It was an extraordinary pleasure returning to my undergraduate alma mater for the premiere of Logos, a piece commissioned for Trinity College's 2016 Service of Lessons & Carols. It was especially exciting because it also happened to be a celebration of the fortieth year of John Rose's tenure as Director of Chapel music; considering the enormous influence John has had on my life as a friend, collaborator, and (in the truest sense of the word) teacher, I was hugely honored to be a part of the commemoration.
Photo credit: John Marinelli
The Chapel Singers sang the piece beautifully, and Christopher Houlihan played the organ as pristinely as ever. About two-thirds of the way through the piece, dozens of additional singers stood and joined the Chapel Singers for the closing pages. This group, made up of alumni (stretching as far back as the class of 1950) and student singers from other choirs on the Trinity campus, brought a sense of depth—timbrally, spatially, and emotionally—that was way, way cooler than I could've possibly expected while writing the thing.
Perhaps most immediately fulfilling for me, though, was that Logos gave me an excuse to reunite with my buddies in the Elmsmen. It'd been maybe eight years since we'd last sung together; up there shoulder-to-shoulder, though, it felt like we'd never stopped.
Anyway, if you'd like to view the full Flickr album, head over here (it's worth it; the service was freakin' gorgeous).
The audio's been uploaded as well: here's a direct link to the Soundcloud upload.
