We will miss you Denise!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Red hair dye and eye liner—what more could a girl want?
Since all of my photos from this era are in Minneapolis, my friend Nick pulled this out and sent to me. (Thanks Nick.)
Laura and Denise
University of Minnesota, Espresso 22
1992-ish
Monday, September 29, 2008
Memories, and another recording of Denise
Hi all, I’m expanding on comments originally made to Keith’s “Music recordings” post. Like all of you, I’m devastated by the loss of Denise. She was absolutely amazing. My sincerest condolences go out to all her family & friends.
Denise was part of my new-works group The Next Stage Music Ensemble in the mid-90s. I met her through Charlie who was also involved with the group. Next Stage created concerts with lighting design environments, so that the events looked and felt like dance concerts. This and many other aspects of the group meant that resident composers and performers had to pitch in an awful lot of volunteer time to get everything done – licking stamps, folding newsletters, hanging lights, dragging HEAVY industrial cable up 3 flights of stairs, you name it. In addition to writing pieces and performing her own and others’ music, she put in tons of volunteer hours cheerfully and helped brighten up the room, as indeed she did every room she walked into.
Shortly thereafter, she & I worked together for 4 years with a community chorus. We made a pretty darn good team. Each week I’d attempt to conduct and she’d dive into the piano parts of a dozen or so difficult works, plunking out alto and bass lines over & over as needed. Many folks learned by ear so there was a lot of plunking. =) We helped prepare 2 concerts a year, sometimes against all odds. Eventually my schedule demanded I step down, but she stuck with it for 10 years, I think. There were wonderful and challenging times, always graced by her ready smile and wry humor. She gave me rides to rehearsal -- in pouring rain & freezing snow -- and yes, we did knock back a couple of drinks after concerts, marveling at having somehow survived. =) Her playing was always terrific, and once again, her boundless energy lit up the room.
I took this shot at the NY memorial gathering last Friday. I fondly remember the big ole keyring, but had forgotten JUST HOW MANY things were on it!! :-p They always landed on the piano rack first thing when rehearsal started…
* * * * * * * * *
Thanks to Keith for posting mp3s of her music; I'm still trying to recover from "Not Waving, But Drowning"... I also wanted to let you know about another recording that features the speaking voice of Denise. This one is a comic piece of mine for small speaking chorus, called "Don't Ride Off" (based on subway escalator announcements). A brief excerpt can be found on TRACK 3 of this.
Denise is heard in the repetitive "step, step!" pattern underneath the 2 soloists. Sharp ears may also recognize another voice or two... =)
I haven't found a downloadable version of the entire piece online yet, just brief samples. (It's about 5 min. long.) I sent Keith the CD and he may put up an mp3 of it here soon, but meanwhile the CD can be found on amazon for anyone interested. Also Nina and Leni have a copy. Later on in the piece, Denise and the other alto in the group can be heard clearly in the lines "Attend your children!" … "step on and off quickly, Don't Ride Off" … and "hold your child (step on, step off)". BTW, this recording was from a live concert that constituted the last ever performance of The Next Stage Music Ensemble.
Thanks to all for your words and photos. I will never forget the gift of Denise’s presence in my life.
Denise was part of my new-works group The Next Stage Music Ensemble in the mid-90s. I met her through Charlie who was also involved with the group. Next Stage created concerts with lighting design environments, so that the events looked and felt like dance concerts. This and many other aspects of the group meant that resident composers and performers had to pitch in an awful lot of volunteer time to get everything done – licking stamps, folding newsletters, hanging lights, dragging HEAVY industrial cable up 3 flights of stairs, you name it. In addition to writing pieces and performing her own and others’ music, she put in tons of volunteer hours cheerfully and helped brighten up the room, as indeed she did every room she walked into.
