The month of February I didn't get a blog post written. I was busy with another project!
On March 4 I had the honor and joy of being part of a wonderful evening at the Pablo Center for the Arts in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The Chippewa Valley Symphony Orchestra played Holst's The Planets. I contributed the words/lyrics and Dr. Jerry Hui composed the orchestral and choral music for two new commissioned pieces: "To Whoever Finds This Space Probe Voyager" and "Pluto: Destructive-Creative Revealer." The Chippewa Valley Festival Choir sang with these two pieces and in the Holst movement "Saturn: The Mystic." Dr. Paul Thomas wrote and delivered brief but engaging and endearing introductory messages for each musical piece. He also (along with a technically savvy helper whose name I can't recall) arranged for beautiful and fascinating images to be projected on the wall behind the orchestra. It was a sold-out show. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn about being one collaborator among several in a large project. I feel very lucky to have been a part of it.
In the four weeks leading up to the event, Dr. Thomas organized four talks at the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library. My talk, on my process of writing the two poems, had to be cancelled due to a snow storm. However, Paul and I created a video of his introduction and my talk and the kind and talented folks at the library posted it on their YouTube channel. You can listen to that talk here. To watch the whole concert event, go here.