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"We all get intimidated by showing ourselves, for whatever reason, we think, If I really show who I am, and someone goes [pfftt] then it's gonna crush me. Well, it's not gonna crush me. It doesn't crush you if somebody does that- somebody will do that. Many times. And once you accept that that's not why you're doing it, you're doing it because that's your form of expression." -Tori Amos
Coffee junkie? Probably. Choral geek? Maybe. Really eclectic musical taste? Most definitely. Likely to go from introvert to extrovert in under 10 seconds a) in a choir rehearsal and b) at a Lord of the Rings fan gathering? Absolutely. Other likely and slightly strange behaviors include gardening, making jewelry, obsessing over whole/organic foods (while probably eating something totally heinous), cooking, and writing music. My musical taste ranges from NIN and Radiohead to Celtic/folk and all the way to classical music of the Medieval and Renaissance periods.
These are a few choral pieces and songs that I wrote: my first stab at Celtic Folksong-writing ("He Sings In My Sleep"), a song called "Home," an arrangement of "Danny Boy," a rehearsal of my newest piece "Rise Up My Love, My Fair One," and "Set Me As A Seal." "Rise Up" is my favorite at this moment because I really related to the text and it reflects where I am in my life journey at this moment. Also, please support the TAYLOR FESTIVAL CHOIR who so beautifully performed the arrangement of "Danny Boy."
I've been a Residence Life professional, a high school music teacher, and now I am beginning my new role... as a student again, this time pursuing my doctorate at Louisiana State University. I am moving from the greatest city ever- Charleston, SC- so my feelings about this step are mixed. During my seven years in Charleston, in addition to my full time work, I assisted with some of the cooler choirs in the Holy City- the Grace Church choir and the Symphony Chorus, which means, in a nutshell, that I served as the "conductor-on-call." I also started my own chamber chorus called Lux Aeterna ("eternal light") and we like to sing more philanthropic-oriented concerts. Our myspace page is located here.
Because of unique experiences in my life I started an annual candlelight concert for child abuse awareness month in April and Lux Aeterna sings choral numbers between readings of poetry written by abuse survivors. I recently discovered these verses and felt that they, while intended for the general population, perfectly reflected the ultimate charge to suvivors of all forms of abuse:
..+2 "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
-Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love
This is your moment of Zen.
Tune in tokyo
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