Besides the usual vocal warmups and organizing, this year I have the exciting opportunity of teaching a class in medieval songs. I'm sad that Ann Downey can't be with us but happy to have the chance to do it!
I've been fascinated all my life by the oddity, humor, and strange beauty of old songs. I know hundreds of songs from American, British, and French traditions, which I sing unaccompanied, with autoharp or, very occasionally, with fiddle or hurdy-gurdy.
I also make original songs for solo, small group, or choral performance. You can hear my early work in this vein on my somewhat solipsistic home-made CD, Music at Home. A new one is in the works, including the voices of others this time, I hope.
I love many kinds of singing, including shape-note singing, and I organize a regular monthly sing in the Pittsburgh area. Some of my compositions are strongly influenced by styles of the shape note tradition, and I've had a piece published in the thrice-yearly online publication The Trumpet.
My curiosity about the origins of the tradition led me into a lot of reading and listening, and ultimately into teaching a course on the choral music of revolutionary-era New England for the University of Pittsburgh's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.
Besides the usual vocal warmups and organizing, this year I have the exciting opportunity of teaching a class in medieval songs. I'm sad that Ann Downey can't be with us but happy to have the chance to do it!
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Augusta Heritage Center, Davis and Elkins College, Elkins WV
Be sure to check out the online offerings from Augusta this summer!
Once again I have the good luck to be running the morning warm-ups for Vocal Week at the Augusta Heritage Center!