Shortly thereafter, she & I worked together for 4 years with a community chorus. We made a pretty darn good team. Each week I’d attempt to conduct and she’d dive into the piano parts of a dozen or so difficult works, plunking out alto and bass lines over & over as needed. Many folks learned by ear so there was a lot of plunking. =) We helped prepare 2 concerts a year, sometimes against all odds. Eventually my schedule demanded I step down, but she stuck with it for 10 years, I think. There were wonderful and challenging times, always graced by her ready smile and wry humor. She gave me rides to rehearsal -- in pouring rain & freezing snow -- and yes, we did knock back a couple of drinks after concerts, marveling at having somehow survived. =) Her playing was always terrific, and once again, her boundless energy lit up the room.
I took this shot at the NY memorial gathering last Friday. I fondly remember the big ole keyring, but had forgotten JUST HOW MANY things were on it!! :-p They always landed on the piano rack first thing when rehearsal started…
* * * * * * * * *
Thanks to Keith for posting mp3s of her music; I'm still trying to recover from "Not Waving, But Drowning"... I also wanted to let you know about another recording that features the speaking voice of Denise. This one is a comic piece of mine for small speaking chorus, called "Don't Ride Off" (based on subway escalator announcements). A brief excerpt can be found on TRACK 3 of this.
Denise is heard in the repetitive "step, step!" pattern underneath the 2 soloists. Sharp ears may also recognize another voice or two... =)
I haven't found a downloadable version of the entire piece online yet, just brief samples. (It's about 5 min. long.) I sent Keith the CD and he may put up an mp3 of it here soon, but meanwhile the CD can be found on amazon for anyone interested. Also Nina and Leni have a copy. Later on in the piece, Denise and the other alto in the group can be heard clearly in the lines "Attend your children!" … "step on and off quickly, Don't Ride Off" … and "hold your child (step on, step off)". BTW, this recording was from a live concert that constituted the last ever performance of The Next Stage Music Ensemble.
Thanks to all for your words and photos. I will never forget the gift of Denise’s presence in my life.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
For Denise
And yes, the wit, the tongue between the teeth.
And yes, courageous, funny, always kind--
and yet the words die when exposed to air
and fall away from what they're meant to bare:
The mild, the steel, the kohl, the baffled pain,
the first time, second, third, and fourth--again?
And fifth, again? Again? The grapple won,
but never long, and always never done.
So yes, the wit, the glint barely beneath.
And yes, the grit, the warmth, the well-tuned mind.
And yet--
The posture of your hands, that glance: I knew
we could be close when you peeked out at me.
Last week, the veil a darker hue, you glanced
again and saw me happy to see you.
the smile in all my life I'm gladdest of
is one that we both knew said we both love
And yes, courageous, funny, always kind--
and yet the words die when exposed to air
and fall away from what they're meant to bare:
The mild, the steel, the kohl, the baffled pain,
the first time, second, third, and fourth--again?
And fifth, again? Again? The grapple won,
but never long, and always never done.
So yes, the wit, the glint barely beneath.
And yes, the grit, the warmth, the well-tuned mind.
And yet--
The posture of your hands, that glance: I knew
we could be close when you peeked out at me.
Last week, the veil a darker hue, you glanced
again and saw me happy to see you.
the smile in all my life I'm gladdest of
is one that we both knew said we both love
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
Isn't she beautiful with her huge smiles?!The first one is a picture that we took on one of her visits home. I jumped on top of her and told Paul to take the picture quick before I squished her!!!
The second picture is one that Emma took and I love it because she caught Neeser in the middle of one of her famous huge and infectious laughs.
Kir
So many and so few words
I had a very restless night last night and came to new appreciation of the phrase "difficult to process." I realized that it was like waking up in the middle of a thought that was running all the time in the background, processing, or failing to process; sometimes coming to the fore, sometimes receding, but ever-present. I've been thinking about Denise and her family and friends non-stop since I heard the awful news.
6. The day we got married. When Denise walked into the church, she literally took my breath away so hard that my Dad steadied me.
7. Quiet nights on the couch watching Star Trek (Next Generation, of course) or the Simpsons. Denise later told me that this was one of her favorite memories, too.
