I realised this morning as I logged on to write my blog, that I'd forgotten to post last week. Naughty me. My excuse, if it's worth mentioning, is that with an American wife at home we celebrated Thanksgiving there, and assorted family descended on our house for a long weekend of fellowship and celebration. It's always nice to add an extra festival into your routine, but it did rather dominate the Friday :)Since that rest week at home we've hit the ground running here in the US, travelling through four states and three time zones already. There's never much time to breathe at the start of a Christmas tour, most of the potential gaps filled in with masterclasses, media calls (I have another interview this morning, with an Ottawa newspaper) and time spent with Julian making sure he's up to speed with Christmas repertoire and other aspects of the job that are still new to him.Masterclasses are an increasingly important part of the work we do. One simple reason is that, especially in the US, educational establishments are often the best places for us to perform. The quality of university Performing Arts centres is unbelievable here, and frequently an evening performance is tied to an afternoon masterclass as the institution requires there to be an educational benefit in order for the concert to be agreed. This, to be honest, is no hardship whatsoever for us, and we've developed an enjoyable teaching process that brings quick results as well as allowing fun on stage. Anyone interested should contact our management for more details.On this trip we're singing Herbert Howells' wonderful Three Carol Anthems, all written around the end of the First World War. It surprises me that English composers such as Howells, and also Gerald Finzi, are not well-known in America. Looking ahead to the music of modern giants such as Eric Whitacre and Morten Lauridsen, there is clear inspiration in their style that harks back to Howells' work, and I commend it to any choral enthusiast who is yet to experience his wonderful harmonies, beautiful melodies and text-led style. These particular pieces, "Here is the little door," "A Spotless Rose," and "Sing Lullabye" are up there with the great choral pieces of the 20th Century.
I realised this morning as I logged on to write my blog, that I'd forgotten to post last week. Naughty me. My excuse, if it's worth mentioning, is that with an American wife at home we celebrated Thanksgiving there, and assorted family descended on our house for a long weekend of fellowship and celebration. It's always nice to add an extra festival into your routine, but it did rather dominate the Friday :)Since that rest week at home we've hit the ground running here in the US, travelling through four states and three time zones already. There's never much time to breathe at the start of a Christmas tour, most of the potential gaps filled in with masterclasses, media calls (I have another interview this morning, with an Ottawa newspaper) and time spent with Julian making sure he's up to speed with Christmas repertoire and other aspects of the job that are still new to him.Masterclasses are an increasingly important part of the work we do. One simple reason is that, especially in the US, educational establishments are often the best places for us to perform. The quality of university Performing Arts centres is unbelievable here, and frequently an evening performance is tied to an afternoon masterclass as the institution requires there to be an educational benefit in order for the concert to be agreed. This, to be honest, is no hardship whatsoever for us, and we've developed an enjoyable teaching process that brings quick results as well as allowing fun on stage. Anyone interested should contact our management for more details.On this trip we're singing Herbert Howells' wonderful Three Carol Anthems, all written around the end of the First World War. It surprises me that English composers such as Howells, and also Gerald Finzi, are not well-known in America. Looking ahead to the music of modern giants such as Eric Whitacre and Morten Lauridsen, there is clear inspiration in their style that harks back to Howells' work, and I commend it to any choral enthusiast who is yet to experience his wonderful harmonies, beautiful melodies and text-led style. These particular pieces, "Here is the little door," "A Spotless Rose," and "Sing Lullabye" are up there with the great choral pieces of the 20th Century.
