America – a poem to read at the piano

The day after the 2016 election a friend of mine posted this sonnet to Facebook, and it really helped me: America by Claude McKay Although she feeds me bread of bitterness, And sinks into my throat her tiger’s tooth, Stealing my breath of life, I will confess I love this cultured hell that tests my …

Junior Bach Tenth Anniversary

Probably the first branding meeting I ever ran was with a group of seventh graders. It was ten years ago, and we were naming the program (and concert) that had been going by “composers club” up until that point. Those seventh graders were composers, and the concert needed a name, so I thought they should …

Ian Richter playing Prufrock in Baltimore

On Feb. 13th Ian Richter is going to be rocking the heck out of The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, as he often does. Churches in a lot of cities host short lunchtime concerts. It’s a great way to make a cultural contribution and engage office workers in their neighborhoods. But in how many …