Voice Lifted at Christmas concert 2019 – today (Sunday, December 15th) at 2:30pm.
Category Archives: CD
Merry Christmas 2016!
To all who visit my website and blog: Merry Christmas!
Putting on the 5th Voice Lifted at Christmas concert two weeks ago was a highlight of my Christmas season. As always, it was a delightful experience for me to be with so many family members, relatives, friends, community members, visitors, returning audience members, and those coming to one of my concerts for the first time. I am uplifted by being together with you all and having the opportunity to share my music with you.
I came to this year’s concert in a more peace-filled and joyful place, and I’m hearing that this came across in the show. In addition to my red dress and red music stand, I chose to sing some more familiar carols and joyful, upbeat pieces. It felt good. I felt the best after this year’s concert than any of them so far. I had fun on stage: performing my solo pieces and collaborating musically with Tom Flamini, Emily Barrett, and Mark Denchy.
A great article was published in the Pottsville Republican on the day after my concert. I am grateful for that coverage, and I’m happy that the news article will spread the word to others who may be interested in attending a future Voice Lifted at Christmas concert. Next year’s event will be on Sunday, December 10, 2017.
I’ve been more quiet this year on my blog, not having written and posted as often as in previous years, but I plan to do more of that in 2017. I enjoy this connection to all of you. Please feel free to leave comments on my posts – that will encourage me to show up more and share more.
In offering to everyone a Christmas message this year, I invite you to connect with your inner child and to allow yourself to be present in the celebrations in which you take part and in the difficult moments, too. The holiday season is really, for most of us, NOT picture-perfect…but there is amidst all of that, so much to really celebrate and to be joyful about. Jesus and Mary clearly struggled at many points throughout their lives, and they did not hide it or put on a face that masked their pain…but what they did was know that the holy God within was far greater than the human challenges they faced. God is not external and distant. We can allow ourselves to touch and hold God and to be touched and held…by simply going within and breathing in the love that is both the holy infant and the divine power inside. May we allow Christ to be born within us today, and may we experience joy in that birth.
All photos by Andy Leibenguth – www.tamaquaarea.com
Thank you, Andy!!
Voice Lifted at Christmas 2016
The 2016 Voice Lifted at Christmas concert is just 2 weeks away. You are invited to come on Sunday, December 11th at 2:30 pm to the Tamaqua Community Arts Center (125 Pine Street, Tamaqua, PA) to hear the concert. Music will include piano and vocal selections by Dr. Susan M. Featro as well as music offered by guests Emily Barrett, Mark Denchy, and Tom Flamini.
Tickets purchased in advance are $8. Stop by the Arts Center or call 570-818-4135 for tickets. Tickets at the door will be available for $10. All of the money will be donated to two organizations that are doing great work in the community: 50% will go to the Tamaqua Blue Raider Foundation to fund special projects in the Tamaqua Area School District, and 50% will go to the Tamaqua Community Arts Center.
Please click below to hear a sample of “The Prayer” performed with musical guest Tom Flamini at the 2015 concert.
Voice Lifted at Christmas – Fifth Annual Benefit Concert
It is hard to believe that this will be the fifth consecutive year for the Voice Lifted Christmas Benefit Concert, This year’s event will be on Sunday, December 11, 2016 at 2:30 pm. This event will, as in the past years, benefit the Tamaqua Blue Raider Foundation and the Tamaqua Community Arts Center. 100% of the ticket money will go to these two organizations, with each receiving 50%. Tickets will be $8 in advance and $10 at the door. You may call 570-818-4135 for advance tickets. Returning to the stage as guest performers this year will be Emily Barrett and Tom Flamini.
If you have not attended a Voice Lifted Christmas Benefit Concert in the past, I invite you to experience this event as a way to lift your spirit and to do something for yourself this holiday season that will help you to connect with the deeper meaning of Christmas. My intention each year is to make this concert a retreat from the busyness of the season, a time to breathe & go within, and a time to reflect on who we are and how God is present in each of us and in our world. The concert will include familiar Christmas songs as well as many unfamiliar pieces that explore our relationship with the Divine, our human experiences and emotions, and our connection to the past and to the future. A favorite part of the concert in past years in addition to the music was the improvised sharing of personal stories and messages. I look forward to opening my heart to the inspiration of the Spirit and seeing how God speaks through me in this annual event.
Please contact me with any questions about the concert or if you would like to purchase tickets in advance.
Christmas Benefit Concert
This year, I will offer for the fourth consecutive year the Voice Lifted Christmas Benefit Concert on Sunday, December 6, 2015 at 2:30 pm. This event will again benefit the Tamaqua Blue Raider Foundation and the Tamaqua Community Arts Center. 100% of the ticket money will go to these two organizations, with each receiving 50%. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door. You may call 570-818-4135 for advance tickets.
