I (Orin) am a privileged and joy-filled composer today.
First, yesterday, the 9:30 J&A choir took my “An Advent Fantasia” for a spin (their first time with it) this morning, and sang it warmly and well. [ GIA: https://www.giamusic.com/store/resource/an-advent-fantasia-print-g8785 ] Shrine peeps may remember this from some years back. The combined choirs at the 11pm Christmas Eve mass will sing it as their first prelude too.
Then, yesterday afternoon, the Saint Louis Chamber Chorus beautifully sang my newest creation (like, from Dec. 3-5 of this year), “Maker of All Things” as the encore to the program “Fulfillment: An Irish Christmas.” My original Christmas text, which I posted on Facebook a couple days ago – with pseudonym provided by Philip Barnes – and an arrangement of the Irish melody SLANE (“Be Thou My Vision,” etc.). I’ll share audio here when I can.
My wife Erin, when she attends SLCC concerts, will, to help keep herself engaged, scribble little notes in the program as the concert progresses. The text of my piece was on the back cover of the program, next to which you can see her surprise in her purple notes – I hadn’t told her about any of this, and she hadn’t noticed anything (here or in the program) until PB started announcing it to the audience.
She also pointed out afterward something that had somehow slipped my mind – we sang “Lord of All Hopefulness” (another SLANE text) at my dad’s funeral and at the little memorial for both Mom and Dad here in STL these past few months. A little temporary amnesia allowed for a little “God-wink” today.
“Hope of the nations, and hope of each heart:
Dwell in us, love us, and never depart.”
Merry Christmas, everyone!