It’s only halfway through February, and it’s already been quite a musical year!
I was up in Occidental at the Volti Choral Institute, Jan 31 – Feb 2. Thankfully, my sore-throat-turned-cough was well under control, and I was no longer contagious, no doubt due to all the ginger tea I was guzzling.
There were three of us from Volti who served as the resident faculty for the weekend: me and two sopranos. It was a relatively small group of girls this time around… and they all sounded lovely! It’s so refreshing to work with such talented and disciplined kids. This choral institute was the most fun I’ve done so far.
Also, a trip to Occidental is not complete without a stop at Wild Flour Bread Bakery. I picked up a few loaves for the Super Bowl party at a friend’s place. So. Delicious.
Saturday Feb 8 was a very exciting day. My pals in True North came up from LA for our show at Piedmont Piano Company that night. We did two sets of some of our old tunes and some new arrangements, including Matt’s arrangement of my tune “Let It Be.” JAZZ-ology, an auditioned ensemble at Contra Costa College, sang two songs at the top of the show. We were backed by Lorca Hart on drums, Sam Bevan on bass, and Ben Stolerow on piano.
We had a small but appreciative crowd, who all enjoyed the beer I picked up from Linden Street Brewery. It’s hard to get people out after a day of pouring rain… and with Sheila E playing down the street, among other things. Nevertheless, the band was great, and we had a fantastic time. On stage, we managed to keep the inside jokes to a bare minimum. It’s always a treat to sing with those 3 – never a dull moment.
