Seattle, WA: Town Hall

I've said it before, but I don't mind repeating myself: it's a kick to hear 75 voices sing your song! I'm here with the Nelsen Middle School Concert Chorus from Renton, WA, directed by bandmate and dear friend Brian Hoskins and the only middle school choir invited to perform at this year's Northwest American Choral Directors Association Divisional Conference. They're including a revamped arrangement "Carry On" in their program, and I'm tremendously honored.

I know folks' eyes glaze over when they hear about kids' choirs, remembering the excruciating experience from when their neighbors dragged them to see their kids or the last saccharine offering from church. But this is different: these kids bring it, not in a nice-for-a-bunch-of-kids way, but in a real, present, 'wow' way. Brian chooses music from myriad cultures and traditions, which is nice both in comparison to other programs and given the diversity of the choir itself, a reflection of its hometown. They sing, they move, and we do our best to keep up in the backline.

Thanks, as always, to Don Shawe (1917-2007), whose story is the song.