Day 4-Final Session
By the time we gathered for the final session on Sunday, a number of participants had already departed for home because of flight schedules. Too bad because they missed the most lively panel discussion of the entire program. Willis Patterson–after inviting everyone to acknowledge the extraordinary work of organizer Darryl Taylor–led discussion of spiritual art songs, with the audience engaging with the panelists on subjects like performance practice, solo and choral settings of spirituals, and the perspectives of the performer and the composer. After a brief break, we presented a concert of spirituals. For over two hours, the audience heard works from pioneer to contemporary composers sung by musicians of great vocal power and talent and a storyteller, all giving praise and raisin’ the roof. I didn’t get many pictures, but others are posting pictures on the AAASA Facebook group page. The one picture I’m posting is of mezzo-soprano Bonita…
AAASA Conference Day 2-3
Friday and Saturday were packed with lectures and performances. Rather than going to a lot of detail, I’m making the program available music.arts.uci.edu/sites/default/files/music_images/pdfs/2012.Programs.Master.pdf. I’ve attached a number of pictures of presenters. It has been wonderful to meet many of the names I’ve encountered over Facebook and via email. Rehearsed with the pianist who will accompany me at tomorrow’s spirituals concert. We are performing Margaret Bonds’ Five Creek-Freedmen Spirituals. While part of the cycle has been published over the last several years, the cycle hasn’t been available in its entirety since first published in 1946. Leaving the concert of music by Robert Owens Saturday afternoon, my hotel roomie and I stepped on the hotel shuttle to find the group onboard sitting stunned and frantically searching their handheld wireless resources to learn more about the announced death of Whitney Houston. It has overshadowed everything, taking over news reports.
California, Here I’ve Come!
Believe it or not, I managed to pack and get on the road pretty much on time. Even got my hair and nails done in Iowa City before the final mad dash to the airport in Cedar Rapids. Of course, the downside to rushing like that is I always forget something. The casualty this trip (so far) was my e-book reader, which is setting in my car at the airport. Anyway, flew into Dallas. Was so hoping that I’d get to see Dallas Stadium (did I mention I’m a *BIG* Cowboys fan?) but missed it both coming and going. That’s okay, though. I’m driving to Dallas next week and already have a ticket to tour the stadium after that conference is over. Got to Santa Ana at 10:30 p.m. (hey, my body says it was 12:30 a.m.), so I missed the opening meet and greet. Saw some pictures posted on…
Countdown to California
Good grief!! I’m scheduled to leave for the conference in a few hours and can’t sleep. Nothing’s packed, nothing’s organized. Lying here surfing the Web. Will lie here a little longer, then will probably just give up on the notion of sleep. Got the electronic version of the conference program. A lot is scheduled. Looking forward to meeting, networking, learning, and performing.
Prep Begins
Not posted in a while since all of my performances have been in Iowa. However, preparations are underway for a journey to a conference in California next month. Singers are gathering to perform and discuss art song written by African American composers. I’ve contributed an extensive bibliography on spirituals for the conference program and am scheduled to sing in a concert of spirituals to close out the conference. Flying in, but there should be lots of opportunities to take pictures, and I’m planning to post about the activities. More to come.
Ease on Down the Road (Day Five–the Home Stretch)
Got started at 5 a.m. Monday because I knew I had a medical procedure sometime that day in Iowa City and couldn’t remember what time I’d set the appointment. I also really wanted to avoid the morning rush hour in Indianapolis that, combined with all of the eternally ongoing road construction, was a fate I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. Made excellent time through Indiana and Illinois. Reached Iowa City at 10:30 (got an hour back crossing into Illinois). Called the hospital and learned I had nearly three hours before my appointment, so I spent the time getting both me and the RB cleaned up and then had some lunch. At the appointment, the doctor told me that while the growth on my face appeared benign, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to remove it. So, after a shot of Novocaine, the doctor took less than 30 seconds to…
Ease on Down the Road (Day 4)
Nearly bit off more than I could chew today. I’d spent several hours in the gracious company of Eugene Simpson, with whom I discussed several research approaches to Hall Johnson’s compositional philosophy and ways I should prepare for a much more extended visit and study of the Johnson collection. I then visited and got a tour of the home of my host daughter, Tianhan. We went out for an enjoyable dinner of shrimp (me) and grilled octopus (Tianhan) at an uptown restaurant in Philadelphia. (BTW, if you know of a dignified way to eat corn-on-the-cob and take the head off of shrimp, please let me know.) I am so proud of how well she is adapting to her new surroundings, which are so very different than Iowa. Since she’s now graduated from the college, I guess I’m not technically her host mother any more, but I hate giving up the…
Ease on Down the Road (Day 2 & 3)
No post on Friday because I didn’t really stop long enough to do one. RB and I went from Port aux Basques, Newfoundland, to the outskirts of Philly (1284 miles) in about 36 hours. See the route at http://mapq.st/q2Puzi. Along the way, I had to stop at an Esso gas station, a holdover from years before it became Exxon? Was pretty much out-of-touch from 1 a.m. Friday morning when we left the ferry’s WiFi access until my cellphone finally ended its week-long “looking for signal” mantra somewhere around Bangor, Maine. As much as I appreciated the hospitality of the Canadians I met, I must admit I was happy to see the gates of home at the border. It was certainly much faster to cross there than it was crossing in either direction at Niagara Falls. Hmmm… wonder why? The lady who gave me a history of St. John’s on Monday…
Ease on Down the Road (Day 1)
Since I got in so late last night, it was after one a.m. before everything other than what would be needed to dress in the morning was packed. I concluded that I didn’t have a snowball’s chance of dragging myself out of bed at 3:30 a,m., which I’d need to do to allow enough time to complete the 10-hour drive around Newfoundland and arrive in time to get the 4:30 p.m. ferry back to the mainland. Plus, I probably wouldn’t be a safe driver if I did pull it off. Actually beat the cellphone’s 7 a.m. alarm–one of the few things that’s currently working on the phone while I’m in Canada–by four minutes. Showered, dressed, checked out and was on the road by 8:30 a.m. While the weather was foggy and chilly (nearly noon before the temps rose above 50), thankfully it only rained sporadically throughout the day. In the afternoon,…