Music Meets Drama

Every other blog entry I make seems to be about Gena Branscombe items that have been given to me or that I purchased from E-bay or Amazon websites.  This past week two people sent me Branscombe items.  From the daughter of Agnes Conway, a Branscombe Choral member, I received 45 rpm records of the December 1953, Spring and December 1954 performances the Choral gave at the Broadway Tabernacle Church and Town Hall.  Thank you to Mary Conway for these recordings.  Agnes Conway passed away on December 31, 2017.  I am fairly sure she was the last Branscombe Choral member.   From the grandson of  Branscombe Choral member, Marie Zieres, I received her choral folder.   Covered in red fabric, the folder matched the robes and hats the women wore for their concerts.   Neatly tucked inside the folder were the programs from the Choral’s December 1949 and May 1950 concerts.   The small treasure inside the folder was a receipt made ou...

In May 2015, I wrote a blog entry about Gena Branscombe’s dramatic oratorio, Pilgrims of Destiny .   There was a detailed description of what was happening in Miss Branscombe’s and her family’s life at the time.   Also, I had found an original 1929 piano/vocal score online and purchased it.   Please go back and read the posting. This blog is about Pilgrims of Destiny and wonderful news to share with you.   Pilgrims of Destiny will be performed Saturday, April 27, 2019 at Clark University in Worcester, MA.  Dan Ryan, Director of Choral Activities at Clark University, will conduct this work which has not been performed since 1940.   When I began work on my Gena Branscombe Project, it was always my dream to see that Pilgrims of Destiny be performed once again. Last year I received an e-mail from conductor Dan Ryan telling me had found the score and was interested in performing the work.  Several weeks later we spoke by ph...