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RSSArchive for the ‘music’ CategoryEin Deutsches Requiem!Posted May 16th, 2010 by Jen in features, germany, music1 Comment » Today was full of beautiful things, the highlight being attending the Central Oregon Symphony’s presentation of Brahms’ German Requiem, joined by the Cascade Chorale and Central Oregon Mastersingers. My dear friends Jane and Julia were my company, along with the heavenly music, from cellos and violins to the lone harp that Julia was so happy to be just five rows away from. My mom was supposed to go with Jane and me, but wasn’t feeling well, so I called Julia at the last minute, and she was able to meet us there in a moment’s notice! She was really meant to be there, I told her. She has a thing for the harp, and had the best seat in the house for harp viewing! Due to our late arrival, we were instructed to go down to the front left, directly in front of the lovely lady plucking the long strings. And I learned that Julia hadn’t been to the symphony since she was a child, so this was a treasured time. I totally owed her for taking my kids for me when Luke had his surgery last month, so the requiem was my requital. The Requiem begins: “Selig sind, die da Leid tragen, denn sie sollen getrostet werden,” or “Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.” I do wish that I’d had the program to follow along with (being late the ushers had left their places), as I don’t understand German, but I’m sitting here tonight going over the text and translation, hoping to someday hear this again with more understanding. But music does transcend translation, and it all still spoke to me.
I had worked in my garden for several hours just before heading out for the concert, and returned home to a refreshing spring rain. I had been fretting about not watering my little seedlings prior to leaving. Oh, for patience. Michael Gesme is the music director and conducter of the Central Oregon Symphony, and if you ever have the opportunity to see him, it’s an entertaining treat. He is an active conductor, so energetic and lively, and I did see him jump fully several inches at least once! Thank you, Johannes Brahms, for a lovely afternoon.
Technorati Tags: Central Oregon Symphony, Michael Gesme, Johannes Brahms, Ein deutsches Requiem, A German Requiem  Christmas Music: Annie Moses Band!Posted December 6th, 2008 by Jen in education, family life, features, holidays, music, religion4 Comments » Do you have a favorite Christmas song or album? I discovered my latest rave last Christmas, as I heard a completely unique rendition of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” come over the airwaves.See what I mean? I’m talking an amazing mix of contemporary Christian with classical strings that is now called “chamber pop,” delivered up with the voice of an angel, and to top it off, this is a family band. I love family bands, and this one, the Annie Moses Band, goes well beyond what you might see at the county fair. About the Annie Moses Band: First, this is a family outfit, whose members include parents Bill (composer/arranger/pianist) and Robin (lyricist/vocalist) Wolaver and their children: Annie, Alex, Benjamin, Gretchen, Camille, and Jeremiah, in ages ranging from twenty-four down to ten.
Their music is fused with jazz, bluegrass, classical, celtic, country, and pop sounds, and is hard to define, but overall, there is a message of hope and love through Jesus Christ. Their latest Christmas album, This Glorious Christmas, was just released in October, and includes God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen and other classics, as well as another of my new favorites, the soulful Bethlehem House of Bread. The lead singer, Annie Wolaver, is named after her great-grandmother, Annie Moses. Annie shared about her namesake:
What an inspiring story! I am addicted to their sound, stirred by their spirit. The Annie Moses Band cares deeply about the next generation, and hosts a Fine Arts Summer Academy where students can play with the band and other teachers and mentors.
