Hope's God Moment (Christmas Music #12)

Be careful, she said, the ferns will take over your whole yard. Lucky me. 

If Hope, my grandma were alive, she would be 99. She died eight years ago today. It was the moment I spent my whole childhood dreading. She was the world to me. It was okay. We were okay. I'm so lucky she got to meet Mary and Calvin. We were blessed in a million ways. I called her Mama, because that's what my mom called her. And that's why my kids call me, mama.

This morning I was running on empty, four hours of sleep, from the Christmas-list-wire-you-in-the-night-elf's visit. I went to the shelf looking for some inspiration for the day. I pulled down "The Mystery of Holy Night" by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. It was skinny and looked manageable for 20 minutes. About that moment my calendar app notified me that it was the anniversary of Mama's death. As I opened the thin advent devotional, there on the inside cover was my handwriting. "To Mama, with blessed memories of special Christmases. I love you, Sara." Dated 1997. Most of the time she was giving me books, but in 1997 I guess it was my turn. She gave it back to me upon her death. I thumbed through it and two book marks fell out. They were just simple paper, cut from the renewal insert cards of "The Lutheran" periodical. It was a sacred moment. A tap on the shoulder from an angel. She would have called it a God moment.

On Christmas Eve I would walk down to the Jack and Jill grocery store with her, and there was always snow. Always. Today, Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" is reminding me of her and those Christmas memories. Of course I have extended writing about this from various special times when I felt the strong need for documentation. Another blog, I'll write them all out. It will be like the single spaced typed two page Christmas letter you get from a distant college friend. You might have to skim. It's mostly for me anyway.

I miss you, Mama. Thanks for the God moments.
Sara

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9QLn7gM-hY

The Sum is Greater Than the Parts in Our Musical Community (Christmas Music #11)

Daddy's Little Girl

A Picture Tells 1000 Words.  

Easter's Choral Service

You Can't See the Second Clarinet but He's There. . . doubling on Triangle 

The Photos is Distorted but Shows the Full Orchestra and Handbells 

The 3:30 Recital Group

Full Company

Great Kids-Calvin behind the Plexiglass

The 1:30 Recital Group

Jazz Ensemble in the Back with the Smoke

The Finale

Amazing Cookies

Okay, I Did NOT, Cry Through the Whole Second Recital Last Piece, Only the First. . . 

The Last Year of CDs

Friends and Family 

It's been a great season. There has been so much good music. There is so much music in the Twin Cities it's impossible to see it all, but the three events that we were involved in, were filled with good music and good people. Between Kotrba Piano Studio alumni I got to see at Bravo and piano kids at the choral service and all the friends and family who came out to see it all, it was just an amazing show of community and the joy of music. I'm actually sad it's all over.

I'm so proud of the piano kids at our recitals. Thanks to the children and parents who worked so hard and put so much love into it.

The Bravo show at Eastview.  I'm overwhelmed by the talent of the high school kids in our district. The layers of talent are so deep. It's not just one or two kids that are talented, it's hundreds.  How do you get that? It's Mrs. Schoen the elementary music school teacher giving every child a speaking or singing solo on the program every year.  It's the youth choir programs the folks around here foster.

Our choral service was really special. I loved every minute of it. Full orchestra, handbells, piano, organ, choir. It was just so lovely.

Calvin's CD is out. That's number eleven on my list of favorite Christmas Music. This year's CD has a few new tracks and a few greatest hits. And it feeds more than a few children. Email me and we will send you one, suggested donation $10 and 100% of it goes to Feed My Starving Children.

What do all these performances and projects have in common? A studio recital? A school variety show? A church music program? A kid's "homemade" Christmas CD?

The sum is greater than the parts. The friends who sang and played on the CD made it a memory, not just a recording. The Bravo dancers, singers, rappers, jazz ensemble and crew work together for an event that is so much greater than any of them on their own.  All these events pulled together so many different kinds of musicians of different ages and abilities and it all just weaves together into something so amazing. A community. A musical community.

There were tears shed. Calvin's last Christmas piano recital. The whole front row of senior Bravo girls bawled their heads off during the finale of the last show. (You get to see these things from the third row).  I was moved to tears during several of our choir pieces.

