Check this out!
http://www.nihphil.org/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/NIH-Philharmonia/64165080852
http://www.gazette.net/stories/07282010/bethnew220321_32542.php
This morning I received an email from Nancia. The orchestra read the score for the first time last night. The report was that it went well. I can hardly wait to hear it with chorus and orchestra!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Lo, I Am With You Always
What an incredible three days. It took me the longest time to figure out the mezzo-soprano solo for the MASS for the LIVING, but only three days to put down on paper and orchestrate. AMAZING.
Life has been so crazy with the start of my PhD coursework, my life as a wife and mother, and I have been at a loss to know how I was to complete the mezzo-soprano solo for the premiere. But .... I did it! Today, I am thrilled to announce that the MASS for the LIVING is a completed work. Unison and keyboard, or SATB and orchestra. The movements are:
Kyrie
Gloria
Lo, I Am With You Always
Alleluia
Sanctus
Agnus Dei
Amen
It has been an incredible journey to write "Lo, I Am With You Always". I cannot sing it without crying.
The lyrics are drawn from Psalm 121 and Matthew 28:20.
Lo, I am with you always. Always
Lift your eyes unto the hills
For help is coming.
Hope is coming from the Lord
who made the earth,
who made the sea,
who made the sky!
God promises to watch over you,
to comfort you through sorrow
and keep you safe in all you do.
Lo, I am with you always. Always.
Lift you eyes unto the hills
for help is coming.
It is Love coming from the Lord,
who made the earth,
who made the sea,
who made the sky!
Lo, I am with you always! Always!
In your going out
And your coming in ...
I am with you always.
I cannot WAIT to hear it with an orchestra!!!
WOW!!!
Life has been so crazy with the start of my PhD coursework, my life as a wife and mother, and I have been at a loss to know how I was to complete the mezzo-soprano solo for the premiere. But .... I did it! Today, I am thrilled to announce that the MASS for the LIVING is a completed work. Unison and keyboard, or SATB and orchestra. The movements are:
Kyrie
Gloria
Lo, I Am With You Always
Alleluia
Sanctus
Agnus Dei
Amen
It has been an incredible journey to write "Lo, I Am With You Always". I cannot sing it without crying.
The lyrics are drawn from Psalm 121 and Matthew 28:20.
Lo, I am with you always. Always
Lift your eyes unto the hills
For help is coming.
Hope is coming from the Lord
who made the earth,
who made the sea,
who made the sky!
God promises to watch over you,
to comfort you through sorrow
and keep you safe in all you do.
Lo, I am with you always. Always.
Lift you eyes unto the hills
for help is coming.
It is Love coming from the Lord,
who made the earth,
who made the sea,
who made the sky!
Lo, I am with you always! Always!
In your going out
And your coming in ...
I am with you always.
I cannot WAIT to hear it with an orchestra!!!
WOW!!!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
A Winning Entry
In March of 2010, I entered the MASS for the LIVING into a composition competition that was sponsored by the Foundation for the Sacred Arts. The Catholic Church released its New English Translations of the Mass for composers from around the world to create new settings. The contest results were to be announced at the end of May. Owing to the enormity of the project, I wasn't surprised that there was a delay in receiving news about the winning entries.
One evening in mid-June, I opened an email, which was from the Foundation for the Sacred Arts, from my phone. Part of the message was cut off, so I could only read a portion of the announcement of the winning entries, so I assumed that I hadn't won anything ...
The next morning, I went to examine the announcement from my computer- and a bit more carefully-- and to my great surprise and DELIGHT, my name was listed as an Honorable Mention! The email stated that all the winners had been notified, but I know that I had never received a notice, so it made me question whether or not I had actually won...
My doubt comes from the fact that there are about 500 Amanda Jacobs's in the United States and there is an Amanda Jacobs on Facebook who is 'friending' all of them ...
... so you can imagine how I could question whether or not I had actually won.
I emailed the person running the competition and he wrote me back a few days later that I was THE winning Amanda Jacobs.
It is thrilling to know that the MASS for the LIVING won an Honorable Mention, but it really isn't the winning that makes me happy. What makes me happy is that my mother lives in that work and all of that love and joy of her life lives in the work too ... and people felt it -- and they loved her ... and with that, it feels like her life WON an Honorable Mention! She was such an amazing woman and I weep with so much joy and gladness. She won!
Friday, June 4, 2010
Making a Logo
On We dnesday ...I created a logo I can live with. So much of my mother, LIBBIE JACOBS, is represented in the imagery. Purple was her favorite color and I chose growing purple flowers to represent her, and the growing nature of the work.
Already so much LIFE has occurred in this creative journey ...
This includes an interview with Brenda Tremblay at WXXI in early March, a recording of the unison setting at PEACE LUTHERAN CHURCH (funded in part by THRIVENT FINANCIAL for LUTHERANS), submission to the FOUNDATION FOR THE SACRED ARTS, use in the inner-city cluster Ascension Service this past May at Reformation Lutheran Church in Rochester, NY, and NOW ...
(drum roll. please)
preparation for its premiere on December 11, 2010 in an SATB setting with a full orchestra.