8. She would always take cat naps on the subway on my shoulder as I read on our way home.
9. When I mentioned in passing that my mom had always woke me up with a cup of hot coffee before she left for work, because Denise was always an early bird and I am not (how on earth she got up so early all those weekend shifts at McDonald's I'll never know), she started to do that for me.
10. Music. This was always one of the most special parts of our relationship that never stopped. But here I'm thinking about something specific. As we worked through our divorce, part of us were also working out our feelings and communicating with each other in subtler ways: often by the texts we chose to set. There are certain pieces of Denise's I can not listen to without crying, from guilt, from sadness, from her show of inner-strength.
Maybe 10 is enough for now. But to go back to the general for a moment... I have long been impressed by Denise's quiet ability to gathering around her and keep around her some of the most amazing people, so many that also feel this loss so deeply. Connee and Laura and Heather and Kirsten, the Greenlees' and the Isaak's, her oldest and dearest friends; all her U of MN classmates; the friends and colleagues she made after making New York her home.
Forgive me if I'm being verbose. I know that the Memorial is happening today and being so far away, surrounded by people who didn't know her makes it difficult. I want to be with you all and to laugh and to cry and to tell you all how much she loved you, because it's important to remember. How you also shaped her and helped her. Thankfully, I was just in New York for six weeks in late-April through early-June. I'd stayed with Denise and her mom several times during that period. She drove me to the airport for my trip back to Latvia. We didn't say I love you to each other often, but we said it then.
And Leni, John and Nina, I can't voice my sympathy enough; I guess no one can. But please know that I join the many people in offering you my heartfelt condolences and that I promise to keep you in my thoughts, to keep Denise in my thoughts, and to do everything I can to keep Denise's music alive.
How can I encapsulate all that we were to each other over the past sixteen years? The answer is simple: I can't. But I can say that Denise's presence (and thank God or the Universe or whatever, or her, I guess, that it was a continued presence) has been nothing short of a blessing.
There was no real reason to broadcast the way our relationship has evolved these many years, especially in more recent ones. But we spoke on a basically weekly basis the entire time I've been here in Latvia, we lived only a five minute walk from each other in Queens and spoke and saw each other all the time. We taught at the same schools and worked together in the same organizations and sounded our private thoughts and fears and concerns off each other for years. And we reached a really good, unique place together, where we both had moved forward and both stood in deep support and understanding of each other. I will never in my life again have another relationship remotely like this one.
Anyway, to continue the processor metaphor, let me stop blathering and share some special memories that came up last night in sort of Random Access Memory, but in quasi-chronological order:
1. Seeing this interesting girl on my first day at the U of MN, with her cut up shorts and tattered plaid shirt, her Doc Martens and spiky dyed hair.
2. Challenging her to a bladder-off at the Terminal Bar and losing. The idea was to drink beer and to see who could hold off for longer with a trip to the toilet.
3. Constantly losing to her at pool.
4. Watching her skate her forms in deep concentration.
5. Driving home alone after one of countless amazing dinners at the Broadhurst's when Aaron Copland's Quiet City came on the radio as the Minneapolis skyline rose up before me. It was one of the most peaceful, happy moments in my life.
5. Going to the Chicago Opera together to see my teacher's premiere and going to the hoity-toity after party at some mansion, complete with big game heads mounted on the walls. We secretly spoke in British accents with each other and tilted our pinkies up as we sipped our drinks.
There was no real reason to broadcast the way our relationship has evolved these many years, especially in more recent ones. But we spoke on a basically weekly basis the entire time I've been here in Latvia, we lived only a five minute walk from each other in Queens and spoke and saw each other all the time. We taught at the same schools and worked together in the same organizations and sounded our private thoughts and fears and concerns off each other for years. And we reached a really good, unique place together, where we both had moved forward and both stood in deep support and understanding of each other. I will never in my life again have another relationship remotely like this one.
