On Sunday, March 10th and
Monday, March 11th, I was invited to Clark University to work with conductor,
Dan Ryan, his chorus and student soloists.
To say the very least, it was two fun-filled days of meeting students,
listening to them sing Gena Branscombe’s music, answering questions about the
composer’s life and music as well as participating in the evening chorus rehearsal
for Pilgrims of Destiny. What a great job these musicians are doing to
make the concert happen.
This is the beginning of a dream
coming true! Twenty years ago when I met
Gena Tenney Phenix, Gena Branscombe’s eldest daughter, she showed me her copy
of the Pilgrims’ score. When I asked if I could borrow the score to
make a copy of it, she replied that she did not want the music to leave her
house. That was fine and I understood.
Over the ensuing years I
studied the Pilgrims of Destiny score
in the Special Collections section of the New York Public Library for the
Performing Arts. At the Library of
Congress I studied the original conductor’s score. A copy of the 1929 piano/vocal score came up
for sale on E-bay and I purchased it which only made my dreams of a future performance
stronger.
As I wrote in an earlier blog,
Dan Ryan, Director of Choral Activities at Clark University, purchased a copy
of the score at a yard sale and made it his mission to perform this piece of
music. His mission will come alive with
the Saturday, April 27th performance. Thank you, Dan.
With his students, they have
created the hashtag #BringingBackBranscombe.
They have put news of the performance on all levels of social media
including the Pilgrims of Destiny
blog, Facebook, Twitter and more. They
have applied for and been given grant money to cover the expenses of the performance. Two of Dan’s students have programmed Gena’s
art songs on their recitals. How
wonderful is that? The enthusiasm that
the Clark University students have shown for Miss Branscombe’s music is
heart-warming.
Thank you Dan Ryan and the
Clark University Choir for your hard work.
I look forward to seeing all of you at the end of April and hearing this
beautiful music.
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