I am excited to announce that guest performers this year will include Mr. Steven Toth (Tamaqua Senior High School principal), Emily Barrett, Tom Flamini, and Barbara Greim.
If you have not attended a Voice Lifted Christmas Benefit Concert in the past, I invite you to experience the event as a way to lift your spirit and to do something for yourself this holiday season that will help you to connect with the deeper meaning of Christmas. My intention each year is to make this concert a retreat from the busyness of the season, a time to breathe & go within & reflect on who we are and how God is present in each of us and in our world. The concert will include familiar Christmas songs as well as many unfamiliar pieces that explore our relationship with the Sacred, our human experiences and emotions, and our connection to the past and to the future. A favorite part of the concert in past years in addition to the music was the improvised sharing of personal stories and messages. I look forward to opening my heart to the inspiration of the Spirit and seeing how God speaks through music and word in this annual event.
Please be in touch if you have any questions about the event or would like to purchase tickets in advance.
Voice Lifted in the New Year
As we transition from 2014 to 2015, I look back on my Voice Lifted journey in this past year and look ahead to where I hope to take my music making in the upcoming year.
My Christmas Benefit Concert on Sunday, December 7th was a success. It was a great experience to perform in the newly remodeled Tamaqua Community Arts Center. I was delighted to connect with the wonderful audience who came out that day, and I am thrilled that the event provided support to the Tamaqua Blue Raider Foundation as well as the Community Arts Center. I look forward to seeing these two organizations continue to serve our community in the coming year.
2014 brought the release of my second album Voice Lifted at Christmas. This album is now available for sale online (download or CD) at this link. My first CD Voice Lifted is also available here. Downloads of the music from my Christmas CD are also available at Amazon. Additionally, Voice Lifted at Christmas is available in streaming format on Spotify.
In 2014, I greatly enjoyed many performances at private events, community events, and at churches. I am excited to continue these in 2015. For those who like to plan ahead, I am announcing the date for my 2015 Christmas Benefit Concert at the Tamaqua Community Arts Center – Sunday, December 6th, 2015. I will be announcing other public performances throughout the year, but I wanted to get that date out right away, as I have loved hearing that some people are now making my benefit concert an annual Christmas tradition.
I also plan on additional performances in the new year with my music partner Tom Flamini. Right now, we are preparing for a February 8, 2015 performance at Providence Place in Pottsville.
In the upcoming year, I also plan to continue blogging. I plan to do that with more regularity, as I know that writing is a wonderful source of creative expression for me, and I enjoy sharing my journey with others on the path. Additionally, many ideas are floating around my mind for live performances and recording possibilities.
For me personally, 2014 was a year that brought many challenges and much growth, and I see 2015 as a building year. I believe that there will be much opportunity to take all of the lessons of 2014, allow myself to start at the place at which I am, and create much from the bottom up in this new year with faith and trust as the foundations. Many of those around me have expressed similar feelings about 2014 being a year that involved much tearing down, shaking up of things, a lot of confusion, “a year that brought us to our knees,” and a year that was like a roller coaster ride. I am envisioning and holding 2015 as a building year for myself and for those around me, for anyone who chooses to embrace this intention.
New Year’s Blessings to all of you and to those with whom your share your hearts and your lives.
Christmas Concert, Christmas CD
I am excited about my upcoming Christmas Benefit Concert that will be held on Sunday, December 7th, 2014 at 2:30 pm at the Tamaqua Community Arts Center. This is the third year that I will offer a concert of Christmas music with 50% of the ticket money going to the Tamaqua Community Arts Center and 50% of the ticket money going to the Tamaqua Blue Raider Foundation. Since my concert last year, the Tamaqua Community Arts Center has been renovated. I will be performing on their new stage, and the seating upstairs has also been redone along with multiple other additions and improvements around the center. I look forward to making music in this beautiful space that is a cultural home in our community. I will be joined in the performance by several guest musicians, including high school principal Mr. Toth who will sing as part of the concert as a first-time guest at this event. I hope that many in the Tamaqua Area School District will come out to support him, to support me, to support the other performers, and to support these wonderful organizations. Advance tickets are available for $8, and tickets will cost $10 at the door. Call 570-818-4135 for advance tickets.
I am also excited to announce that I have completed work on my second CD “Voice Lifted at Christmas.” This CD will be available for purchase at the benefit concert, and it will soon be available for purchase on my website. At the top of this post is the cover photo from the CD. As on my first CD cover, I am lifting my voice to God. Highlights of the new CD are favorite carols “O Holy Night,” “The First Noel,” and “Silent Night,” as well as favorite inspirational Christmas pieces “Mary, Did You Know?” and “Breath of Heaven.” I am joined on 3 songs on the CD by vocalist Tom Flamini.
