Category: music

Baltic concert

Last Sunday, I sang a concert of music from the Baltic region with the Madrigal Choir of Binghamton under the direction of John M. Vaida.

It was a great experience for us and for our audience. We got to perform pieces by composers that were new to most of us. I added languages to my personal list of sung texts, Swedish and Estonian. We also welcomed the Fair Winds Quintet as our guests, made possible by a grant from the United Cultural Fund of the Broome County Arts Council. They played a set before the sung concert and another to begin the second half of the program after intermission. It was wonderful to have these talented local artists join us for the concert.

One of my favorite pieces on the program was “Cantate Domino”, a setting of part of Psalm 98 by the Lithunian composer Vytautas Miškinis. Another highlight was Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “Bogoroditse Devo” from his All-Night Vigil. I had first sung this under the direction of Dr. Bruce Borton with the University Chorus. Bruce had prepared a new edition of the Vigil for us to use and we later sang this movement in later programs, so it always reminds me of him. Bruce also became the second artistic director of the Madrigal Choir a few years before his retirement from Binghamton University. After the pandemic shutdown and the end of University Chorus, Bruce welcomed me to Madrigal Choir. Shortly after I joined, Bruce fell ill. I wrote about the last concert he conducted with Madrigal Choir here and about singing at his funeral and Madrigal Choir tribute here. This Rachmoninoff piece was part of a concert dedicated to Bruce at the University. I was grateful for the opportunity to sing it again, especially at Trinity Episcopal Church where Bruce had sung and volunteered for many years as a congregant.

I particularly loved the final piece of the program, a newly written hymn by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette, set to the tune “Finlandia” by Jean Sibelius. Rev. Gillette is a local Presbyterian pastor and hymnist with over 500 hymns to her credit. This poem, “O God of Love, This Is a Time of Turning”, was written in January, 2026, after speaking with a seminary friend serving in Minneapolis. We printed the words in the program and invited the audience to join us in singing – and they did!

We sang, “May we stand firm for truth and peace and justice;
May we leave fear and hatred far behind.”

May it be so.

One-Liner Wednesday: MCOB concert on Sunday!

Binghamton NY area folks are invited to Trinity Memorial Episcopal Church (opposite Binghamton High School) on Sunday, April 19, 2026, for a concert by the Madrigal Choir of Binghamton highlighting music of the Baltic region, beginning with the Fair Winds Quintet at 2:45 followed by the choral concert at 3:00.

This invitation brought to you through Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays. Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/04/15/one-liner-wednesday-id-rather-be/

One-Liner Wednesday: MCOB Baltic concert!

Binghamton, NY area folks, please plan to join the Madrigal Choir of Binghamton and our special guests, the Fair Winds Quintet, for a concert of music from the Baltic region at Trinity Episcopal across from Binghamton High on Sunday, April 19th with Fair Winds at 2:45 and MCOB at 3:00 (NOTE NEW START TIMES)!

Join us for Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays! I’m double-dipping today so that I can also spread the news of Ellen Morris Prewitt’s book launch today!

One-Liner Wednesday: down day

After singing a gig with Madrigal Choir at a senior living complex last night, today is going to be a down day to recover to be ready for a big out-of-town medical appointment tomorrow and another gig on Friday.

Please join us for Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/03/25/one-liner-wednesday-are-they/

SoCS: life chapters

I often think of my life in chapters.

They aren’t sequential or in blocks of time, though.

It’s more that they are organized topically.

For example, in my volunteer life, there are chapters around church, social justice advocacy, environmental causes, and school curriculum and committees when I was a parent.

In music, there is the church music and organ chapter, composition, and choral music, starting in high school, then Smith College both as a student and alum, decades with University Chorus at SUNY-Binghamton, and now with the Madrigal Choir of Binghamton.

In my personal life, the chapters are very long. Some as a daughter, granddaughter, and sister are life-long. Even though my parents and grandparents have all passed away, being a daughter and granddaughter is forever, as is being a sister.

Another long chapter which is ongoing is with my spouse B, who I met early in high school. We will celebrate our 44th anniversary later this year. I think that part of the reason we are who we are at this point is that we were able to grow and change together over all this time.

And then, there is my writing life, with chapters for school, what I think of as utilitarian writing like doing commentary, blogging, and poetry.

Two chapters that remain close to my heart are as a mom and, for the last 8 and a half years, a grandmother. Those chapters are the most forward-looking. I don’t think of my daughters’ and granddaughters’ stories as sequels to mine because they are their own authors but I am honored to be a chapter in their own books of life.
*****
Linda’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday this week is “chapter.” Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/02/06/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-feb-7-2026/

mass online

I had hoped to attend vigil mass yesterday afternoon but the level of dysautonomia, pain, and fatigue I was having made it inadvisable. It was cold and I didn’t think that I could handle the amount of walking and being upright involved, even if I went to a nearby church rather than my own church which is a further drive.

Instead, I participated in an online mass through Heart of the Nation. While a local station televises the mass on Sunday, I was able to access it online on Saturday. One of my favorite homilists was presiding and viewing online gives a bit more time so I got to hear more music than in the televised version.