I realised this morning as I logged on to write my blog, that I'd forgotten to post last week. Naughty me. My excuse, if it's worth mentioning, is that with an American wife at home we celebrated Thanksgiving there, and assorted family descended on our house for a long weekend of fellowship and celebration. It's always nice to add an extra festival into your routine, but it did rather dominate the Friday :)Since that rest week at home we've hit the ground running here in the US, travelling through four states and three time zones already. There's never much time to breathe at the start of a Christmas tour, most of the potential gaps filled in with masterclasses, media calls (I have another interview this morning, with an Ottawa newspaper) and time spent with Julian making sure he's up to speed with Christmas repertoire and other aspects of the job that are still new to him.Masterclasses are an increasingly important part of the work we do. One simple reason is that, especially in the US, educational establishments are often the best places for us to perform. The quality of university Performing Arts centres is unbelievable here, and frequently an evening performance is tied to an afternoon masterclass as the institution requires there to be an educational benefit in order for the concert to be agreed. This, to be honest, is no hardship whatsoever for us, and we've developed an enjoyable teaching process that brings quick results as well as allowing fun on stage. Anyone interested should contact our management for more details.On this trip we're singing Herbert Howells' wonderful Three Carol Anthems, all written around the end of the First World War. It surprises me that English composers such as Howells, and also Gerald Finzi, are not well-known in America. Looking ahead to the music of modern giants such as Eric Whitacre and Morten Lauridsen, there is clear inspiration in their style that harks back to Howells' work, and I commend it to any choral enthusiast who is yet to experience his wonderful harmonies, beautiful melodies and text-led style. These particular pieces, "Here is the little door," "A Spotless Rose," and "Sing Lullabye" are up there with the great choral pieces of the 20th Century.
I realised this morning as I logged on to write my blog, that I'd forgotten to post last week. Naughty me. My excuse, if it's worth mentioning, is that with an American wife at home we celebrated Thanksgiving there, and assorted family descended on our house for a long weekend of fellowship and celebration. It's always nice to add an extra festival into your routine, but it did rather dominate the Friday :)Since that rest week at home we've hit the ground running here in the US, travelling through four states and three time zones already. There's never much time to breathe at the start of a Christmas tour, most of the potential gaps filled in with masterclasses, media calls (I have another interview this morning, with an Ottawa newspaper) and time spent with Julian making sure he's up to speed with Christmas repertoire and other aspects of the job that are still new to him.Masterclasses are an increasingly important part of the work we do. One simple reason is that, especially in the US, educational establishments are often the best places for us to perform. The quality of university Performing Arts centres is unbelievable here, and frequently an evening performance is tied to an afternoon masterclass as the institution requires there to be an educational benefit in order for the concert to be agreed. This, to be honest, is no hardship whatsoever for us, and we've developed an enjoyable teaching process that brings quick results as well as allowing fun on stage. Anyone interested should contact our management for more details.On this trip we're singing Herbert Howells' wonderful Three Carol Anthems, all written around the end of the First World War. It surprises me that English composers such as Howells, and also Gerald Finzi, are not well-known in America. Looking ahead to the music of modern giants such as Eric Whitacre and Morten Lauridsen, there is clear inspiration in their style that harks back to Howells' work, and I commend it to any choral enthusiast who is yet to experience his wonderful harmonies, beautiful melodies and text-led style. These particular pieces, "Here is the little door," "A Spotless Rose," and "Sing Lullabye" are up there with the great choral pieces of the 20th Century.
I realised this morning as I logged on to write my blog, that I'd forgotten to post last week. Naughty me. My excuse, if it's worth mentioning, is that with an American wife at home we celebrated Thanksgiving there, and assorted family descended on our house for a long weekend of fellowship and celebration. It's always nice to add an extra festival into your routine, but it did rather dominate the Friday :)Since that rest week at home we've hit the ground running here in the US, travelling through four states and three time zones already. There's never much time to breathe at the start of a Christmas tour, most of the potential gaps filled in with masterclasses, media calls (I have another interview this morning, with an Ottawa newspaper) and time spent with Julian making sure he's up to speed with Christmas repertoire and other aspects of the job that are still new to him.Masterclasses are an increasingly important part of the work we do. One simple reason is that, especially in the US, educational establishments are often the best places for us to perform. The quality of university Performing Arts centres is unbelievable here, and frequently an evening performance is tied to an afternoon masterclass as the institution requires there to be an educational benefit in order for the concert to be agreed. This, to be honest, is no hardship whatsoever for us, and we've developed an enjoyable teaching process that brings quick results as well as allowing fun on stage. Anyone interested should contact our management for more details.On this trip we're singing Herbert Howells' wonderful Three Carol Anthems, all written around the end of the First World War. It surprises me that English composers such as Howells, and also Gerald Finzi, are not well-known in America. Looking ahead to the music of modern giants such as Eric Whitacre and Morten Lauridsen, there is clear inspiration in their style that harks back to Howells' work, and I commend it to any choral enthusiast who is yet to experience his wonderful harmonies, beautiful melodies and text-led style. These particular pieces, "Here is the little door," "A Spotless Rose," and "Sing Lullabye" are up there with the great choral pieces of the 20th Century.
