I hope this season finds you well and enjoying the beauty of nature!
A quick re-cap on spring and summer's activities:
The Singin’ Seniors had their spring concert in May and rocked the house! Bernice "Boom Boom" Brooks and Danny Cheng joined me and Clare Cooper to make a real band for our students. The Lenox Hill Senior Center crowd thoroughly enjoyed themselves and the Singin’ Seniors gave it their all. I am very proud of the work they have done. They have made amazing progress in our year together. We are starting up again in September with a new group of songs.
I have been taking mandolin lessons with the great Barry Mitterhoff and he hosted a mandolin recital for his students on June 27th at his home in New Jersey. It was great to meet and hear new people and the jam afterwards was fabulous! Thank you, Barry and Gayle!
Rochelle Green-Doctor, Me, and Carol Kissling
PRIDE Parade this year was, once again, an amazing experience of music, love, and flash! I am so grateful to be singing with the Middle Church Jerriese Johnson Gospel Choir under the direction of the talented and gifted John Del Cueto. The enthusiasm that comes out of this group is palpable…and contagious!
Emily Bindiger, me, Sherryl Marshall and Leslie Wagner
My bestie, Sherryl Marshall, is in the studio again, recording songs for her new CD project. I was one of her backing vocalists on her song called "Home." We recorded at Lincoln Schleifer’s studio in the Bronx. Sounds great!
Another talented friend, Janet Laing from Wanda and the Way It Is, is putting the finishing touches on her new CD. I sang back up on a number of her awesome songs and even got to sing in Spanish!
Today, Mike and I are heading for a two-week trip to ALASKA! We are meeting my sister and her husband and my 93-year-old dad and his lovely wife for a hike in Denali National Park and then on to a small boat cruise through the Northwest Passage. (I am taking my travel guitar.)
Later this summer, I head to Bremerton, WA to attend Puget Sound Guitar Workshop. There is so much about that place that makes me smile. And now my brother Bruce is going, too! Music everywhere for a week!
Let me know how you are doing. Thank you for staying in touch with me!
Much love,
xxDeborah