The past few weeks have been
rather fruitful on the music front. Final touches were put on an
impromptu project, compiling/editing/rewriting previous
components/settings of Christ’s seven last words into a new
compilation/work, "Last Words from the Cross." Plans for the Good
Friday service were ironed out in discussions with Pastor Linda, pastor
at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd. Two major differences from my
previous compositions are, I incorporate congregational hymn singing
as reflections on a few of the sections and the choir participates in
only six of the eleven movements.
The choir has already begun
preparing the movements they are singing. Their openness to trying
something new and out-of-the-box (for them) is very reassuring. “Last
Words from the Cross” will be premiered at the Good Friday Service (7
pm) at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd on April 6, 2012.
This
past week I began work on one of the planned major projects for the
residency, a compilation of songs with a straight forward, Christian
message geared towards children. Pastor Linda challenged me to compose a
small handful of “Jesus Loves Me” type songs. The goal is to merge
newly written text with music that will be sung by children and adults
alike for years to come. That being said, the first song is almost
complete. “Jesus is My Shepherd”, text by Kathryn Crumrine, will be a
strong first entry for the compilation. May God guide this endeavor.
That’s all for now.
God’s peace!
