What a privilege! Today Lindsay and I visited the Advanced Voice Class at Penfield High School in Penfield, New York. As we begin the creation of a dramatic vocal work using Shakespeare's sonnets for Voices and Orchestra, we are taking time to listen and take note of the the talent that we are writing for.
Already at the fall concert last Wednesday night, we heard the Penfield High School Orchestra and were astounded by the depth of sound and playing ability. From our visit today, we heard half of the students from the advanced voice class sing with skill--connecting the texts of their songs to the music. We were thrilled by the natural and honest beauty of the voices that we heard.
These are our tools as composers of this project: inspiration from the sonnets, beautiful singing and an orchestra who plays with ability and skill. When we combine these elements with our abilities as composers, we cannot help but be excited about the coming months.
What excites us most is that TOGETHER with Penfield High School, we will become intimately acquainted with Shakespeare's words ... TOGETHER we will experience his genius. TOGETHER we will have an opportunity to create something wonderful, not only for the Penfield High School community, but for our city of Rochester, New York. How can we not help but "take heed ... of this large privilege", looking forward to the possibilities and the joy that awaits ALL OF US as we collaborate on a project that holds so much promise?