I realised this morning as I logged on to write my blog, that I'd forgotten to post last week. Naughty me. My excuse, if it's worth mentioning, is that with an American wife at home we celebrated Thanksgiving there, and assorted family descended on our house for a long weekend of fellowship and celebration. It's always nice to add an extra festival into your routine, but it did rather dominate the Friday :)Since that rest week at home we've hit the ground running here in the US, travelling through four states and three time zones already. There's never much time to breathe at the start of a Christmas tour, most of the potential gaps filled in with masterclasses, media calls (I have another interview this morning, with an Ottawa newspaper) and time spent with Julian making sure he's up to speed with Christmas repertoire and other aspects of the job that are still new to him.Masterclasses are an increasingly important part of the work we do. One simple reason is that, especially in the US, educational establishments are often the best places for us to perform. The quality of university Performing Arts centres is unbelievable here, and frequently an evening performance is tied to an afternoon masterclass as the institution requires there to be an educational benefit in order for the concert to be agreed. This, to be honest, is no hardship whatsoever for us, and we've developed an enjoyable teaching process that brings quick results as well as allowing fun on stage. Anyone interested should contact our management for more details.On this trip we're singing Herbert Howells' wonderful Three Carol Anthems, all written around the end of the First World War. It surprises me that English composers such as Howells, and also Gerald Finzi, are not well-known in America. Looking ahead to the music of modern giants such as Eric Whitacre and Morten Lauridsen, there is clear inspiration in their style that harks back to Howells' work, and I commend it to any choral enthusiast who is yet to experience his wonderful harmonies, beautiful melodies and text-led style. These particular pieces, "Here is the little door," "A Spotless Rose," and "Sing Lullabye" are up there with the great choral pieces of the 20th Century.
I realised this morning as I logged on to write my blog, that I'd forgotten to post last week. Naughty me. My excuse, if it's worth mentioning, is that with an American wife at home we celebrated Thanksgiving there, and assorted family descended on our house for a long weekend of fellowship and celebration. It's always nice to add an extra festival into your routine, but it did rather dominate the Friday :)Since that rest week at home we've hit the ground running here in the US, travelling through four states and three time zones already. There's never much time to breathe at the start of a Christmas tour, most of the potential gaps filled in with masterclasses, media calls (I have another interview this morning, with an Ottawa newspaper) and time spent with Julian making sure he's up to speed with Christmas repertoire and other aspects of the job that are still new to him.Masterclasses are an increasingly important part of the work we do. One simple reason is that, especially in the US, educational establishments are often the best places for us to perform. The quality of university Performing Arts centres is unbelievable here, and frequently an evening performance is tied to an afternoon masterclass as the institution requires there to be an educational benefit in order for the concert to be agreed. This, to be honest, is no hardship whatsoever for us, and we've developed an enjoyable teaching process that brings quick results as well as allowing fun on stage. Anyone interested should contact our management for more details.On this trip we're singing Herbert Howells' wonderful Three Carol Anthems, all written around the end of the First World War. It surprises me that English composers such as Howells, and also Gerald Finzi, are not well-known in America. Looking ahead to the music of modern giants such as Eric Whitacre and Morten Lauridsen, there is clear inspiration in their style that harks back to Howells' work, and I commend it to any choral enthusiast who is yet to experience his wonderful harmonies, beautiful melodies and text-led style. These particular pieces, "Here is the little door," "A Spotless Rose," and "Sing Lullabye" are up there with the great choral pieces of the 20th Century.
