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Dear Friends,
Happy New Year! I hope that 2012 is treating you kindly thus far; for my part, it’s certainly begun with a lot of musical excitement. This newsletter has taken a rather prolonged and somewhat unexpected hiatus, but I look forward to being back in touch with you throughout this new year.
Last October I had the privilege to be a guest on the radio show Peace Talks, hosted by Paul Ingles. The resulting effort, The Peace Message in Classical Music, aired on KUNM 89.9 FM Albuquerque on October 28, and was subsequently picked up by several other public radio stations in the United States. You can listen to the show here: prx.org/pieces/68447-the-peace-message-in-classical-music-peace-talks
The choir of Faith Bible Church (Alb, NM), under the direction of Irma Reeder, gave the premiere of the cantata God’s Perfect Love, December 18. This work featured narration and lyrics by long-time collaborator Claire Roth, and was written expressly for the FBC Choir. It was exciting to work with the singers in rehearsal last autumn, as well as to serve as pianist for the performance.
Last year the Albuquerque Civic Chorus (abqchorus.org) commissioned me to write a piece celebrating the centennial of New Mexico statehood. The resulting piece, Enchanted Land, also with lyrics by Claire Roth, was successfully completed in December, and I’ve already received some wonderful comments from choir members. The premiere is scheduled for mid-May, and I will publish dates and locations in advance.
Continue reading January 2012
Dear Friends,
This month’s newsletter will be brief, as I’ve been spending most of my time writing without much in the way of other news to report. The commission for Belgian clarinet choir Claribel is proceeding nicely, and I’m very excited about it. I’m also working on a short Christmas cantata for a local church, have started sketching the piece for Albuquerque Civic Chorus celebrating the 100th anniversary of New Mexico statehood, and am playing with ideas for the inter-generational musical The Mystery of the Cold Wet Nose.
You may remember I mentioned having seen both Spirit Family Reunion and singer-songwriters Eric Brace and Peter Cooper in Nashville last March and how impressed I was by these fine musicians. I’m thrilled to let my friends in the ‘burque area know that Eric Brace (redbeetrecords.com/eric-brace), and two singer-songwriter friends, Phil Lee and Tom Mason, will be making two local stops in August during their current tour.
Monday, August 8th, Eric and friends will be at The Range (505.867.1700) in Bernalillo at 8pm. The Range is the most popular restaurant in Bernalillo, so you’re guaranteed a great meal as well as amazing music! The following night, Tuesday, August 9th, there will be a special all-acoustic performance from the East Nashville Rambling Revue at Apple Mountain Music in Albuquerque (505.237.2048). This will be Eric’s first time in Albuquerque, so I hope you’ll come out and make these brilliant musicians feel welcome! Continue reading July 2011
Dear Friends,
It’s officially summer (in this hemisphere,) and I hope that you have many wonderful activities lined up for a refreshing and productive season. For those of you in deep mid-winter, you have both my sympathy and rather a lot of envy as my thermometer heads toward 100F.
I have two new music projects to announce, and I’m very excited about both of them. Firstly, Verallen Kleinhenz, director of the renowned Albuquerque Civic Chorus, has commissioned a piece celebrating the 100th anniversary of New Mexico Statehood which will be performed on tour throughout 2012. Secondly, I have been asked to write several songs for The Mystery of the Cold, Wet Nose, an inter-generational musical with book and lyrics by Linda Bairstow. This project of the Animal Advocates of the First Unitarian Church in Albuquerque and their supporters is scheduled to premiere in April 2012. As with most artists, it always seems to be feast or famine, and I’m blessed to be enjoying a feast of compositional work at the moment. Continue reading June 2011
Dear Friends,
Many people told me that April sped by them in a whirlwind of activity, and that’s pretty much what happened to me. I hit the ground running in mid-March after returning from Nashville and have only just this week been able to get my head above water for a few days. Meanwhile, lots of exciting things are happening, so I’ll get right to the news!