Back during my mother’s illness, she used to watch mass on television when she could no longer attend in person and visitors from the church would bring her communion from time to time. Eventually, I was given a pyx so that I could bring the Eucharist to her myself. It is mentioned in this poem, first published by Wilderness House Literary Review:

In my purse

cheap pens I won’t miss if they’re lost
my wallet, heavy with too many coins
ibuprofen for headaches
a pack of tissues
hair ties for windy days
a dog-eared calendar
my license to drive
a crumpled shopping list
emergency cough drops
a pyx
my favorite mechanical pencil, extra lead
credit cards – insurance cards – loyalty cards
a laminated prayer card from my mother’s funeral

One of the blessings of the pandemic shutdowns for me was the re-discovery of online or televised mass when I couldn’t attend in person. It’s comforting to have that alternative on weekends like this one.

I may need to take it more often in the future if we can’t get better control of my symptoms.
*****
Join us for Linda’s Just Jot It January! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/01/25/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-25th-2026/

One-Liner Wednesday: organ

Joanne Corey at the Austin organ console in John M. Greene Hall, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts, 1981 (Photo credit: Mary Wallace Strizek)

A triple dip! Today’s One-Liner Wednesday/Just Jot It January pingback with a special tie-in to Sunday’s JusJoJan prompt “organ.”

Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/01/21/one-liner-wednesday-jusjojan26-the-21st-truer-words/

aftermath of a busy weekend

This weekend, I did a lot of board/committee work for the Madrigal Choir of Binghamton, plus a rehearsal for spring outside gigs with our small group.

I had PT this morning and did a couple of errands but now I am lying down and expect to be in bed all afternoon.

With hEDS, these things can happen. You can sometimes tough your way through a couple of days or events but you wind up paying for it later.

It’s a balancing act.

This jot is brought to you as part of Linda’s Just Jot It January. Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/01/19/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-19th-2026/

Epiphany

[Note: I wish I were writing a post addressing the murder of Renée Good and the horrible actions of the Trump administration both in the United States and throughout the world but I don’t have enough brainpower to do so between the brain fog and jet lag, so something lighter today. I drafted this and had intended to post it for January 6th – itself a fraught date for those of us in the US – but our travel complications derailed my intent to do so.]

On January 6th, Catholics in the UK celebrate Epiphany, observing the visit of the Magi to the infant Jesus. This ends the twelve days of Christmas, although the Christmas season continues liturgically through the celebration of Jesus’s baptism in the Jordan River by John.

Interestingly, in the United States, the observance of Epiphany is moved to Sunday rather than celebrated on January 6.

One of the most meaningful parts of our trip to London has been attending Mass with daughter E, son-in-law L, and granddaughters ABC and JG. I especially have enjoyed the Saturday vigil Masses because L has served as organist with E as songleader.

I’ve always loved listening to E sing. She was very musical from the time she was young and always sang in choirs at church and school. She majored in music in college and studied voice there. Because we live so far away from each other, I don’t get to hear her sing often, so it was a treat to hear her – and sing along – at Masses during our trip.

This post is part of Linda’s Just Jot It January. Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/01/09/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-9th-2026/

holiday singing

After two very successful concerts of Lessons & Carols for Christmas on Thanksgiving weekend with the Madrigal Choir of Binghamton, a smaller ensemble prepared for two Christmas-themed performances on December 12th. In the afternoon, we sang at a local nursing home. In the evening, we sang as part of the Roberson Museum’s Home for the Holidays exhibition.

It had been many years since I had done this kind of small group singing out in the community. I was happy that skills I had learned in high school, when I first did that kind of performance, came back to me all these decades later, although, fortunately, we did not have to also do choreography as we did back then.

Singing at the nursing home was especially meaningful. In their later years, my parents had lived in a senior community and experienced various levels of care, so I could recognize some of the challenges that our audience there was facing. The ones who were missing being able to attend church and concerts as they had before health problems intervened. The one who was able to sing along, even though she was no longer able to carry on a conversation because music learned long ago is stored in a different part of the brain. The woman cuddling her baby doll that never leaves her side. The man with his eyes closed who seems to be asleep but who is letting the familiar tunes wash over him. It was a privilege to bring some music to the residents that touched their hearts as they prepared for Christmas.

The evening performance was more lively. We sang in the library of the historic mansion that is part of the Roberson Museum complex. There is a beautiful grand piano to use for accompanied pieces and singalongs and the room houses several of the dozens of trees decorated by various community organizations that are part of the Home for the Holidays exhibition. While some of the audience sat in the library and listened to the whole hour-length performance, others strolled through as they toured the mansion, listening to a piece or two before continuing on their way. There were people of all ages, but everyone was in a festive mood and enjoyed the performance.

I hope that I will have more opportunities to sing out in the community next year with the Madrigal Choir. It’s nice to be spreading cheer in a more intimate setting. It reminds me of singing with the Drury High School Girls’ Ensemble at Rotary Club luncheons, Hadassah teas, and nursing home monthly birthday parties.

Music brings meaning and emotion to performers and listeners alike. It’s wonderful to be close to the audience and see the joy in their eyes while we sing.