The Fredösphere

The Vocal Arts Ensemble of Ann Arbor sang my Ben Franklin piece Saturday night, and they did a great job.  The audience laughed their heads off, but that was a good sign, considering it was a comedy number.  I enjoyed watching every choir member lean forward as they approached the punchline ending with the word "cows" to make sure no one missed it.  (Really.)  I've been promised a recording, and you'll be the first to hear it when I get it.

(I'm not being rude by failing to link to the VAE website, incidentally, since they don't have one.  Well, actually they do have one, but it hasn't been updated since something like 1934, I think.)

Director Ben Cohen is especially good at programming, and I can commend to your attention The Choral New Yorker by Irving Fine, a setting of poems from a high-culture magazine called ... called ... well, the name escapes me now, but I think it had something to do with Newark.  The "Newarker" maybe, although that doesn't seem quite right.  Check out especially "Hen Party" which you can read here by scrolling about half way down.

Labels: Composition