This is a preview of the new Tamaqua Community Arts Center concert hall.
Holiday Benefit Concert: 2 Days Away
My holiday benefit concert is just 2 days away.
I hope you have seen some of the publicity leading up to the event, as I am hoping to perform for a large audience at the concert and raise as much money as possible for the Tamaqua Community Arts Center and the Tamaqua Blue Raider Foundation, supporting special projects in the Tamaqua Area School District.
I was interviewed yesterday on WMGH Radio and WLSH Radio, and a track from my CD – Voice Lifted was played on both of those stations. The (Hazleton) Standard Speaker included the event twice in their “Happenings” section. The Times News ran an article both last Friday and this Tuesday about the upcoming holiday benefit concert. TV-13 (Blue Ridge) News also gave great coverage, filming an interview and clips from “Oh, Holy Night.”
Making music is a true passion for me. I am looking forward to having a special connection with all of those in the audience on Sunday as I lift my voice on traditional Christmas carols and other special pieces that communicate all that this season means and holds for us.
Homecoming
This past weekend, I returned to the college where I got my undergraduate degree for the college’s Homecoming festivities. In all of the years since I graduated, I had never attended Homecoming. I made special plans to attend this year, because my vocal music professor will be retiring at the end of this academic year.
One of the highlights of Homecoming weekend is an “Open Choir Rehearsal,” which is always held on the Saturday morning of Homecoming weekend. In that rehearsal, the current Lycoming College Choir members sing along with returning choir alumni. The rehearsal was held in a beautifully constructed building that has been erected on campus since my graduation: Honors Hall.
Dr. Fred Thayer, the choir director, led the choir in some familiar pieces, such as “Beautiful Savior” and “The Benediction” by Peter Lutkin. The choir also rehearsed “The Star-Spangled Banner,” as the group of current choir members and alumni were invited to sing this piece at the college football game later in the afternoon.
Fred allowed each returning choir member to introduce himself/herself and to update the group on life since college. I could see the pride on Fred’s face as he witnessed each returning choir member sharing a few words about his or her life journey.
We also had the opportunity to hear the current Lycoming Chamber Choir perform. As these young sopranos, altos, tenors, and basses lifted their voices, it was evident that they were engaged in a meaningful way with the music, with each other, and with their conductor. The beautiful sounds that filled the concert hall were sounds that were alive with humanness and connection; these young singers are very lucky to be experiencing the gift of making music under the direction of Dr. Thayer.
A conductor does not simply wave his or her arms in the air to keep the tempo and remind the singers of the dynamics in the pieces of music. A choral conductor has the privilege of taking individual voices and individual spirits and joining them in a way that is meaningful and that allows each singer’s strengths and talents to be combined in a way that leads to a collective sound that is strong and vibrant. As voices join, friendships form, and the music strengthens those friendships and the friendships strengthen the music-making.
I was moved on Saturday by the special connection that exists between Lycoming College Choir alumni, even those separated in their college singing tenure by 30 years. I am grateful for my experience singing in the Lycoming College Choir, and I wish the very best to this year’s vocal ensembles and wish the very best to their outstanding conductor and mentor, Dr. Fred Thayer.
Thank You
If the only prayer you said in your whole life was “thank you,” that would suffice. ~ Meister Eckhart
So…thank you. In this blog post, I offer my thanks to YOU.
As an artist, I want to say “thank you” to those who come out to hear me perform, to those who buy my CDs, to those who support my creative endeavors. Musicians have a desire to be heard, a desire to share our songs with others, and you have made that possible for me.
When I perform in front of an audience, I feel alive, and I feel an incredible human-to-human connection. I see it as a cycle: I send out energy and inspiration to the audience in the form of my notes and rhythms and creative expressions; I get it back from the audience as you smile, are moved to tears, dance in the aisles (at some performances!), and applaud to let me know that you are enjoying my music. This continues as an exchange of energy, and it often builds throughout a performance.
I also feel uplifted when I know that someone has enjoyed or is enjoying my CD. I am moved upon hearing that my CD is bringing clarity and direction to someone in a time of confusion, is providing a delightful background at a family gathering, is offering peace and hope when someone is stressed to the max, is bringing comfort to someone’s dying mother, is a source of inspiration, is conjuring a sweet memory of favorite hymns that a person hasn’t heard for a while.
Creating and sharing music is what I love to do. You help me to do what I love. Thank you for listening and supporting my art. I am grateful.
My next public performance is on Fri., August 3rd at 6:00 pm at the Christian Light Bookstore/ Gift store/ Café’ in Williamsport, PA.