Michigan's Upper Peninsula: Had a great time working with ca. 60+ selected high school kids from five schools for 2.5 days up in the glorious fall weather of the UP. We were in a great camp right on Big Bay of Lake Superior. We did only five pieces but did them well in Northern Michigan University's wonderful new recital hall. It was great to see the organizer of the event, Sharon Green, who was in the Arts Chorale there during my first year of collegiate teaching up there in Marquette, where I went exactly forty years ago to begin my career. Dang, time flies! Also saw Katie Gravelle and Kathy Nyquist, both of whom were also in the Arts Chorale during my brief two years in that northern paradise (of sorts). And as if that weren't enough, I had dinner with about nine of the original Marquette Choral Society that I and about a dozen community folks up there began in 1971 and that is still going and still about 100 strong. Talk about memories! I thought they and I would all be dead by now!
Rob Istad in Huntsville: Great to see him work with Erin's two groups on great music and to hear his superb presentation on the interpretation of Romantic music. He is bright, musical, hardworking, organized, talented, and a real charmer. He's also been Erin's best friend since they terrorized the choral department at USC during their years in graduate school. They're still unstoppable, and Erin's students loved hearing the two of them reminisce about foreign tours and mountain retreats over a table crowded with food, bourbon and beer at Chili's. As their primary professor and conductor in grad school, I'm very proud of both of them as people and professionals. You will continue to hear more of them as time goes by, and not just from me.
'Dehning Does It Again:' Yup. Another screed about my favorite professional topic, this time in the Letters to the Editor section of November's Choral Journal, which has been out for a couple of weeks. Been getting approving plaudits (is that redundant?) about it via email, which is nice of course. Just wonder what my colleagues who may disapprove might have to say. Then again, maybe I don't really wanna know. If you want to see it and don't get the magazine, email me and I can send it to you. It's really too long to post here and most of the folks who might read this thing probably really don't give a rip, anyway.
So. An enjoyable month, professionally. Now back to college football . . .