Anyway, to continue the processor metaphor, let me stop blathering and share some special memories that came up last night in sort of Random Access Memory, but in quasi-chronological order:
1. Seeing this interesting girl on my first day at the U of MN, with her cut up shorts and tattered plaid shirt, her Doc Martens and spiky dyed hair.
2. Challenging her to a bladder-off at the Terminal Bar and losing. The idea was to drink beer and to see who could hold off for longer with a trip to the toilet.
3. Constantly losing to her at pool.
4. Watching her skate her forms in deep concentration.
5. Driving home alone after one of countless amazing dinners at the Broadhurst's when Aaron Copland's Quiet City came on the radio as the Minneapolis skyline rose up before me. It was one of the most peaceful, happy moments in my life.
5. Going to the Chicago Opera together to see my teacher's premiere and going to the hoity-toity after party at some mansion, complete with big game heads mounted on the walls. We secretly spoke in British accents with each other and tilted our pinkies up as we sipped our drinks.
6. The day we got married. When Denise walked into the church, she literally took my breath away so hard that my Dad steadied me.
7. Quiet nights on the couch watching Star Trek (Next Generation, of course) or the Simpsons. Denise later told me that this was one of her favorite memories, too.
8. She would always take cat naps on the subway on my shoulder as I read on our way home.
9. When I mentioned in passing that my mom had always woke me up with a cup of hot coffee before she left for work, because Denise was always an early bird and I am not (how on earth she got up so early all those weekend shifts at McDonald's I'll never know), she started to do that for me.
10. Music. This was always one of the most special parts of our relationship that never stopped. But here I'm thinking about something specific. As we worked through our divorce, part of us were also working out our feelings and communicating with each other in subtler ways: often by the texts we chose to set. There are certain pieces of Denise's I can not listen to without crying, from guilt, from sadness, from her show of inner-strength.
Maybe 10 is enough for now. But to go back to the general for a moment... I have long been impressed by Denise's quiet ability to gathering around her and keep around her some of the most amazing people, so many that also feel this loss so deeply. Connee and Laura and Heather and Kirsten, the Greenlees' and the Isaak's, her oldest and dearest friends; all her U of MN classmates; the friends and colleagues she made after making New York her home.
Forgive me if I'm being verbose. I know that the Memorial is happening today and being so far away, surrounded by people who didn't know her makes it difficult. I want to be with you all and to laugh and to cry and to tell you all how much she loved you, because it's important to remember. How you also shaped her and helped her. Thankfully, I was just in New York for six weeks in late-April through early-June. I'd stayed with Denise and her mom several times during that period. She drove me to the airport for my trip back to Latvia. We didn't say I love you to each other often, but we said it then.
And Leni, John and Nina, I can't voice my sympathy enough; I guess no one can. But please know that I join the many people in offering you my heartfelt condolences and that I promise to keep you in my thoughts, to keep Denise in my thoughts, and to do everything I can to keep Denise's music alive.
Dearest Denise
Denise, Kristin and I were a triad, a "lovely clover leaf" as Leni put it, of friends. Of course sometimes only two of us would go out--K & D, K & T, D & T--but the best times were when the three of us could get together. We tried to do that as much as we could, and of course it was never enough. We were buddies in the trenches at NCC, where we all taught. Denise never had the horror stories about students that Kristin and I have, but she was completely sympathetic and willing to listen to us bitch. We cheered on each other's professional endeavors and personal triumphs. We were Lord of the Rings geeks together. (The three of us took a trip to Boston to see a special LOTR exhibit there. Denise and I stayed with my office-mate Paul Rosa and his family, all of whom--of course--also immediately came to love Denise.)
And we held each other, literally and metaphorically, when times were tough. She was one of those people you would do anything for--except she'd never let you do anything for her. In the seven short years I knew Denise, she became one of my very closest and dearest friends. I love her more than I can say; she may be gone, but that love certainly is not.