I'm just thankful and happy I got to be a part of it all.

So Much Music (Christmas Music 7, 8, 9, & 10)

Jammies from Casey

Personalized

Trust is Earned

Grandmommy is the most patient

2005 was a good year

Christmas is a great time for ankle surgery said no one ever. . . 

Not every program was delightful. . . 

Angels in the Snow 

We have been doing so much music there is no time to write about music. . .

• Rehearsals for choral service and upcoming church stuff. . .Sara on piano, Bill clarinet and perc.  
• Bravo Shows. . tonight is 7 of 8.  Calvin rocking the drum set and jingle bells. Saturday is the last show.  
• Christmas Recitals last weekend. . . two with 35 guests each
• Middle School Jazz Band Concert next Tuesday night
• Three Choral Services this weekend

But, it's all good. The Kotrbas are a good team. Calvin starts his laundry and I finish or vice versa. And Mary picks up all the pieces. . . folding and folding. You know, when everybody pitches in and vacuums before the recitals and has a happy heart, you don't mind running the forgotten iPad to school for a test now and then. I don't even know what all my husband does, it just all gets done. My car mysteriously always seems to have gas. We all learn to be cheerful on that occasional four hours of sleep.  

#7 

Because of the piano recital. . . I have to share two of my favorite albums for students to play. 

The first is Jim Brickman's "The Gift." I bought it the year Bill and I got engaged and we listened to the "The Gift" on the way to our engagement brunch.  Students love these pieces, but they are deceptively and wickedly difficult. Mary played "Joy to the World" on the recital last Saturday and I was crazy proud of her determination to master it. Definitely post book seven stuff. I'll post links to the whole recital when I come up for air.  

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-gift/298548471

#8

The other one is so cliché but hey. . . if you are gonna teach piano you are gonna have to have this on your Christmas recitals and of course it is the Vince Guaraldi Trio's "A Charlie Brown Christmas." Every single track has been played multiple times on Kotrba Christmas Recitals and because I have perfect recital memory, I remember each and every child who played them all. Again. .. rhythm is the deal here. There is no faking Linus and Lucy and you know, if it forces them to count aloud I'll take it. 

https://www.amazon.com/Charlie-Brown-Christmas-Remastered-Expanded/dp/B009GQ0NLK/ref=ice_ac_b_dpb?ie=UTF8&qid=1544804614&sr=8-1&keywords=a+charlie+brown+christmas+cd+vince

And here is Calvin's turn a few years ago. . . when we were getting the December wackies. 

Link to Linus and Lucy with Special Guests

#9

Kenny Logins. I can't even listen to it without bawling. I am hopeless. "Angels in the Snow." 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dgSqu-vC0U

#10

NEW! Now that I have seen the Bravo show five times, this is becoming one of my favorites. The gals from Eastview sing it SO beautifully. And the dancers. Amazing. I wish I could link you to them, but this is a very sweet video as well. Sara Bareilles' "Winter Song."  More tissues will be required.  I'm just so moved by this song. "I'll be your harvester of light. . . " Any song with those lyrics is gonna work for me. And the house plants all grow back. . . don't worry.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkOKCWDJ4iA

There you go. Under the busy is always the tender. And remembering what is really important. 

Happy December 14th. 

Sara 

Breathe in and Breathe Out (Christmas Music No. 6)

Mama needs more coffee. . . 

Christmas Stress Joy

Best Gift Ever

The Christmas of the kitchen.
At 7:30 p.m. Calvin declared. . . "I guess we won't be able to play kitchen anymore. . . today."

It's the pinch point week. I'm irritable as all get up. We have no snow plow guy. The pharmacy didn't have my eye drops during the 20 minutes I had to run that errand. Mary to the ortho amidst preparations for the recitals this weekend.

And there waiting for us is Alison Krauss. I could listen to her breathe in and breathe out all day. Breathe, sing, breathe, sing, breathe, sing.

