N.B.: Charles Anthony Silvestri and I have been friends for nearly twenty years now. (We met in choir at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas). He’s brilliant, funny, a genuine Renaissance man: great... continued
And now for something completely different…
In the spring of 2004 I was lucky enough to have my show Paradise Lost presented at the ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshop. The workshop is the brainchild of legendary composer Stephen Schwartz... continued
Yes, that’s me wearing a tie. And glasses. With a perm.
Back in 1984 I heard a radio spot advertising an open casting call for a nationwide McDonald’s commercial. I convinced my Mom to take me to Reno (an hour away, thank you thank you thank you Mom),... continued
My God… what a gorgeous night.
The King’s Singers; The National Youth Choir of Great Britain; Symphony Hall in Birmingham.
Backstage, there weren’t enough dressing rooms, so they crammed us in together:
Yes, that would be me... continued
Just arrived in Birmingham after two days of rehearsal with the National Youth Chorus of Great Britain. My god, what an incredible choir. 120 of the finest young voices in Britain, ages 16-23, so vibrant and musical and alive. I’m really on a... continued
I’ll be at Carnegie tonight, but don’t look to the stage; I’ll be the incredibly nervous husband sitting in the audience. Hila is singing with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in a ravishing new work by Christopher Theofanidis. Robert Spano will... continued
So if you happen upon the new handbook for beginning composers, Music Composition for Dummies, I triple-dog dare you to turn to Chapter 20: Ten Composers You Should Know About. Never mind that the title of the chapter has a dangling preposition;... continued
That’s what I’ve been doing the past couple of weeks… transcribing Sleep, My Child for Chanticleer. I’ve re-posted it on my myspace page for anyone who’d like to hear it.
If you’re not a major choir geek like yours truly, you... continued
I’m currently working on “i thank you God for most this amazing day” with the chamber singers at Hofstra University, and I had a question about the music I got from J.W. Pepper vs. the recording of the song on... continued
I’ve posted another Paradise Lost track over at my wife’s myspace page called Forgotten; it’s the duet from Act I, performed beautifully here by Hila and Dan Callaway.
Maybe even more interesting, though, is the first song on her music player,... continued
These songs are just so near to my heart…
I’m often asked about the pronunciation of the Hebrew, and while I can pretty convincingly fake my way through these gorgeous poems, it ain’t pretty. So I thought I’d go directly to the source and have the... continued
This is page 7 from the first draft of The Stolen Child. It will undoubtedly change before publication (as will the rest of the piece), but this is exactly what the King’s Singers and the National Youth Chorus of Great Britain are looking at as they rehearse.