I hope others reading this do not find this too corny for words, but I know Denise would not. When she was first diagnosed with cancer, she told me that she kept thinking of a scene in The Return of the King, when Pippin says, "I don't want to be in a battle, but waiting on the edge of one I can't escape is even worse." She wanted to start fighting right away, and once the battle was joined, she fought with valor, and with unyielding grace. And so I want to say to her what Gandalf later says to Pippin: "The journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path, one that we all must take. The grey rain curtain of this world rolls back and all turns to silver glass, and then you see it ... white shores, and beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise." Denise is in that country now. May the sun never set.
Denise with Viggo Mortensen, in Watertown, New York, September 2006Thursday, September 25, 2008
We will miss her.
I was trying to think about my most memorable experience with Denise, but it's very hard to come up with one. We mostly got together and talked and enjoyed each other's company. Our boys called her Auntie Denise. We called her our good friend and we loved meeting her for coffee and to talk about music and life and relationships. I could tell her anything, and I think she felt she could talk to me as well. Oddly, she was a as close to my husband as she was to me, although differently. They also had the bond of both being composers, although of different types of music.
The things I will remember most about Denise: Her sense of humor, her dedication to composing and finally attaining that doctorate, her concern for others. When I think of Denise, I think of her laughing, or saying something funny. She was one of my favorite people to be around. Any time we had a gathering, large or small, she was one of the first people I would ask to be there.
And her music: she wrote some of the most beautiful classical music I've heard. It was definitely post-20th century, but absolutely gorgeous. Fran and I commissioned her to write us a song cycle for a concert. I'm so glad I have that from her.
I met Denise 10 years ago, when I first moved to New York. I'm grateful that I got to know her. I wish we'd had more time together. She found out she had cancer right around the time of my baby shower for our twins. She didn't tell us until after the shower, I think because she didn't want to spoil the occasion for us. That alone speaks volumes for her character. She thought of others even in the midst of her own crisis.
As I said, her cancer coincided with our boys' arrival. And since then, it has been hard to get together. She was often sick, we were often exhausted. Denise was still trying to work and we were up at all hours with newborns. That continued a long time. The history of our friendship the last few years has been grabbing a few hours here and there, sometimes with kids, sometimes without. I'm grateful for the time we did get together...I wish there had been more.
I miss her. I know we will continue to miss her. I am grateful that I had the chance to know such a truly good and kind person.
Kathleen
The things I will remember most about Denise: Her sense of humor, her dedication to composing and finally attaining that doctorate, her concern for others. When I think of Denise, I think of her laughing, or saying something funny. She was one of my favorite people to be around. Any time we had a gathering, large or small, she was one of the first people I would ask to be there.
And her music: she wrote some of the most beautiful classical music I've heard. It was definitely post-20th century, but absolutely gorgeous. Fran and I commissioned her to write us a song cycle for a concert. I'm so glad I have that from her.
I met Denise 10 years ago, when I first moved to New York. I'm grateful that I got to know her. I wish we'd had more time together. She found out she had cancer right around the time of my baby shower for our twins. She didn't tell us until after the shower, I think because she didn't want to spoil the occasion for us. That alone speaks volumes for her character. She thought of others even in the midst of her own crisis.
As I said, her cancer coincided with our boys' arrival. And since then, it has been hard to get together. She was often sick, we were often exhausted. Denise was still trying to work and we were up at all hours with newborns. That continued a long time. The history of our friendship the last few years has been grabbing a few hours here and there, sometimes with kids, sometimes without. I'm grateful for the time we did get together...I wish there had been more.
I miss her. I know we will continue to miss her. I am grateful that I had the chance to know such a truly good and kind person.
Kathleen
a loving as well as lovely friend
I read all of these remembrances of Denise, and the thing that strikes me over and over is she was someone who truly had the ability to love everyone she met, and to be able to communicate that. Around her, you felt a wonderful, embracing connection, and anything you talked about, anything you laughed about, and anything you heard, ate, touched or experienced somehow connected the two of you together more strongly. Like all of you, I simply fell in love with her.