I hope you enjoy one of my favorite Christmas videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxDZjg_Igoc

The Rat Pack (Christmas Music #5) --with a nod to Quincy Jones

Jerry O'Hagens last New Year's Gig

Watching Daddy

Poster Child for Not Practicing

In Memory--Jerry passed away in February 

Bill is in Ohio visiting Tim from their Glenn Miller Orchestra days. These photos are from Bill's local days with Jerry O'Hagen. It's seems appropriate today to cover Bill's favorite, Frank Sinatra.

At some point in Bill's saxophone career an esteemed peer suggested he listen to more vocalists. Several hundred CDs later. . . we have the countries largest collection of Frank Sinatra. If it exists, we have it. If it was boot-legged at the Sands Club. . . we have it.

You can't talk about Frank Sinatra without talking about Quincy Jones. When they write the music history book of the 20th century, Quincy Jones better be the largest chapter. If you listened to any music from Sinatra to Michael Jackson you listened to Quincy Jones. Did you know he studied string arranging with Nadia Boulanger? And all with staff paper and a black flair pen. We've been watching his documentary and it's absolutely fascinating. Who else could pick up the phone and call Obama or Oprah?

Quincy credits Sinatra with everything and wears his pinkie ring. Sinatra did what no one else had done at the that time. He told the hotels, regarding the black musicians. . . if they play in the hotel they stay in the hotel. They had been required to stay off the strip in Las Vegas. I just get shivers down my spine and tears in my eyes. That's what true power and talent does. If you love music, hate racism, and want to hear the story of a black kid getting his hand stabbed with a knife on the street and then falling in love with a piano in a place he was robbing as a child. . .you gotta watch the documentary. At least watch the trailer!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WT7gn6nhsAc

Back to Sinatra and the Rat Pack, you hear it on the radio all day, but it was special. It's still special.

Here's a youtube link in case you didn't get enough. . . https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nRcrhZThxQc2nqY05lCeHSTeFSOo5muaI

I don't have time to list all the Sinatra Christmas CDs we have. They share the shelf.

Mother and Child (Christmas Music #4)

Mother and Child is a full CD of the most wonderful songs.
Mine has a Half Price Books price tag of $5.95 and I got my money's worth. Copyright 1996.

https://www.amazon.com/Mother-Child-Various-
Artists/dp/B000000QHU/ref=asc_df_B000000QHU/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312116720349&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6054695832985355669&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9019555&hvtargid=pla-568181936096&psc=1

One of my favorite selections is "All is Well Tonight" sung by CeCe Winans.
It reminds me of my own kids, but also of a Christmas home from college when my dad wanted to sing it for Christmas Eve and I spent the whole day transcribing it from cassette tape to very out of tune piano. The would require a DMA in transcribing but I had my pulling charts from cassettes chops together back then. I guess I'm glad we did that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN9mOyBpask (All is Well Tonight)

It also has "Breath of Heaven" by Amy Grant. Which somehow got put on repeat during a baking session with Kris a few years ago until we realized we had been listening to the same song for several hours. . . and now I guess it's not a favorite anymore. . . still. . . we all need a breath of heaven to hold us together now and then.

Anyways. .. I love every track.

Here's one more track to listen to. . . Beth Nielsen Chapman's "Ave Maria." So pure and sweet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHV-RgcI7Ek

I'm a little manic trying to get Christmas put together here. As always. So--note to myself and the rest of the "mothers and childs" out there. . . it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful and just pick one thing to work on. Most of the children and most of the Christmases turn out pretty good in hindsight.

Love,
Sara

But of course. . . the Messiah (Christmas Music 3)

My husband used to tease me about securing the Christmas clothes in mid-September. Eventually he caught on to my wisdom. Once the programs start. . . there isn't an intermission. This year. . . eight Bravo shows in December. Alas, no more red and green knit vests and Hannah dresses. . . black. . .black. . and more black. Black pants, black shirts and black socks. And wash them between shows.

Still, the piano playing, the singing, the dancing. I loved it all. I loved watching my kids. I even love the drumming.

Of course one of many people's favorite Christmas programs is Handel's Messiah. The cult following has its favorite recordings and performances. Just about everyone has some memories surrounding the oratorio.

