Hi Jerry and everybody,

Well, I don't have much new to report. My choral group is doing a bunch of things--including the Poulenc Stabat Mater and a piece of Amy Beach (Anybody know anything by her?)

I'm not smitten with either piece really--the Beach is rather bombastic for my taste. My bombast threshold is low, I suppose.

The Poulenc has a lot of jarring chords--it's, after all, about portraying pain--why do we seem to do that sort of piece in late winter, when I would guess many people want friendlier music? It does have "In Paradisum" and some parts are gorgeous.

Then smaller group is doing Missa Criolla--a wonderful piece--folk-flavored
Argentine mass. With all sorts of instruments--(charango--small Andean-type guitar--), pan-pipes--type instrument, percussion, 3 vocal soloists. Our recording of the Missa Criolla (and Missa Luba and Navidad Nuestra) has just won a WAMMY--Washington Area Music award. There are lots of categories in WAMMIES. Our recording wasn't even recorded as well as it should have been---sounds like we're in a cave--unless you crank the volume up.

We just sang the Missa Criolla in a Borders today--and Sunday we'll do it at the Baird Auditorium (Smithsonian).

The piece is absolutely delightful--haunting, and very evocative of- (my picture at least) --of a mass in an Argentine village.

I've just learned today that the Missa Criolla was the first mass written after Vatican II made vernacular masses OK.


And a small group is doing a Bach cantata. I signed up for the auditions, but when the list of chosen singers came out, I wasn't on it. Then I finally realized I hadn't shown up for the audition--got caught up at work and totally forgot. (Usually the conductor just picks people from the list of interested singers). So I won't be doing the Bach. First time I've totally forgotten an audition. I just have to write them from now on on as many calendars as I have--and Jan and I have quite a few, due mainly to supporting environmental groups.