It has been a little over a month since I wrote, because things got busy and then we were in Colorado doing all the fun things you can do there. We were mostly in Vail. In order of importance to me (the most enjoyable first being, I confess, the least athletic and outdoorsy): shopping in all the little specialty shops (ha ha, I admit it), eating in great restaurants (I admit that, too), canoeing on a serene mountaintop lake, hiking on a mountain top with gorgeous views, white-water rafting (mainly because of the surrounding scenery rather than for any splashing excitement), going to see the NY Philharmonic on tour doing Broadway music with singer Kelli Ohara (listed last only because I have been to thousands of concerts in my line of work, which in a way does make it first on the list, though I sometimes take concerts for granted as rather routine). But there was also a family wedding in Estes Park (by Denver) and a chance to visit with Crystal’s family whom we don’t get to see often, which, of course, puts that above and outside of the vacation list.  

During our trip, The Epoch Times published my article on the fascinating love story of composers Robert and Clara Schumann. Click the photo below and simply zoom in and enlarge it to read it all. I also submitted to them a new article on “The Real Music Man,” Meredith Willson (yes, two L’s in his name), who wrote the show by that name and had a fascinating life. It should be out soon. That article was inspired by the fact that Crystal is now in rehearsals for The Music Man, in the lead role of Marian (the librarian) at Springhouse Theater in the Smyrna area of greater Nashville! It will run in September.

Meanwhile, I’m working on sending out DVD’s of our recent Dear Miss Barrett show to various contacts at other theaters in New York and nationally for consideration to do a production. I’m sharing with you here just one song from the show beautifully sung by one of our leading actors in the show, Tyler Evick, in the role of Henry Lane. Click on the video below to watch it (please use headphones or good speakers). In this song, “Make Your Dream,” Henry and Sarah are meeting in the park on a bench (use your imagination). Henry explains to his idealistic girlfriend, Sarah, that he simply cannot live up to the fairy tales and romantic stories she has read in books, but they can do something better. They can find and make their own dream come true in their own real lives. This point fits into the overall plot of the show, which parallels that of the Brownings, but I think it is a good message for today, generally. We sometimes do need to “make our own dream,” not wait for it to fall from the sky.

Now, in addition to promoting the show, I will next move on to composing a new ballet for symphony orchestra! It is a big project that will take a year or two to write, and perhaps two or three more years to see produced. In the mean time I also have a recording project with Parma Recordings to record my new symphony with a full orchestra of almost 100 musicians, plus another short piece I wrote for the College Band Directors Association National Convention a couple of years ago, my choral Latin Mass (already recorded), and another choral work to be recorded in the coming months, and all of these on one album due for release in late 2022. (It will be on Amazon, iTunes, etc.)

If you are reading this and happen to have gone to a performance of Dear Miss Barrett or seen the full video and enjoyed it, it would mean a lot to me if you could just jot a few kind words (no long review needed) in the “Send a Reply” box on the following web page, to go in a list of audience comments titled “What People Are Saying.” Click on this link: https://dearmissbarrett.com/what-people-are-saying/ It doesn’t matter if you are a friend of mine or a friend of one of the actors, as long as your name is not Kurek and as long as you were not an actor in the show, yourself.

I can already feel a bit of fall in the air on some days, especially in the morning, but I’m in no hurry for it. We have some nice cucumbers, peppers, and tomatoes still coming in. Life keeps us all busy and moves ahead, but not in random fashion. Each of our lives has a purpose and a plot and a story of its own, opportunities to help others, and an ultimate goal. I am thankful for yours and thankful to you for sharing mine. Your comments are always welcome (see link at top for comments).