Honor Choir Auditions are in the air!! 809 Studio is proud of these students for auditioning making these District and State Honor Choirs NW KMEA District Middle Level Beth Bowles KCDA State Treble Choir Samantha Albiin Beth Bowles Brynn Kinderknecht KMEA State Middle Level Choir Seth Tripp NW KMEA District High School Honor Choir Sierra […]
Yesterday I had the honor of accompanying my daughter Shelby as she sang at her Great Grandma’s funeral. The music on that day was not for the purpose of entertainment or to feed the ego of the performer. Once again, I was reminded that the arts are not expendable. The arts are an essential part […]
It was a great experience for my students to host the Garden City High School A Cappella choir under the direction of Jane Vanderhoff. Here are just a few of the positives: The reason for the Arts in Education was on display The experience of singing in such a beautiful resonant space The educational value […]
December, the end of 2016, is a good time to think about “how you are going to get better” in the new year. I enjoy reading Dr. Noa Kageyama’s blog The Bulletproof Musician. This guy brings interesting research to bare on the art of practice and performance. His topics are helpful and create margin […]
I am disappointed that the Hays AMC Theatre is not showing the Florence Foster Jenkins movie featuring Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant, and Simon Helberg. The movie opened this weekend. I was first introduced to her voice by my college roommate, Tracy Russell. It made me smile and laugh big time — in fact I don’t […]
Josh Tanguay of Clinical Associates of Hays led a two day team building workshop with the HHS Chamber Singers. Monday, Josh led the 28 students from experiencing frustration as a member of a dysfunctional team to experiencing the essential ingredients in a functional team. The importance of individual leadership, working together, and focusing on a […]
“A Mystic,” that is how musicologist Nick Strimple described composer Morten Lauridsen. The 2014 movie, Shining Night, is a window into the life of this American composer. Shining Night looks at Lauridsen’s relationship to art, nature, spirituality, and his love of poetry. The movie takes you to a cabin on Waldron Island and reveals deep […]
The Ad Astra Music Festival concludes a very enjoyable 2016 season with the presentation of Handel’s Jephtha. Come and enjoy this suspenseful drama sung by the Ad Astra Chamber Choir and Festival Orchestra with some fantastic soloist. It will be presented two times this weekend.
While in Russell today working on a noisy piano pedal at the Deines Cultural Center, I had some extra time and walked down to a local coffee shop. There sat John Bitsas Ad Astra Young Artist bass-baritone who recently graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from Simpson College. John was there interviewing […]