| Can you believe we’re already halfway into the year? Where does the time go? Since my house concert Cosy Così in January, I’ve scarcely had time to learn any repertoire of my own outside all of the pieces for religious services and various concerts. It’s been an especially full season at Holy Family Roman Catholic Church where I am one of 2 altos in our 7-person ensemble. We usually only sing works from the Renaissance, which we prepare either a few days before the service or just an hour before. It’s challenging, but very rewarding work. Last month we had a few extra services to honor the church’s patron saint, Philip Neri, and we had the rare opportunity to sing contemporary works. I particularly enjoyed singing Jonathan Dove’s “Vadam et circuibo” for 9 voices. I’m looking forward to a slower pace this summer, when I’ll have time to get back to my beloved Lieder and artsong. Suzanne and I are recording more material this month, which I hope will be in CD form in time for our next house concert: “Decadent Delights: Music from the Second Viennese School.” Full disclosure: there will be cake. As always, this summer promises to be full of adventure and change. My husband and I are in the process of buying our first home, which is an adventure in itself! There are so many things to consider: commute time, proximity to amenities, wood floors versus carpets. But of course, the most important thing is to have enough space for gardens, all of our instruments, and pets-to-be! We’re also hoping to visit the east coast of Canada, which should be a bit more leisurely than our Toronto-to-Vancouver Island excursion of last summer. I want to see the famous Bay of Fundy with its tides of epic proportion, although I realize that I’ll have to wait several hours to witness this change. I’ll be taking a break from my monthly newsletter until September, but will keep you informed of upcoming concerts, as always. I’ll leave you with one of my favorite Mignon-inspired pieces – “Connais-tu le pays?“ Enjoy and have a relaxing Summer! Daniella |
The Eternal Feminine CD is now available for purchase on my website!
