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PSU Chamber Choir Concert

I haven't blogged for a while.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that it was because I'm just not sure how all the different areas of my life would be able to intersect. Everyone who knows me now, as a professor of choral music, may not be all that interested my musings on faith. Those who only know me as a minister and pastor may not be interested in choral music. And then, of course, there is the parenting angle, which is pretty much what I am consumed with most of the time these days anyway, and people without kids definitely don't want to hear about the latest saga in parental discipline.

Well, I finally came to the conclusion that these are all part of who I am, so I shouldn't necessarily keep them all separate. So, although many of you know that I was hired at Portland State University as the Director of Choral Activities, none of you had the opportunity to hear our first choral concert, so I thought I would share some of it. We only had six weeks to prepare it, so it's a little rough around the edges. But, overall I was impressed with the choir's talent and hard work, and considering we were all just getting used to each other, I was very pleased.

Of course, the irony isn't lost on me that I'm writing this post while watching the latest episode of Glee.

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We opened with a Renaissance motet by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina called Veni sponsa Christi.

12 Veni Sponsa Christi

Next we did a set of three latin motets by contemporary Danish composer Niels LaCour.

13 3 Mottetti Latini _ 1. Hodie Christus natus est

14 3 Mottetti Latini _ 2. Ave Maria

15 3 Mottetti Latini _ 3. Laudate Dominum

That set was followed by two settings of e.e. cummings poems. The first was a setting of "i will wade out" by Eric Whitacre. The second was JAC Redford's setting of "love is the every only god."

16 i will wade out

17 love is the every only god

Finally, we ended with a set of two pieces from South America. The first was "Mata del anima sola" by Antonio Estévez. The second was "Salseo" by Oscar Galian.

18 Mata del anima sola

19 Salseo

As I said, I was really pleased. There is a lot of room for improvement, but for where we are in the year I thought it was great. I hope those of you who were interested enough to listen enjoyed what you heard!

poetry censorship faith

I was recently told by a local church that I would not be able to use their sanctuary for a choral concert. They prefer only sacred music, but evaluate each musical program on a case-by-case basis, and usually a few secular works in a program are not a problem.

My choral program this term contains two settings of e.e. cummings poetry. They didn't have a problem with "love is the every only god," but they did have a problem with "i will wade out" (titled "crepuscule" in Eight Harvard Poets).

I will wade out

                           till my thighs are steeped in burn-

ing flowers

I will take the sun in my mouth

and leap into the ripe air

                                            Alive

                                                      with closed eyes

to dash against darkness

                                             in the sleeping curves of my

body

Shall enter fingers of smooth mastery

with chasteness of sea-girls

                                                 Will I complete the mystery

of my flesh

I will rise

                After a thousand years

lipping

flowers

              And set my teeth in the silver of the moon

I can't really figure out what the problem is. The music director said this poem was just "too much," but I can't figure out what it is too much of. I know my views may be skewed a little, but as a person of faith who happens to also be an ordained Christian minister, I honestly can't find anything offensive in this. Is it the sea-girls? The fingers of smooth mastery? Does anyone know what e.e. cummings poetry is about anyway?

The ironic thing is that they didn't seem to have a problem with Brahms' O Schöne Nacht, which ends with the line "the young man steals away softly to his lover."

Anyone have any ideas???

Beacon Rock

We just climbed to the top of Beacon Rock in the Columbia River Gorge. Beacon Rock is the second largest free standing basalt formation behind the Rock of Gibralter. It was pretty cool!

Horsetail Falls

Hiking today in the Columbia River Gorge. We're at Horsetail Falls in this pic.

After Dinner Treats

Mobile Banking

I'm sitting on the train on my way to work, and I just discovered that my awesome bank (USAA) will let me deposit checks with my iPhone and built-in camera, via their mobile app. INCREDIBLE!!

Now, if only someone would send me a check so I could try it out...

Summer '09 - Day 14

We spent a few days trekking north to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. While there, we visited Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I'm not sure the precise difference between the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Smoky Mountains, and the Appalachian Mountains, but I think the Smokies are part of the Blue Rigde, which are part of the Appalachians. And by the way, it's "ap-a-LATCH-ans," not "ap-a-LAY-chans." Here we are in front of the Blue Smoky Appalachians.

Ever since I was a kid I've wondered why people take pictures in front of signs. Are we really apt to forget where a picture was taken if we aren't in front of a huge sign that says "Smoky Mountains National Park?" With his 8mm movie camera, my dad always filmed a "title" shot, which was nice when you had no sound and couldn't edit, even though the Coliseum was a dead giveaway we were in Rome. So just to prove we were actually there, here's the sign.

Anyway, on to the rest of the trip. In the park, there is an area called Cade's Cove, which is a nice low, flat area where settlers once farmed. A lot of the old buildings are there - some of them have been moved, but many have not. It was a nice combination of nature and history, and a good way to spend a half a day.

One of the neat things about Cade's Cove is that because of its geographical properties, it's a great place to see wildlife - specifically black bear. We saw four while we were there. At some points, it was pretty comical. All traffic on the tiny one-way road would grind to a halt as dozens of people climbed out of their cars and halfway up the hillside to photograph these cute, fuzzy, lazy-looking wild animals that can run 30 m.p.h. and tear your entrails out with one paw. But I digress. Here's one in a tree, and yes, although I have a 10x zoom, I was a lot closer than I should have been.

This was a really fun day. But the real reason we came up to Gatlinburg? Yep. Dollywood, baby.

Summer '09 - Day 6-12

Not everything we've done is so exciting. We spend a while just kind of hanging out. I did polish my car, though. You know that new Subaru commercial where the guy says "I don't wash my Outback. I just let nature take care of it"? Well, it's LIES, all LIES. I have a problem with washing my car, and the paint job is pretty lousy now. I did find a nice polish though, and the kids helped me. It's actually a nice green now, instead of that dull gray-green color it was!

While we were there, Cason and Jack also went to VBS with my mom during the weekday mornings. I don't have any pictures, but if I get some I'll post them. Other than that, we hung out on the front porch alot.

Summer '09 - Day 5

A summer trip to my parents' place in Alabama wouldn't be complete without a trip to Chattanooga. We love the Children's Discovery Museum, the aquarium, and everything about the place. Down by the river, there is a great antique carousel that the kids love to ride.

The Walnut Street Bridge was build in 1890. It was closed to vehicle traffic in 1978, and is now one of the longest pedestrian bridges in the world.

Another place we frequent when we're in Chattanooga is Clumpie's Ice Cream. The ice cream is great, and it's got a lot of Chattanooga charm!

Summer '09 - Day 4

When Elisa posted pictures of Noccalula Falls on Facebook, it didn't take too long for people to start making comments like, "where is THAT?" and "I didn't know Alabama had places like that!" It's a really pretty place, and like a lot of Northeast Alabama, pretty unexpected. Here's a shot of Dr. Cottrell and Dr. Cottrell. I'll let you figure out which one is which.

Noccalula Falls park has some beautiful scenery.

It also has a train, a wildlife petting park, and a pioneer village.