CTO ... Malcolm Dalglish's "Hymnody of Earth" to be performed at Binkley Baptist Church, Chapel Hill, NC

"A ceremony of songs for choir, hammer dulcimer, and percussion. Composed and arranged by Malcolm Dalglish. Featuring the poetry of Wendell Berry. Songs are in praise of the beauty and glory of nature."

I agreed to take this project on during the winter. As expected, it has been a lot of work!

• choreographing written music to the instrument
• working out hammer patterns
• listening again and again to recordings of the dulcimer parts with the choral parts
• playing along with my best friend - the metronome
• rewriting sections that are beyond my skills without losing the 'feel'
• getting help when I needed it (thanks, Marya)
• memorizing everything
• practicing whether I felt like it or not
• practicing some more
• attending rehearsals
• focusing on focusing 

Don't get me wrong. It hasn't been all bad. In fact, I would say it's all good! I am certainly enjoying the benefits that come from intense practice ... in all my playing. And now it's time to perform!

Check This Out ... The choir at the Olin T. Binkley Baptist Church, 1712 Willow Drive, Chapel Hill, NC, will perform selections from Malcolm Dalglish's "Hymnody of Earth" this Sunday, June 9, during the regularly scheduled 11:00am worship service. Sue Wilson will play the hammered dulcimer accompaniment. (There will not be a percussionist performing this time.) It's a beautiful work. Come on out and hear what it's all about!

For those who are interested in which songs will be performed:

• The Dark Around Us
• The Wild Geese
• For the Future
• Thrush Song
• Walking at Night
• Hunger and Thirst
• Plus, more that do not require dulcimer accompaniment