Welcome! I decided to use this site as an archive of the pieces I've performed with the Seattle Symphony Chorale (and, I suppose, if and when I get a paying gig, the other stuff I sing in public places). All opinions are strictly my own, unless otherwise noted (I intend to copy the text of any reviews of the performances in which I participate; obviously, as a non-soloist at this point, my name will never be mentioned specifically, but I can still recall a warm glow from the memory...)

In the interest of public education, I will also make available what I have been able to glean from exhaustive minutes scanning the Internet on the history and background of each piece, so that you, gentle reader, will have a better idea of what to expect should you attend a performance of said piece of music. It is often useful to know the situation in the composer's life that led to/contributed/affected the composition of the music; the period obviously colors how it turns out, as does the composer's state of mind and lifestyle, social situation and standing, etc. It also, purely incidentally, gives me a place to air my opinions on tne piece, from the perspective of someone on the stage; I've discovered just how different the music sounds and feels beneath the bright lights.

As I write them, I will include links to each article here. Perhaps one day when I figure out how, I may even make the timeline below clickable, but for now, it's just ornamentation.

A bit on how to behave to the symphony
Getting a Handel on "Messiah"

Roll over, Beethoven -- The 9th Symphony

A feast for the senses -- Belshazzar's Feast

Hail to the (quasi) Ghostwriter - Mozart's Requiem

Play it Loud -- Beethoven's Missa Solemnis

Czech it out: The Glagolitic Mass

Carmina Burana -- Wine, Women and Song

NOTE: I have been asked why I feel qualified to write anything about these pieces, because I come off sounding scholarly about a subject I may not actually know anything about. I can only say that the opinions expressed on these pages are mine alone, and I base them solely on what I have been able to learn from a little bit of research and what I have discovered while singing the music itself. I do not claim to be an ethnomusicologist, nor do I possess any vast knowledge of music history or theory, and do not hold an advanced degree in music or music history -- I'm just giving you my impression of the pieces I've performed in front of an audience, and if you're a really good audience, I'll follow up with my impression of Ronald Reagan, a decent prat fall I've been working on, and possibly some fart jokes for good measure. In other words, take what I write with a grain of salt. Satisfied? Happy now? Good. Click on!

Updated: June 1, 2007
Feel free to link to this page!