If you’re in the Nashville, Tennessee area, and would like some fun, challenging music training for your young one, ages 4 through college-age, don’t miss this! Mark your calendars for July 10-25, 2009. I’m on the other side of the country in Oregon, and this isn’t an option for me. However, I have friends here in Central Oregon who attend a similar, smaller-scale, music camp with another amazingly talented local family, so check out the Booher Family Music Camp held in Sisters, Oregon. So, tell me, what music is awakening your soul this Christmas season? Had you ever heard of the Annie Moses Band before? Technorati Tags: Booher Family Music Camp, Bethehem House of Bread, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Christmas music, music, music education, Annie Moses Band When Trials ComePosted November 19th, 2008 by Jen in music, religion8 Comments » When Trials Come, sung by Margaret Becker (a long time favorite artist of mine), words and music by Keith Getty. You’ll love this Celtic-style song and the images of Ireland on this video. The album it’s from is full of Irish hymns and it’s on my wish list! Stand fast in the trials, dear ones. Making MusicPosted May 11th, 2008 by Jen in education, features, music12 Comments »
Julie teaches private piano lessons, and she was kind enough to answer some questions for my blog readers. She is in high demand and has a waiting list for after-school hours, but for homeschooled students who can fill in earlier school hours, you’re in luck! Julie and her husband, Cory O’Neill, run Joyful Noise Music Studios in Redmond, Oregon, and between the two of them, offer a wide range of piano and guitar classes. A side note on Cory: coming up is his fabulous summer guitar camp for beginning and intermediate students, June 16-20. Classes are for 9 – 14 year old beginners, 15 year old – adult beginners, and then an intermediate class. Class includes 5 hours of instruction, CD with all the music and a binder with all the music. Held at Redmond Music Supply. For more information, contact the O’Neills at corynjulie[at]gmail[dot]com. I asked Julie to include some details here on her little bro, David Klinkenberg, who, if you haven’t heard, is the most amazing fiddle player ever, and shares his sister’s really awesome, silly sense of humor. I can’t remember when I’ve been to a concert and seen such a dynamic connection between a performer and his audience. Jen: How did you get started with teaching private piano lessons?
Jen: You and your husband are both involved in music ministry and music education; with your children, are you able to trade off the childcare and the teaching and cover for each other, or how does this work?
Jen: I’d love for you to share a little bit of your latest adventure with touring with your brother, David Klinkenberg. I’m a big fan of his (and yours) and want to make sure my readers get a chance to hear about this piece of your life.
Jen: It’s neat how both you and your brother are such musical talents, and I know your brother started really young. What advice would you give to parents of young children who don’t have a lot of money to spend on private lessons but still want their kids to get a music education?
Jen: You have many interests besides music. You’re an avid runner and you also like to write, educate people on health issues, do photography and quilting, and you’re a soccer mom, among other things. How do you find balance?
Didn’t you just love this time with Julie? If you’re lucky enough to live in Central Oregon, and have kids, you may want to explore the possibility of music lessons with Joyful Noise Music Studios. If you’re a stay-at-home mom with musical talent, and have been wondering how to bring in additional income, I hope you’ve been inspired to take the leap and start teaching. And I’ll be sure to let you know if Julie and David are coming to a town near you.
Technorati Tags: Central Oregon, guitar camp, Kindermusik, David Klinkenberg, piano lessons, music education, music Be Thou My VisionPosted April 16th, 2008 by Jen in music, religion13 Comments » Do you have a favorite hymn? Linnet’s Nest asked this question, and shared hers. Thank you, Linnet, that was beautiful. I think Linnet should do a podcast sometime so we can all hear the lovely British accent that I know she has. My favorite hymn is Be Thou My Vision. I love the gentleness of the song, woven throughout with a call for God’s constant presence and guiding hand in our lives. This is a traditional Irish hymn, and hands down the best recording I’ve ever heard is performed by Van Morrison. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find this on YouTube, so I’ve presented here Fernando Oretega’s version. While it is still moving, the man is clearly not Irish, as Van Morrison is, and somehow I just like to hear an Irish man sing a traditional Irish song. You can find Van Morrison’s Be Thou My Vision on his CD Hymns to the Silence. When we homechurch, we always play Van’s version and sing with him – my kids love it, we love it, and I’ll bet you would be moved. But here is Fernando Ortega with Be Thou My Vision: Is this a Christian song or a coffee commercial?Posted March 12th, 2008 by Jen in music, religion4 Comments » This is a poignant song by some very talented ladies, but darn it, I mistake it for a Folger’s commercial every time. I thought it was just me. But I confessed to my husband this evening that Point of Grace was sounding like an old coffee jingle, like…, “Folgers,” he finished my sentence. It’s the first lines that get me – one of Folger’s commercials starts with “Every day I wake up,” and Point of Grace (How You Live) says “Wake up to the sunlight.” That wake up part, with the same sort of rhythm and feel, and suddenly I’m grabbing for that second cup.
