Hello good people,
I hope you are well.
It has been a little while, so I wanted to reach out and extend my seasonal salutations!
2022 is rapidly coming to a close, and with December comes many fab traditions.
In my music teaching world, the Singing Seniors had their Winter Recital December 9th at Lenox Hill Senior Center at St. Peter's Church. Our illustrious band this year was made up of great local players: Paul Pimsler on guitar, Booker King on bass, Jonathan Peretz on drums, and our preeminent accompanist Clare Cooper on piano.
This is our eighth year of Singing Seniors (twenty-three sessions!), and it is always a delight to round up the Senior Center community for some musical entertainment. Our set list this year was L-O-V-E by Nat King Cole, It's A Good Day by Peggy Lee, Let 'em In by Paul McCartney and Wings, God Bless the Child by Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog, Wah Watusi by Mann & Appel, ('Til) I Kissed You by Don Everly, And I Love Her by Lennon/McCartney, and, to honor the season, the classic Christmas song Winter Wonderland.
As many of you know, our beautiful Middle Church burned to the ground two years ago (December 5, 2020). Gospel choir has been migratory since then, singing wherever we land, primarily at East End Temple every Sunday at 11:45 am. Thank you Rabbi Josh for the Sunday use of your beautiful Synagogue! This year Middle has been invited to hold our Christmas Eve service at Marble Collegiate Church, with Dr. Rev. Jacqueline Lewis leading.
Christmas Eve Service 9:00pm
Marble Collegiate Church
1 West 29th St at Fifth Ave.
The extended McCarthy family are coming together this weekend for our annual Pollyanna Luncheon. It is a fun day filled with kids' gift exchange, dessert swap, caroling and a sumptuous buffet lunch!
This will be our first time back together for the Pollyanna since 2019. Some things never seem to change but other things certainly have.
For instance, rapid tests are encouraged.
In honor of my family's tradition, here is the very charming video of "Merry Christmas To You" to celebrate the season. I wrote the song, inspired by our family Pollyanna gathering. Some names have been changed to protect the innocent. The incomparable Johnny Jake produced this video. Thank you again Johnny!
The Caroling Carolers will be meeting again this year under the Washington Square Arch on December 22nd at 6pm. Hosted by dear friend, Terre Roche and friends, it is always a beautiful and well attended public event. Bundle up and come on down!
One more joyful piece of news: my Eye to Eye partner, Julian Marshall, has recently released a beautiful new work titled "The Angel in the Forest." This philharmonic piece he composed and debuted in 2010 is at last widely available for listening.
https://orchid-music.lnk.to/angel
The work has been added to the Spotify Classical New Releases playlist (with over 660,000 subscribers) and the New in Classical playlist on Apple Music, which is thrilling for all involved! Congratulations, Julian!
And from me: Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Hanukkah, and a healthy, peaceful, and restorative New Year!
Love,
xxx,
Deborah