The MASS for the LIVING is special ... and I suspect there will be many more things that grow from it ... I can just FEEL it ...
About the mass: "When someone we really love dies, we are left behind ... and we hurt like hell ... so a requiem mass isn't appropriate ... the person I love is dead, and I am alive ... and I mourn ... so I wrote the Mass for the Living because I believe we are to celebrate the love of someone who lived--whom I loved ... and in everything I do, she will live again in the music. She will always be with me."
In March 2010, the unison setting was recorded at PEACE LUTHERAN CHURCH by a 20-voice volunteer choir conducted by LINDSAY WARREN BAKER. The recording project was funded in part by a generous donation from THRIVENT FINANCIAL for LUTHERANS (https://www.thrivent.com/). The sound engineer for the project was Sasha Yevstifeev.
In late-March 2010, the MASS FOR THE LIVING (unison setting) was submitted to a composition competition sponsored by THE FOUNDATION FOR THE SACRED ARTS using the New English Translations of the Mass. Winners of the competition are to be announced at the end of May 2010. After the announcement of winners, the recording and sheet music will be released to congregations who participated in the recording event.
The future of the MASS FOR THE LIVING includes its premiere of its concert SATB setting under the talented baton of NANCIA D'ALIMONTE and her NIH Philhamornic Orchestra on December 11, 2010 in Washington, D.C.
Parts of the MASS FOR THE LIVING include:
KYRIE
GLORIA
ALLELUIA
ACCLAMATIONS A, B, C
AMEN
SANCTUS
AGNUS DEI
The concert setting will include an additional solo "Lo, I Am Always with You" for mezzo-soprano.
For more information, email: massfortheliving@gmail.com
Already so much LIFE has occurred in this creative journey ...
This includes an interview with Brenda Tremblay at WXXI in early March, a recording of the unison setting at PEACE LUTHERAN CHURCH (funded in part by THRIVENT FINANCIAL for LUTHERANS), submission to the FOUNDATION FOR THE SACRED ARTS, use in the inner-city cluster Ascension Service this past May at Reformation Lutheran Church in Rochester, NY, and NOW ...
(drum roll. please)
preparation for its premiere on December 11, 2010 in an SATB setting with a full orchestra.
The MASS for the LIVING is special ... and I suspect there will be many more things that grow from it ... I can just FEEL it ...
About the mass: "When someone we really love dies, we are left behind ... and we hurt like hell ... so a requiem mass isn't appropriate ... the person I love is dead, and I am alive ... and I mourn ... so I wrote the Mass for the Living because I believe we are to celebrate the love of someone who lived--whom I loved ... and in everything I do, she will live again in the music. She will always be with me."
In March 2010, the unison setting was recorded at PEACE LUTHERAN CHURCH by a 20-voice volunteer choir conducted by LINDSAY WARREN BAKER. The recording project was funded in part by a generous donation from THRIVENT FINANCIAL for LUTHERANS (https://www.thrivent.com/). The sound engineer for the project was Sasha Yevstifeev.
In late-March 2010, the MASS FOR THE LIVING (unison setting) was submitted to a composition competition sponsored by THE FOUNDATION FOR THE SACRED ARTS using the New English Translations of the Mass. Winners of the competition are to be announced at the end of May 2010. After the announcement of winners, the recording and sheet music will be released to congregations who participated in the recording event.
The future of the MASS FOR THE LIVING includes its premiere of its concert SATB setting under the talented baton of NANCIA D'ALIMONTE and her NIH Philhamornic Orchestra on December 11, 2010 in Washington, D.C.
Parts of the MASS FOR THE LIVING include:
KYRIE
GLORIA
ALLELUIA
ACCLAMATIONS A, B, C
AMEN
SANCTUS
AGNUS DEI
The concert setting will include an additional solo "Lo, I Am Always with You" for mezzo-soprano.
For more information, email: massfortheliving@gmail.com
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Funding the Recording ...
It was amazing to me how excited everyone became by the "Mass for the Living" project. I began to receive all kinds of encouragement, help and contacts.
My friend, Wendy Carrier, a long-time member of PEACE LUTHERAN CHURCH, suggested I approach THRIVENT FINANCIAL for LUTHERANS for help with funding the cost of recording the Mass for the FOUNDATION for the SACRED ARTS competition.
To my great joy, there was a special grant that covered exactly the cost of that recording. I wrote the grant and the proposal was accepted. THRIVENT FINANCIAL for LUTHERANS was able to help sponsor the event.
When this was announced, I sent out another press release and Brenda Tremblay from WXXI invited me to interview ... word began to get out.
The recording was made and I loaded the tracks onto an mp3 player onto a box on this blogspot ... Check it out!
My friend, Wendy Carrier, a long-time member of PEACE LUTHERAN CHURCH, suggested I approach THRIVENT FINANCIAL for LUTHERANS for help with funding the cost of recording the Mass for the FOUNDATION for the SACRED ARTS competition.
To my great joy, there was a special grant that covered exactly the cost of that recording. I wrote the grant and the proposal was accepted. THRIVENT FINANCIAL for LUTHERANS was able to help sponsor the event.
