Two Chances to attend Music as Meditation

Sunday, July 2 ~ 5 PM at Christ Church in North Conway, NH

Sunday, July 9 ~ 4 PM, Medallion Opera House in Gorham, NH

More than a year ago, I began Music as Meditation as a way to share my new music and satisfy my craving for the experience of a shared meditative spirit. The idea is to present music with its connection to human hearts in mind. I play musical selections in groups that flow, setting the stage for contemplation. I intersperse familiar piano literature, contemporary pieces, and my own new compositions with improvisations on piano, violin, and viola. Scheduled on the first Sunday of each Month and generously hosted by  Christ Church in North Conway, Music as Meditation has been well received and has begun to attract a regular audience.

Most of you know that I make some of my living by teaching music at Mountain Top Music Center in Conway. Sometime during the flurry of end-of-school-year recitals and concerts, Susan Ferre of Berlin, NH contacted me to ask if I would bring a Music for Meditation program to Gorham, NH. The Medallion Opera House had recently acquired a grand piano and was looking for piano programs to present. So on Sunday, July 9, I will bring Music as Meditation to Gorham. I'm grateful to share this form of music-making with a wider audience.

This month, I've been preparing an allegro and adagio from a Haydn Sonata and a Romance by Germaine Tailleferre. What these two pieces have in common are beautiful harmonies and very planned, proportional structure. They are completely different in style but both depend on the pianist's ear being attuned to two musical lines happening simultaneously. I can't seem to stop playing Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata so I will be including that gem as well. The thread that connects all this is careful listening. It's easy in piano playing—as in life—to go about the business of sounding notes and “getting through” the structure of piece of music (or a day's schedule) while thinking of just about everything else. The trick to making great art and to living well just may be the same trick—to pay attention to what is actually going on around us as much of the time as possible.

All that is not to say that a composer's life lacks long-term planning. At this Month's Music as Meditation, I will be sharing more themes from my forthcoming double concerto titled Music for a Resonant Space and tunes and rhythmic improvisations from a set of Hymns and Dances I'm writing for viola and strings. Stay tuned to this space for more information on the two-state tour of those pieces—scheduled for August 6 in New Hampshire and for September 9th in Kansas.

Music for Meditation is free of admission. In Gorham, donations to support the creation of more music will be gratefully accepted at the door. These donations will support Music in the Great North Woods, The Medallion Opera House, and Ellen's work in equal amounts. If you would like to support my work, please use the paypal button on this site to make a donation. I am grateful for all sorts of help in bringing music to life.