Joan was invited by Pastor Don Loving, of Milan Presbyterian Church, in Milan, Ohio, to give an organ recital in honor of the congregation’s ongoing celebration of 200 years as a congregation. Memorial Day weekend may seem like a strange time for such an event, but in this case, it was perfect. This was a traditional time of celebration for the congregation, with people coming back to town to participate. Special displays in t...

Doug, Melissa, Allison 

It was an honor to have my Four States of Mind, for oboe and piano presented at the annual conference of the International Double Reed Society, held at Lawrence University, in Appleton, Wisconsin last summer. Melissa Bosma, who first performed the pieces at Heidelberg where we were colleagues, submitted the piece for performance at this international convention and it was accepted. Wonderfully expressive...

After months of simple rehearsals, Bill Reyer and I gave our Palm Sunday vocal program, an evening of favorite songs, selected and performed by Bill, while I collaborated on the piano. Bill created a clever and thoughtful program, one that used Broadway standards, Hank Williams tunes, and traditional spirituals to tell a story, or deliver a message. These selections gave me the opportunity to devise my own accompaniments, whic...

Joan and I would like to thank the congregation of Trinity Presbyterian Church, in Kenton Ohio, for inviting Joan to present a solo organ recital earlier this spring. Joan played on an historic Hook & Hastings Organ, one that has been in continuous use since its installation in 1886.

On the program were pieces by Antonio de Cabezon, William Walond and Louis-Claude Daquin, in addition to modern-era composers Jean Langlais, Samue...

            Liesl and John Hunnemann (both Berg grads,) Mark and Bob Applebaum, Joan and Doug

Well, it took about 17 years of dreaming, but it finally happened. Heidelberg University welcomed Dr. Mark Applebaum, the "Mad Scientist" of Music to its campus on March 23-24, 2017, as part of our continuing New Music program. For two wonderful days, Mark and I could be colleagues again. What a gift for Joan a...

My thanks and gratitude to friends and colleagues Jos Milton, tenor, Adam Estes, saxophone and Stacy Rodgers, piano for a wonderful performance of excerpts from my song cycle Langston's Lot at the Region 6 meeting of the North American Saxophone Association, in Valdosta, GA earlier today.  (Saturday, March 11). Unfortunately, I could not attend the conference myself, but I knew that my music...

I'm not sure, but my music may have made its Oklahoma debut last night, thanks to the efforts of a good friend and colleague. Melissa Bosma gave her first faculty recital as Oklahoma State's new oboe specialist and included my Four States of Mind, for oboe and piano on the program. 

Melissa and I met when she taught part-time on the Heidelberg music faculty. She made the long trip weekly, from Ann Arbor to Tiffin and back again...

More than 20 years ago, I was asked to write a new composition for tenor voice, alto saxophone and piano by Gail Levinsky and Jackie Edwards Henry, allowing them to perform with fellow faculty member McCray Davis at Mississippi State University. McCray was a very polite and quiet member of the faculty. Hired in the 1970s to be an assistant choral director, he spent years on the faculty teaching voice and staying out of the lim...

I'm very proud of my composition student, Caleb Adams, who made a very successful presentation of his multi-media work, War Over Hill, at the Student Snapshot Conference for the Society of Composers (SCI,) held at Otterbein University. Caleb and fellow student Rachel Teng from Heidelberg had the opportunity to interact with other student composers from Ohio, Otterbein, Ohio State and Cedarville Universities. 

Caleb also present...

Saturday, October 22nd was a highly significant day for one of my dearest friends, Jodi Nicholson Keith, who was accepted into the Lutheran Church of American (ELCA) as an ordained minister. She has accepted a call to serve the congregation of St. Peter Lutheran Church, in Trenton Ohio.

For this special occasion, I composed a new anthem, O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing, one of Jodi’s favorite hymns.  The piece uses a theme and...