When this was announced, I sent out another press release and Brenda Tremblay from WXXI invited me to interview ... word began to get out.
The recording was made and I loaded the tracks onto an mp3 player onto a box on this blogspot ... Check it out!
How It All Started ...
When my mother died suddenly of a massive heart attack in January 2000, I promised I would write a Mass in her memory. It would be a Mass to comfort the living who survive the death of someone they love so very much.
Ten years passed before I was able to embark on this musical journey. However, it was my very dear friend and fellow composer, Greg Mertl who asked me in November 2009, "When are you going to write it? It's been ten years ... almost."
That was the day I picked up my mechanical pencil and sat down to compose it. I was also sparked when I also found a competition through the Foundation for the Sacred Arts, which gave me a deadline. Things began to happen and on January 15, 2010, I sent out this press release:
PEACE LUTHERAN CHURCH becomes RECORDING STUDIO for NEW MUSIC
Peace Lutheran Church announced today a Music Recording Project to record a new congregational setting of the Liturgy (worship service music) on March 13th, 2010 from 10AM until 3:30PM at Peace Lutheran Church, 125 Caroline Street, Rochester, NY. The new musical setting, which was composed by Amanda Jacobs (Organist at Peace and Composer of “Jane Austen’s PRIDE & PREJUDICE, A Musical”), has been written for unison voices and keyboard using the New English Translations from the Foundation for the Sacred Arts. Everyone who likes to sing is invited to participate.
Following the recording session, a CD will be made, and a copy will be given to all participants in the recording project. A copy of the CD will also be submitted to the Foundation for the Sacred Arts as an entry in its composition competition for new liturgy. Following the announcement of winners from the Foundation for the Sacred Arts, the sheet music will be made available for congregational use to all churches who participated in the project.
The setting of the Liturgy is called “A Mass for the Living” and celebrates the unity of all liturgical churches through singing. The music has been composed to remember the life of Amanda’s mother, who died ten years ago. Everyone who loves to sing is invited and encouraged to take part. The music is not difficult to learn and easy to sing. It has been composed specifically for congregational use.
The recording project will be an all-day event. The entire recording process will take place on March 13th, 2010 at Peace Lutheran Church. The schedule will be as follows:
10:00 – 12:00 REHEARSAL – in church Sanctuary conducted by Lindsay Warren Baker
12:00 – 1:30 POT LUCK LUNCH – in social hall
(Recording equipment will be set up in the Sanctuary during this time.)
1:30 – 2:00 REVIEW of music – conducted by Lindsay Warren Baker
2:00 – 3:30 RECORDING - in Sanctuary with Sound Engineer
To be part of this special event, or for more information, please contact Amanda Jacobs at massfortheliving@gmail.com, or you may call Peace Lutheran Church, 585.244.9206.
###
Ten years passed before I was able to embark on this musical journey. However, it was my very dear friend and fellow composer, Greg Mertl who asked me in November 2009, "When are you going to write it? It's been ten years ... almost."
That was the day I picked up my mechanical pencil and sat down to compose it. I was also sparked when I also found a competition through the Foundation for the Sacred Arts, which gave me a deadline. Things began to happen and on January 15, 2010, I sent out this press release:
PEACE LUTHERAN CHURCH becomes RECORDING STUDIO for NEW MUSIC
Peace Lutheran Church announced today a Music Recording Project to record a new congregational setting of the Liturgy (worship service music) on March 13th, 2010 from 10AM until 3:30PM at Peace Lutheran Church, 125 Caroline Street, Rochester, NY. The new musical setting, which was composed by Amanda Jacobs (Organist at Peace and Composer of “Jane Austen’s PRIDE & PREJUDICE, A Musical”), has been written for unison voices and keyboard using the New English Translations from the Foundation for the Sacred Arts. Everyone who likes to sing is invited to participate.
Following the recording session, a CD will be made, and a copy will be given to all participants in the recording project. A copy of the CD will also be submitted to the Foundation for the Sacred Arts as an entry in its composition competition for new liturgy. Following the announcement of winners from the Foundation for the Sacred Arts, the sheet music will be made available for congregational use to all churches who participated in the project.
The setting of the Liturgy is called “A Mass for the Living” and celebrates the unity of all liturgical churches through singing. The music has been composed to remember the life of Amanda’s mother, who died ten years ago. Everyone who loves to sing is invited and encouraged to take part. The music is not difficult to learn and easy to sing. It has been composed specifically for congregational use.
The recording project will be an all-day event. The entire recording process will take place on March 13th, 2010 at Peace Lutheran Church. The schedule will be as follows:
10:00 – 12:00 REHEARSAL – in church Sanctuary conducted by Lindsay Warren Baker
12:00 – 1:30 POT LUCK LUNCH – in social hall
(Recording equipment will be set up in the Sanctuary during this time.)
1:30 – 2:00 REVIEW of music – conducted by Lindsay Warren Baker
2:00 – 3:30 RECORDING - in Sanctuary with Sound Engineer
To be part of this special event, or for more information, please contact Amanda Jacobs at massfortheliving@gmail.com, or you may call Peace Lutheran Church, 585.244.9206.
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