My first? In eight grade, driving with my mom to Decorah, Iowa, to Luther, to listen to my sister sing with the Luther choir. It looked so short on the program. How long can a few lines of text take? My mom and I got epically lost on the drive home in Iowa fog. Back then iPhones weren't even a twinkle in Steve Jobs' eye. GPS, not. Not even an open gas station. How brave she must have been to just keep driving till she got her bearings.

The second? Four freshmen instrumental music majors in DeKalb sneaking into a practice room and trying to sing four part harmony and play the accompaniment of "For Unto Us a Child is Born" in some sort of homesick slightly tipsy attempt at Christmas spirit. My husband may or may not have been one of those friends.

The third? My dad. His solo was always "the people that walked in darkness." If there are small town church choirs in heaven he's certainly singing and conducting at the same time probably with a better accompanist than I was in high school.

And now? It looks like Ben our director is hoping to sing "Comfort ye, my people" in December. If that doesn't church you up, what will? Comfort is something we are always looking for in Minnesota. It's my favorite solo and I'm hoping to do the accompaniment justice.

My recording is on the Philips label. On period instruments--the Monteverdi Choir with the English Baroque Soloists under John Eliot Gardiner.

https://www.amazon.com/Monteverdi-English-Baroque-Soloists-Gardiner/dp/B0015REYOK

youtube: For Unto Us a Child is Born

If you are one of the Messiah groupies. . . leave a comment with your favorite recording and/or memory.
Sara

Before the Marvel of This Night (Christmas Music Number 2)

Angel Art

Childhood Angels

 Happy Wool Angels

Before the marvel of this night, adoring, fold your wings and bow,
Then tear the sky apart with light and with you news the world endow.
Proclaim the birth of Christ and peace, that fear and death and sorrow cease:
Sing peace, sing peace, sing gift of peace, sing peace, sing gift of peace!
Awake the sleeping world with song, this is the day the Lord has made.
Assemble here celestial throng, in royal splendor come arrayed.
Give earth a glimps of heav'nly bliss, a teasing taste of what they miss:
Sing bliss, sing bliss, sing endless bliss, sing bliss, sing endless bliss.
The love that we have always known, our constant joy and endless light,
Now to the loveless world be shown, now break upon its deathly night.
Into one song compress the love that rules our universe about:
Sing love, sing love, sing God is love, sing love, sing God is love!

Angels. I love them. God's thoughts. Celestial beings. Guardians. Messengers.

I love the piece "Before the Marvel of this Night" by Carl Schalk. The Easter Choir has sang it multiple times and will sing it again this choral service.

The vision in my imagination, of being there--and hearing the angels sing--on Christmas Eve--I can't even. A glimpse of heaven. Peace, bliss. Awe. This song captures it.

I have the album Christmas at St. Albans. Other choirs sing it too.

Enjoy.

https://youtu.be/a7DduTxHqt4

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/before-the-marvel-of-this-night/402229071?i=402229176

https://www.amazon.com/Before-Marvel-this-Night/dp/B000Y69X30/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1542596596&sr=8-13&keywords=Christmas+at+St.+Albans

Twenty-five Days of Christmas Music

Goodbyes were hard in those days of Texas

Mother and Child 

My Grandma Hope with a Tree of Life Charm--because it was the first year without Grandpa. I wear the charm at Christmas now. 

Sleigh Ride Crossing Sign 

The best seat in the house!

Yes, we were like that. 

Cody and Cheyenne with Bill and Calvin

Sharing Cookies with Grandpa

A New Hat!

Toyland

Nobody asked me. . . but in celebration of Calvin's senior year I've decided to share 25 of my favorite Christmas CDs on the blog.

The first one is Sweet Music of Christmas from the University of Texas Chamber Music Singers. My favorite track is "Of the Father's Love Begotten."  Check it out.

Of the Father's Love Begotten--youtube


https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-UNIVERSITY-CHAMBER-SINGERS-MORROW/dp/B000V8LQUE

https://itunes.apple.com/sv/album/sweet-music-of-christmas/301447875

Photos from 2002.