I have two Christmas musical traditions: raising my voice enthusiastically - though not always accurately - in the superb Dallas Bach Society's annual Messiah sing-along, and listening to - actually luxuriating in - my recording…
The sounds of nature are all around us all the time wherever we are. But we have to pay attention and somehow listen through the noise of our daily lives. Hearing the music of bird songs, waterfalls, and wind through…
"This high-intensity performance will surely rank as a legend in Dallas musical history."
So writes Dallas Morning News Special Contributor Scott Cantrell following the Dallas Symphony Orchestra's concert performance of Wagner's Die Walkure -- a performance I was fortunate…
I wrote the piano piece "It Tolls for Thee" as a response to the killing of five police officers in Dallas in July of 2016. However, it could have been written in reaction to the mass shooting in Las Vegas…
Our musical community lost a friend and colleague to a freak accident. Drummer Dale Cook played with Peter Nero and Doc Severinsen, among others. He was a first call session player, and can still be heard on many familiar sports…
It's been a musically exhilarating few days. I caught the excellent documentary "Chasing Trane" about John Coltrane - his life and musical journey. And subsequently purchased two more of his albums. I'm streaming the 2017 Cliburn Piano competition and watching…
Emily Dickinson wrote many of her poems in a hymn-like form - with four line stanzas, rhyming schemes, and meter. In her poem "Good Morning, Midnight" her words "sing" in the form of The Blues. What she says and how…Read more
I am always encouraged and rejuvenated after reading this poem. To me it extols creative expression in poetry, music, and the visual arts. It communicates a refreshing attitude toward life. I dwell in Possibility -- A fairer House than Prose… Read more
That title caught my eye. Yes, it refers to Samuel Barber'sAdagio for Strings. Certainly, anyone compiling a "top ten" list would have to include this piece at or near the top. But what is it about this music…Read more