There are too many wonderful memories - here are some that I will remember and smile:
1. a popcorn fight with 13 composers at the Terminal Bar in Minneapolis. (Denise kept it going)
2. hearing her work "Not Waving but Drowning" for the first time and weeping
3. dinner at Babbo in New York
4. sitting with her in silence on Jones Beach and just watching the waves wash onto the shore
5. her slightly punk-chic mode of dressing - a bit daring, but always most excellent
6. the way eyes lighted up when she laughed
7. her encouragement for every composer she met - her complete interest in what and how they were writing
There are too many wonderful memories - here are some that I will remember and smile:
1. a popcorn fight with 13 composers at the Terminal Bar in Minneapolis. (Denise kept it going)
2. hearing her work "Not Waving but Drowning" for the first time and weeping
3. dinner at Babbo in New York
4. sitting with her in silence on Jones Beach and just watching the waves wash onto the shore
5. her slightly punk-chic mode of dressing - a bit daring, but always most excellent
6. the way eyes lighted up when she laughed
7. her encouragement for every composer she met - her complete interest in what and how they were writing
To the Broadhurst family -- Denise was a treasure --
I love you all, and you are always in my thoughts and prayers.
I love you all, and you are always in my thoughts and prayers.
Central Park, 2002 - Denise was a wonderful tour guide.
My Memories of Denise
I met Denise as fellow freshman at the University of Minnesota - we were both music majors. She was studying piano and I was studying composition. We hit it off immediately - maybe it was because I had long hair and she with her army bag and dark makeup. I soon realized this was one SMART and fun girl. Denise was my best friend at the U of Mn and we shared many great experiences together. I was so fortunate to have met her and to have been her friend. She taught me many things throughout the 4 years we hung out at the U. I learned a hard work ethic from her. Wether it was her job at McDonalds where I believe she was the manager. Once I visited her and tried to get a free ice cream cone but she would have nothing to do with it! Or her relentless studying in music theory, music history and piano. I also learned to have fun and enjoy life through the little things. She and I along with others would sit and laugh about all things silly and music related. Most of all I learned how to be a better friend. Denise was kind, thoughtful, selfless, always up, positive, encouraging and fun.
Denise played piano for my wedding - she was a rock I knew I could depend on. Seeing her up on the stage on my most important day of my life was so awesome. She was the consummate pro. Denise also humored me and played along side me on a 4 handed piano piece I wrote. I can't tell you how cool it is to have a friend that shares your same passions and musical talents play along side of you.
As I moved on to California, Denise and I stayed in touch and I always got an awesome silly Christmas card from her. We didn't talk as much but kept emails going until a few years ago. I am happy to say that she and I were back in touch this summer and that we were able to talk on the phone a little bit. I knew she was sick but had no idea she was going to leave us so soon. Denise, I value your friendship and the things you taught me about life and I will miss you dearly.
To her family I am so sorry for your loss. You are in my daily prayers and I thank you for what you meant to Denise and for being there for her in her best and toughest times.
Denise played piano for my wedding - she was a rock I knew I could depend on. Seeing her up on the stage on my most important day of my life was so awesome. She was the consummate pro. Denise also humored me and played along side me on a 4 handed piano piece I wrote. I can't tell you how cool it is to have a friend that shares your same passions and musical talents play along side of you.
As I moved on to California, Denise and I stayed in touch and I always got an awesome silly Christmas card from her. We didn't talk as much but kept emails going until a few years ago. I am happy to say that she and I were back in touch this summer and that we were able to talk on the phone a little bit. I knew she was sick but had no idea she was going to leave us so soon. Denise, I value your friendship and the things you taught me about life and I will miss you dearly.
To her family I am so sorry for your loss. You are in my daily prayers and I thank you for what you meant to Denise and for being there for her in her best and toughest times.
Dr. D-Nice
It is amazing how a girl can have so many variations of her name. I myself have always known her as D-Nice, and I'm not really sure where that came from, but it seemed to fit and easy to spell. I have many things to say of our dear friend, as we all do and thank you all for sharing.