Technorati Tags: coffee, commercial, Folger’s Coffee, How You Live, Point of Grace, Folger’s coffee commercial, Christian music, TV jingle In the Spirit of Rich MullinsPosted September 18th, 2007 by Jen in music, religion14 Comments » September 19, 2007 marks the 10 year anniversary of the death of Rich Mullins. As you can see, the only other music review I’ve done is on Mullins, in my first month of blogging. You can read more about his life there, and how I first met his music. People remember where they were during monumental events. Like when JFK or MLK were shot. I wasn’t born yet for those events, but I do remember exactly where I was when I heard Rich Mullins had died. He was already my favorite musician. I was standing in my classroom full of 3rd graders at Bailey Hill Elementary in Eugene, and my husband was just arriving to pick me up at the end of the day. These were the times of our tiny duplex and one car. It was a Monday, and the news had just come over the Christian radio that over the weekend, Rich Mullins was killed in an automobile accident. He and I were both shaken and saddened. It was eerie to think that Rich had sung “When I leave I want to go out like Elijah.”
With this ten year anniversary upon us, it’s good to give honor and remembrance to a man I think of as a poet, a prophet, and a friend. When my husband hears a really great worship leader, he’ll say, “He has the spirit of Rich Mullins.” There have been very few he’s said that about, because it’s a rare quality. How to capture the essence of that spirit in words is difficult. It’s a humility-authenticity-passion-straight out of the heart of God kind of quality. To carry on the “Spirit of Rich Mullins,” we can practice authentic worship and heart-felt serving. He was the kind of guy to stay up all night to talk to a friend in need. The kind of guy to not just talk about caring for the orphan and the widow, but actually doing it. The person who could easily have gathered worldly riches for himself but gave it all away. What an amazing example of Love. Rich MullinsPosted February 25th, 2007 by Jen in music4 Comments » My favorite musician; if you haven’t listened to this man, definitely find him. Deeply poetic and thought provoking, Rich Mullins’ music is a spiritual experience. You can feel in every note that he is fully focused on Jesus and absolutely authentic.
Most know “Awesome God,” which is a lot like (I think) “Sing Your Praise to the Lord,” which he wrote for Amy Grant before we ever heard Mullins sing it. I saw Rich in concert in Eugene, Oregon, in about 1992. He came on stage in his bare feet and t-shirt and jeans, and walked right out into the audience to be near us. I think he was altogether uncomfortable with being up front and everyone else being out there. Rich didn’t quite fit into the traditional Christian music industry. He did some pretty non-mainstream things like take a vow of poverty and spent the last part of his life on an Indian Reservation teaching music to the children. I was first introduced to Rich’s music by a college roommate, Julie. One evening, Julie put this tape in the player (I had no CDs then), and got out two cups for us to play with. She taught me the “cup game” to “Screendoor” – It’s about as useless as/A screen door on a submarine /Faith without works baby /It just ain’t happenin’/…which, by the way, is also a great song and a great musical rendition of the heart of James (the apostle). Julie, where are you? Somewhere in Texas. Those were some *very* fun days, and I even remember you writing a fan letter to Rich. :-) Forgot to mention, but some readers may not have heard of Rich Mulllins, so wouldn’t know that he died in a tragic car accident in 1997. So you won’t find any current music… If you don’t have any of his music, I’d begin with “A Liturgy, A Legacy, & A Ragamuffin Band.” Be prepared to spend a lot of time thinking about the complex metaphors and listening to some unusual and beautiful instrumentation. And then read “A Ragamuffin Gospel” by Brennan Manning, from which book Rich borrowed the name of his band. But don’t read it if you don’t want your life to be changed, as Michael W. Smith says in the foreword. The Color Green, from A Liturgy, A Legacy, & A Ragamuffin Band And the moon is a sliver of silver Be praised for all Your tenderness by these works of Your hands And the wrens have returned and they’re nesting Be praised for all Your tenderness by these works of Your hands Be praised for all Your tenderness by these works of Your hands |
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I met Julie at a church women’s retreat a few months after moving to Central Oregon. I’d seen her leading worship on several occasions, and thought somebody should turn up the mike. I was thrilled when we ended up rooming together at the retreat. That first night was the typical stay-up-half-the-night-talking-women’s-thing. It seems like I’ve known Julie forever, but I guess it’s only been about 3 1/2 years! This is a picture of us last summer at Drake Park in Bend, catching up while our kids played with the ducks.
