This morning I had the pleasure of sitting in on a seminar with Morten Lauridsen at ASU. I still receive the emails the composition faculty sends out on the listserv and normally, I delete them. But this I couldn’t pass up. It was mostly ACDA (American Choir Director’s Association… I think) that brought him to campus and, mostly, it was full of CDNA members or choral education or performance majors or choir teachers from across the valley. Then there was me. Who can’t sing. But that’s a different story.

The morning/afternoon was full of Lauridsen’s music, stories, and deep insight. Growing up, he worked in the forest service and would spend 20 weeks at a time, up a look a post, alone, in the middle of the forest. He says that most of the time, the tower was above the clouds and all he could see were the tops of the mountains.

Each of the 100 of us who RSVPed for the seminar were given complimentary copies of about 8 or 9 of Lauridsen’s pieces to follow along and sing with thanks to his publishers. Everything from O Magnum Mysterium to Les Chansons des Roses to his earlier work, Lament for Pasiphae from Mid-Winter Songs.

It’s been a year and a half since I’ve even remotely sung in a choir, let alone a room full of 100 choir majors undergraduate and graduate students and professionals alike. Singing is really something I realize I miss. Sure, I always sing home alone, at the piano, or in random fragments in public, but there’s something about the community of it all that really moves something in me. I could barely get myself through O Magnum. Why was that? I’ve heard the piece dozens of times. And yet, still. The stories he told, heartbreaking, bold, healing. It’s… there’s no word for it.

Afterwords, every one wanted an autograph or a picture with him. Someone was talking to me at the time, trying to recruit me for a community chamber choir, that by the time we were finished there was no one left so I went up and talked to him for a moment. I asked him about USC, since he teaches there, and asked him really informally what the chances were that they would consider a transfer student for composition. He said, “Absolutely zero.” He went on to explain that they want all their composition students to be there for four years or apply for a masters degree. I must be exceedingly desperate and pathetic at this point but I continued to ask him if it was possible for a transfer student to transfer and start over–do four full years–and graduate in what would be 6 years. He said it was possible. Not the smartest things I could have said or asked but those were my few words with Morten Lauridsen. And I’m still lost more than ever.

Gosh, where have I been? I guess I’m starting to actually care about this whole school/education thing. Well, how could I not when all I do is dance the cha-cha and watch Raiders of the Lost Arc? Yes, I am finally enjoying this semester at ASU. Sure it looks easy, what with 3 film classes and all, but I’m learning more than I have the entire last year (not to mention learning to sway my booty with perfect cuban motion).

…I’m still a long ways away from that, by the way.

Kevin Phipps and I have decided to go all out on our Conan - The Musical premiere. In fact, we’ve decided to make it into an actual film festival for short films complete with awards and everything. If you have a short film that you’d like to submit, please check out www.catchallfestival.com within the next couple of days for more information. But hurry, the deadline is Novemeber 1, 2006 which means the premiere (featuring our Conan project) will be held on…

…drum roll please…