I shall forever feel the absence of that faithful Birthday card, that warmed my heart every year; and yearn for the rattle of your superabundant mass of keys you diligently carried around with you. Doctor D-Nice..... XXX
I shall forever feel the absence of that faithful Birthday card, that warmed my heart every year; and yearn for the rattle of your superabundant mass of keys you diligently carried around with you. Doctor D-Nice..... XXX
more tricks than treats....
You all know Denise had a sweet tooth, especially for chocolate. So we had this great idea.... her neighbours were good sports, and Leni must have approved too because she snapped this pic of us— we do look rather fabulous. To my eyes now we almost do look young enough to be trick or treating. Halloween 1988, Marcia and Cindy Brady aka Denise (18) and Laura (17).
The Denise Broadhurst Memorial Scholarship
Thank you
Our heartfelt thanks to all for the many emails/cards expressing love and caring thoughts at this very sad time.
In answer to your numerous questions regarding donations, flowers or other memorials, we humbly forward the following suggestion:
A scholarship in memory of Denise has now been established at Nassau Community College Music Department. This scholarship will allow Denise a continued support for her students.
With love,
The Broadhurst Family
Please send donations addressed to
"The Denise Broadhurst Memorial Scholarship" at:
"The Denise Broadhurst Memorial Scholarship" at:
The Nassau Community College Foundation
1 Education Drive
Garden City, NY 11530
1 Education Drive
Garden City, NY 11530
I remember.....
I have so many great memories of Denise, our lives have intertwined each others in a most fantastic way over the last 20+ years.....but I guess I should start at the beginning.
I do actually remember the very first time we met...of all places at a high school dance. It was, of course, very lame but I guess we had nothing better to do, and I couldn't believe my luck to meet a kindred spirit in such an unlikely place. We became fast friends and I was bummed to be left behind for one more year of high school when Denise graduated.
Denise went to the University of Minnesota, and I followed her a year later.
Music was of course so much of Denise's life. But the music that bonded us
together was punk rock. We attended COUNTLESS shows together...and as
partners in crime we created a radio show together at the U and we were
known as "The two most incredible mediocre djs" and called ourselves Laura
Threat and Denise X. We were I suppose as the title dictates, mediocre, but
that didn't matter because we had the most fun there, dancing and laughing
and generally causing mayhem until wee hours of the morning.
After college, I left Minneapolis for England, and she left for NYC.
One day she called me to tell me she was getting married, and I told her that I was too. I agreed to fly back to Minnesota to attend her wedding and she would fly back from her honeymoon to be at my wedding. We were married 2 weeks apart.
After the wedding she went back to New York and we followed her. We were so
thrilled to have a dear friend here in NYC and it made the move so much
easier. Literally they made is easier, it was the 4 of us, Denise, Charlie, Tristram and myself moving into a 4th floor walk-up....now THAT's a good friend!!
Denise you have been here for me throughout my entire adult life. At my side to make the whole scene easier, better, more fun.
And now I have a giant hole inside me and I don't know how I'm ever going to be able to fill it. But as much my heart is aching right now I can still think of any one of crazy adventures and laugh out loud. And I know how special that is. And I know how special you are. And I love you.
I do actually remember the very first time we met...of all places at a high school dance. It was, of course, very lame but I guess we had nothing better to do, and I couldn't believe my luck to meet a kindred spirit in such an unlikely place. We became fast friends and I was bummed to be left behind for one more year of high school when Denise graduated.
Denise went to the University of Minnesota, and I followed her a year later.
Music was of course so much of Denise's life. But the music that bonded us
together was punk rock. We attended COUNTLESS shows together...and as
partners in crime we created a radio show together at the U and we were
known as "The two most incredible mediocre djs" and called ourselves Laura
Threat and Denise X. We were I suppose as the title dictates, mediocre, but
that didn't matter because we had the most fun there, dancing and laughing
and generally causing mayhem until wee hours of the morning.
After college, I left Minneapolis for England, and she left for NYC.