It seems like the winter term only ended a couple of weeks ago (actually, it did!) but OASIS classes begin again next week, with Showtunes rehearsals starting the last Tuesday in May. Watch for me this summer not only at OASIS, but also at both Osher campuses: in Albuquerque at the University of New Mexico, and in Bernalillo at Del Webb Alegria.
In June and July I’m presenting a four-week class for adults entitled For the Love of Music at the New Mexico School of Music, Nob Hill Campus. This light-hearted introduction to music history and appreciation is designed to emphasise the enduring importance of music in the world and to help students acquire a deeper understanding of music in general. We’re going to have a lot of fun, and I’m really looking forward to the class! If you’re interested in joining us, please call the NMSM Office on 505.266.3474. Continue reading May 2011
I haven’t found a resolution to the amount of spam my website is generating, so comments are still closed. In the meantime – I’ve opened a blog! It will be announced in this month’s newsletter, but you can check it out in advance by visiting janeellen.net. I’ll be blogging regularly on music I’ve discovered, [...]
I have currently disabled comments here due to an overwhelming onslaught of spam. Although I tried to the best of my ability, I am simply unable to moderate hundreds of comments a day (and believe me, these needed moderation!). I need to consult with my web guru to make some decisions about future formatting, [...]
Dear Friends,
There isn’t a lot of news this month, but I’m determined to keep in touch with you on a monthly basis this year, so I’ll get right to the news.
Last week I was fortunate enough to spend several days in Nashville, meeting up with good friends and enjoying all that this beautiful city has to offer. I was truly amazed at how many things we were able to do for free (from Israeli folk dancing, to an exhibit of historic Egyptian artefacts and replicas, to a collection of Fabergé treasures of Tsar Nicholas II and Alexandra, to an onstage concert with members of the Nashville Symphony). We also attended a taping of Music City Roots at the Loveless Café, where we heard an amazing new Americana band, Spirit Family Reunion, and enjoyed singer-songwriters Eric Brace and Peter Cooper, in addition to other acts. Needless to say, I can’t wait to go back, and am looking to make contacts in the city.
Social networks seem to be a love/hate relationship with nearly everyone I know. Many musicians seem to dislike them, but I really love them, and in particular, Facebook. Currently I’m trying to build my artist page on Facebook; in recognition of my 25 years as a published composer I’m giving away free tracks and CDs throughout the year. If you’re using Facebook, I would love for you to “like” my page; it can be found at www.facebook.com/Composer.Jane.Ellen. I’m hoping to reach 100 fans this month. Continue reading March 2011
Dear Friends,
I’m not sure if it’s winter or summer; last week I had boots, hat and gloves whilst this week I’m working in short sleeves. I’m sure the weather will change again before we know it!
On January 12, Radio presenter Tom Quick presented two of my works (‘Keeper of My Heart’ and ‘High King of Heaven’) on his weekly programme Music for the Soul, on FM94.3. He will also feature some of my music on another programme this year, Women in Music: Those Who Write, Those Who Play, on radio FM98.5. Both programmes are accessible through the internet, so as soon as I have details about the second programme I’ll let you know.
Accordionists Dan Wright and Dick Steichen presented The Accordion: Its Origin, Design and Music, January 30, for the Albuquerque Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. As part of their demonstration of accordions in western music, they played their commissioned duo version of my arrangement of German folksongs, Just for the Folk of It. Continue reading February 2011
The Activities page has been updated to include all of my upcoming music classes and lecture presentations at various campuses in the Albuquerque area. This first quarter of the year will find me at OASIS, Osher campuses at UNM and on the west side, the New Mexico School of Music and more! It’s a [...]
Glyn Greenslade’s new album Heartstrings is now available from CDBaby, iTunes, Amazon, and other digital download distributors. Glyn orchestrated ten of my piano solos, added his original composition ‘Heartstrings’, and the result is this amazing album! Released in digital format only, the album has already received international attention. We were fortunate to have [...]
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