I’m pleased to announce that my new album, Following My Heart, has now been officially released! 15 people won pre-release copies during promotional contests on Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter, and now you can get your copy too! Both the new CD and the re-release of the holiday album Flowers in Winter are available directly from me; I will be selling them at all personal appearances, and via postal order. As always I’m happy to sign copies, and if you’re in my area, delivery to your door may be possible by special arrangement. The new album will be available shortly on CDBaby.com and iTunes, as well as other major digital and brick and mortar distributors; in the meantime, you can already download individual tracks from Broadjam and DigStation. Please see my website for more details, or drop me an email!
Speaking of my website, the newly designed Jane Ellen Official Website is now live to coincide with the release of my latest CD. You’ll find it at the same familiar address, janeellen.com, but you’ll notice it has been given a complete makeover by webdesigner Marcia Edgar. I am absolutely thrilled with the new look and look forward to its being much more interactive than before. There are still a few features that need to be put in place, but if you’ve not visited in a while, please drop by and check it out. One of the best new features – soon to be activated – will be the ability to stream all of my recorded tracks without leaving my website. This way you can hear the full track before you decide which album or tracks you’d like to purchase at your favourite music outlet.
Next Sunday, November 8th, I will be presenting a programme introducing my new CD Following My Heart for the Albuquerque Unitarian Universalist Fellowship which meets in the Center for Peace and Justice near UNM at 11am. I will be playing tracks from the album as well as performing several pieces live. The evening of November 8th I will be appearing on the international internet radio show You Be the Judge, during which selections from my new CD will be played. The programme can be accessed at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ohioruthie 10:00PM EST. Plans continue to make the wonderful album Heartstrings by UK composer Glyn Greenslade (a compilation of Glyn’s arrangements of my work which also includes one of his brilliant original compositions) available for digital download; fingers crossed for a December release!
In other news, this year I received my 20th consecutive annual award from ASCAP, and frequent collaborator, lyricist Claire Roth, received her eighth. I’m happy to report that Mass of the Faithful was used in worship at Our Lady of the Annunciation this past summer; pianist Wilma Gantz has continued her support of my music with performances of my arrangements of In the Garden and I Need Thee Every Hour (October 6th) and Softly and Tenderly and This is My Father’s World (October 20th) for the La Vida Llena Lifecare Music Ministry. KC Café Internet Radio (www.kccaferadio.com) continues their support of my albums, and DJ Haru of Happyday Newage Radio (inewage.com/happyday/) in South Korea, will also be adding my new album to his playlist.
Work continues for the Sigma Alpha Iota American Composers Bureau, I’m already scheduled to teach eight classes for OASIS in the winter term, and I am hopeful that the proposed series of music history and appreciation classes can be offered through the New Mexico School of Music this winter/spring. I’m currently checking my schedule against that of the school, and I will send out a special newsletter as soon as plans are definite. In the meantime, if you fall into the adult category for the class (out of high school, no age limit), and are interested in taking the class, please email me and let me know what time would work best for you. Weekly morning classes are always a possibility, as well as evening.
