November 30, 2007

  • Old Friends
    Today I went to see my old friend Fred Miller of Copper Penny Productionshttp://www.fredmillermusic.com to get some assistance in learning a piece from "Patience." Fred is a pianist par excellence as well as being a music historian, singer and performer. But perhaps Fred's greatest contribution is his unique singing performance groups. Some years ago when I was contemplating getting back on stage, a friend of mine kept telling me to check out Fred's group. Finally I went. Fred has a philosophy that anyone (and I mean anyone) can sing. He runs a 10 week cycle group where people get together every week and each person sings one, maybe two songs; working on them each week. At the end of the 10 weeks the group puts on a recital/covered dish get together at Phillips Mill in Bucks County, PA. The performances range from really very good to... well let's just say that Fred sometimes needs to sing along or at least join in with the singer to keep them on key, in time, and sometimes even on the same page. It is truly a hoot and really a lot of fun. The group is very warm and welcoming and everyone is encouraged and affirmed. When I first showed up I had not sung in public for over 30 years. I was really nervous. I chose to sing the Soliloquy from Carousel; in retrospect a pretty  grandiose piece for one away from singing so long. I muddled through though, got general approbation and then went back the following week. After doing about three 10 week cycles I was ready to go and audition for other types of performance. But Fred's group made it much more likely that I went back to theater than might have been the case had his group not existed. If you or anyone you know would like an extremely low pressure performance experience; contact Fred. The groups are held at his home in Sergentsville, NJ. Sorry, no kids allowed.