permission to observe the Kansas City Chorale in rehearsal. I've followed this ensemble and their director, Charles Bruffy, for many years. In my opinion (and many others) this is one of the finest professional choirs in the country. Charles spends his time flying back and forth each week between KC and Phoenix, where he conducts the Phoenix Chorale. It was a special treat to spend time with composer Mark Hayes, as he was accompanying the chorale's rehearsal. They are preparing to record his new setting of the Gloria next week. The rehearsal space was packed full of collective musical genius! I am sorry I didn't remember to take pictures at that rehearsal, but I think it was because I was sitting there in awe the entire time.

I must admit that I am somewhat anxious about my upcoming trip. First of all, I've never been on a month-long trip before...I won't be back to Dallas until March 1. Secondly, I will be spending time with folks who do not know me, in places that are unfamiliar. I am so humbled by their willingness to work with me. I'll be in California the first half of February and then Utah the second half. My time will be spent primarily with two conductors, Don Neuen (UCLA and Crystal Cathedral) and Ron Staheli (BYU). But I have also connected via email with other musicians who've invited me to their rehearsals and concerts. Okay, as I type this, my anxiety is turning to excitement again. So, back to packing for two completely different climates!

The weekend in Austin

It was an absolutely perfect weekend with my friend Georgia in Austin. She was so kind to open her home to me, and we only stopped talking twice...the two times we were in church. My friend John Erickson suggested I visit St. Mary's Cathedral for mass, so that is where we spent our Sunday morning. John's good friend, Philip Baker, is organist there. The choir sang well, and of course Philip played well. Sunday evening was quite interesting and a first for me. We visited St. David's Episcopal for the Compline service. I couldn't imagine a better way to end the day. The small choir was quite good, and the candlelit atmosphere surely helped the handful of listeners focus our minds and hearts on the texts and prayers presented.

Now I must give kudos to Georgia for her driving. Cruising down 6th Street in her Porsche Cayman was the best...and you've not lived until you experience a "little dance" in the Cayman.

Tomorrow I plan to observe Dr. Pam Elrod's rehearsal at SMU. I'll be in Kansas City this weekend, then back in Dallas for a brief time before heading out to California and Utah for an extended time of study and observation. Have a great week, my friends. You are always on my mind. (Sorry...couldn't resist the connection to Willie and Austin)

Pulaski Heights UMC, Little Rock

My friend Mark Acker is one of the most amazing church musicians in the country. Mark spent a huge part of his career directing the music ministry at Brentwood UMC near Nashville, TN. During those years, he built and sustained quite possibly the strongest youth choir program anywhere. Mark is now Minister of Worship and Music at PHUMC. Jim Maase, another great church musician, is their Director of Music and Arts. These two share duties at the organ and in front of the choir. The choir is very strong, and worship at PHUMC is carefully planned and well-executed.

Mark is so humble and sincere. I'm not quite sure he realizes how much of an impact his life and his ministry have made in church music over the years. To be able to call him a dear friend is an added bonus for me. Thank you Mark, and thank you Jim....for allowing me to sing in your choir and to visit with you and learn from you. God bless you both.

Ellen Sullivan and Dr. Richard Joiner

My final week in MS was a very special one. I spent Wednesday and Thursday in Tylertown. It is a small town in the southwest part of the state. While a junior at Mississippi College, I served as the Interim Minister of Music at Tylertown Baptist Church. At the time, Ellen Sullivan was the pianist. Ellen, her late husband Jerry, and daughter Lee Ellen found a special place in my heart that year. Jerry passed away a few years ago, and Ellen, Lee Ellen and I have remained in touch. For the past several years, Ellen has directed the music ministry at Tylertown UMC. I'm so proud of the work she has done at that church. I honestly believe Ellen and I could talk for days without stopping and without repeating anything. What a gift it was to share this time with her. And the great news is that our youth choir will be singing at her church this summer!

Dr. Richard Joiner is a retired choral conductor and music educator. He was my choral conductor and voice teacher at Mississippi College from 1992-1996. Shortly after that time, he and his wife Marilyn moved to Jackson, TN, where he was head of the music department at Union University. He retired this year, and they moved back to Clinton. Dr. Joiner could have had many more years in the music ed. world, but...in his words...he wanted to quit conducting while he was still singing. I cannot begin to put into words how I feel about this man. He was so much more than a voice teacher or a choral conductor to me. He was my mentor. He was my friend. And he remains so this day. His wife Marilyn prepared a wonderful southern-style supper one night then I went back and talked "business" with Dr. J the next day. I hope we have many more opportunities to sit and chat like we did that day.

Thank you, Dr. Joiner...and thank you Ellen...for your important role in my journey. I surely would not be where I am or who I am without you.