arrange • compose • conduct
The Rockford Aces second CD, “Close Harmony,” was essentially a record of the songs we performed at the 2012 World Choir Games – eight songs from our two competition sets, plus one pop song (“Good Old A Cappella”) and one classical piece (Joseph M. Martin’s “The Awakening,” accompanied by then-student […]
My dad is seventy. He had a great career as an osteopathic orthopedic surgeon, and served as the residency trainer for a generation of wonderful physicians. Before he started medical school, he taught at a private school in Rhode Island, teaching science but also directing plays and independent studies of […]
It was our great pleasure to present some of our favorite inspiring resources to a wonderful group of choral educators at the MSVMA HS Luncheon Roundtable on July 31, 2013. We have listed the resources below for your reference. You can learn more at Mandy’s tumblr; we hope you also follow […]
Michigan Youth Arts Festival. We’re told it’s the only one of its kind – a weekend festival encompassing all of the fine and performing arts. About 1/4 million students participate in events leading up to MYAF, with less than a thousand eventually being selected to participate. All-State Choir, Orchestra, Band; […]
One of the joys of writing music is getting to hear it performed for the first time. Or the tenth time. Or the thousandth time. And on a weekend like this, I’m feeling especially lucky to have have three different concerts feature my music. Sadly, I was only at one […]
The past few days I’ve been in a foul mood. It was only yesterday that I realized that Rainer Maria Rilke told me the reason – a long time ago. This most of all: ask yourself in the most silent hour of your night: must I write? Dig into yourself […]
I just found out that my arrangement of “Jingle Bell Rock” for TTBB a cappella choir has officially been published by Sound Music Publications. They’re a great independent publishing companies started by some of the biggest names in vocal jazz. Their catalog is outstanding and I’m honored to have joined […]
I have a student going through a tough rejection from her music school of choice. It’s leading to all sorts of questions about career, future, worthiness, and on and on. When I see a student going through this, it bring me back to one moment at the end of my […]
Your reading for the weekend…all in one place! Tony Bennett’s new Duets II is his first ever #1 album – at the age of 85! Here’s a nice article about his artistry and answering the question, how does he so consistently bring his collaborators to new heights? And since we’re […]
I awoke to the wonderful news that Francisco Nuñez has been awarded the MacArthur Foundation “Genius Grant” – $500,000 over five years with no strings attached. He’s the founder and artistic director of the Young People’s Chorus of New York. The Foundation isn’t totally clear about how they select their […]