Joyous Light of Glory
New Setting for Evening Prayer, suitable for the Lenten Season
Joyous Light of Glory
Evening Prayer Setting
By Sharon Dennis and Doris Au MacDonald
Take a listen click here
Long Awaited King
New Christmas CD
From jazz to jig to joyful rock, “Long Awaited King” has it all and is sure to become your favorite Christmas CD! Includes originals as well as innovative arrangements of traditional carols.
“When I hear “old” Christmas songs on a “new” Christmas album, there is something I look for. Rather than one more artist doing one more performance of the same old song in the same old way, I like to hear a fresh approach, something that will catch my ear if I hear it flipping through the stations, but with enough of those peculiar, familiar elements that reawaken fond memories from childhood.
I found precisely this in a number of the songs in “Long Awaited King,” from the jazz feel of O Come, O Come Emanuel, We Three Kings, and Silent Night, the Celtic styling of What Child is This/Greensleeves Jig, and in the energy of Good Christian Men Rejoice.
I was pleased with both the music and the Biblical truth in the original works, O Tiny Child and Long Awaited King, and I enjoyed the vocal harmonies throughout the album.” ~~ Darren
***
“I loved the uplifting message in God Has Come To Us! The tune is catchy and likely to stay in my head all day! The arrangement of What Child is This/Greensleeves Jig was great, taking one of my favorite Christmas songs and giving it a wonderful Irish feel!” ~~ Wendy
***
“As I listened to “Long Awaited King” I was impressed with the style and worship feeling. You have given serious thought to the choice of songs, and the lyrics of each number contain rich meaning. Your blended voices and very melodic harmonies are pleasant to the ears.” ~~ Ray
***
“Now THAT’s Christmas music! It’s soothing and calming to listen to, especially after a day of stress – shopping, driving, or just dealing with angry people. When I listened, I closed my eyes and thought of that cold night in a stable in Bethlehem when Jesus was born. (What Child Is This, Silent Night) It put me in a better mood, and I ended up singing/humming Good Christian Men Rejoice all evening.” ~~ Lynn
Available on iTunes and CDBaby
Preparing for Change
One thing I love about late August is the nip in the air that promises a change of seasons. Seasons need to change, and I am getting prepared! Currently I am in a season of physical and emotional spent. My bones ache from work or worry – I am not sure which – because I have been doing too much of both. I have kept myself busy with mindless tasks to keep my mind off of worrisome things. Scrubbing the outside door jambs to repaint in preparation for winter has been my latest mind occupier. One thing I hate about late August is the spiders! They build their webs near the house to catch all the pests trying to get in for winter. There are some spiders so large that neither my broom nor my hose will dislodge, and I think they are bent on capturing my husband! They build their webs between the bushes where he drives the lawnmower, but he has enough horsepower to break through – to their disappointment. I should count it as fortune that they are keeping out the pests, but I cannot communicate with them the definition of pest, and I am afraid that my youngest son may go missing one day! Oh the worry, but I am thankful for the change! – SD for TBC
Summer Rewind, Fast Forward Fall
This summer rushed by in a blur– but we won’t forget the good memories it left behind. We presented our completed version of Evening Prayers (“Joyous Light of Glory”) to a congregation in Thousand Oaks, CA full of Lutheran Church musicians (the pros), complete with flute and violin obbligato, and it was joyously received. Here’s the Benediction from the service.
We presented a workshop on Intergenerational Worship at the ALCM Region IV Gathering and didn’t start a riot! 🙂 We enjoyed directing our first “Make A Joyful Noise” music camp for children, and our eighth Teen Worship Boot Camp.
“Thanks again for yet another inspiring year of Teen Worship Music Boot Camp!” “You guys are great!! Can not wait till next year! Thank You 10,000 times and then some!”
As the weather cools and some early signs of fall appear, we look forward to several upcoming events. Let us know what’s happening with you– we invite you to come out to our performances so we can take time to catch up.
Drumroll
LOL
Drum roll: This week, Sharon and I finished writing the Evening Prayer Service which will be presented this July at the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians conference (Region 4) in California. Yippee! Now it goes to the editors. We are SO excited to be at this stage—and feel very good about the music.
On Monday, we’ll be joining Tom Saputo and Friends at the Signature Theater located at 4200 Campbell Avenue in Arlington, VA. “This is Our Song” is a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, with all ticket sales going towards this worthy organization. Come help us help the ACS! Email saputo_events@msn.com for tickets and information.
Join our fans on Jango Radio – it’s fun and it’s free, and gives you access to all genres of music. “Nice harmonies…. And a great message”
Buzz… we’ve received so many great comments about our recent photos! They were taken by the very talented Aaro Keipi, whose wonderful work you can access thru the link below. We wish him well on his upcoming move back to his native Finland, and look forward to our next photo shoot when he returns in the fall!
(Photo: Aarography Photography)
April Flowers
Recently, “Shenandoah Dreams” was selected and added to the playlist of earthday.fm internet radio. “What a beautiful song and melody! I’ll add it to our playlist and give it some featured attention on a regular program we’re producing entitled “United Sense of Place.” (Traci Hickson, Director of Muse Music)
Towards the end of the month, we’ll take part in a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society at the Signature Theater in Arlington, VA. (April 23, 7:30pm) Come and join us for this worthy cause (and be one of the friendly faces we see in the audience!)
This week we celebrate Easter, with special services for Holy Week @ Church of the Word in Gainesville, VA. It is a busy time for us, and for the Church, but we are privileged to be a part. Happy Easter– He is Risen!