One day she called me to tell me she was getting married, and I told her that I was too. I agreed to fly back to Minnesota to attend her wedding and she would fly back from her honeymoon to be at my wedding. We were married 2 weeks apart.
After the wedding she went back to New York and we followed her. We were so
thrilled to have a dear friend here in NYC and it made the move so much
easier. Literally they made is easier, it was the 4 of us, Denise, Charlie, Tristram and myself moving into a 4th floor walk-up....now THAT's a good friend!!
Denise you have been here for me throughout my entire adult life. At my side to make the whole scene easier, better, more fun.
And now I have a giant hole inside me and I don't know how I'm ever going to be able to fill it. But as much my heart is aching right now I can still think of any one of crazy adventures and laugh out loud. And I know how special that is. And I know how special you are. And I love you.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
When I met Nisi at GiTCYS I remember thinking wow I hope we'll be friends she seems so cool. Well, she certainly was cool shoes!
I can't even say how much the years we spent at the U and running around together meant to me. Denise's warm and open personality and incredible talent - her smile and laugh that was so genuine. She was a truly beautiful human being.
Family Broadhurst please know that we are thinking of you here although we are a long way away.
I can't even say how much the years we spent at the U and running around together meant to me. Denise's warm and open personality and incredible talent - her smile and laugh that was so genuine. She was a truly beautiful human being.
Family Broadhurst please know that we are thinking of you here although we are a long way away.
Music recordings
Four recordings of Denise's music are online for download here. Click the little down-arrow next to each title to transfer the MP3 to your computer.
Three are from a song cycle she wrote for a "Songs About Science" concert, sung by Kathleen and Fran, and one is her setting of "Not Waving, But Drowning," which includes her own reading of the poem. "Not Waving, But Drowning" was her contribution to a concert theater event on board the lightship Frying Pan in New York City. She invited me to participate even though I have no formal training as a composer, and we helped each other out: I recorded the pre-taped portions of her piece, she conducted mine.
If anyone has music files they don't know how to share (or any other kind of file, for that matter), I'd be honored to host them.
(Sorry, I screwed this up and had to post it a second time.)
For Neeser...
Although she lost this battle, she has won many of us over. I have known this woman for so long, it is hard to pick one memory. In our lives together we have memories that involve June 11th/July 11th, M&M's, McDonalds, Soul Asylum, the color black, Docs, graduations (many graduations just between the two of us), parties, concerts, shows, marriages, divorce, loss of friends, cancer and finally celebration. We laughed and cried together over many events, thankfully most of our tears were for joy. I have shared so many of my greatest moments with her, let's face it she made many moments great!!!
To her family, I am deeply sorry for this profound loss. She was such a beautiful person on the inside and out and you made her that way. She was one of the most caring people I have ever known. She gave of herself fully to her music, her family and her friends. I feel honored and privileged to have been able to have been a part of her life. To her friends, I think we all can say that we feel a loss so deep that words just do not express our feelings. I have heard many names throughout the years of people that she called friend. I may have never met you, but Denise always spoke fondly of her friends, so I feel as though I know a little bit about the many people that touched her.
To Denise, you will forever be in my heart and a part of me. I will miss so much about you, I just cannot summarize it all. I have often thought how unfair it was for me to loose Trace and now you to the same disease. I will not dwell on this though because I know it worried you that this fact would make me sad. Honestly Neeser, I'm just sad that I no longer can talk to you, share things with you, visit you, hug you or just be near you. I will continue to fight to help find a cure and hopefully...
M&M's make friends...forever!!!! I love you and will deeply miss you.
To her family, I am deeply sorry for this profound loss. She was such a beautiful person on the inside and out and you made her that way. She was one of the most caring people I have ever known. She gave of herself fully to her music, her family and her friends. I feel honored and privileged to have been able to have been a part of her life. To her friends, I think we all can say that we feel a loss so deep that words just do not express our feelings. I have heard many names throughout the years of people that she called friend. I may have never met you, but Denise always spoke fondly of her friends, so I feel as though I know a little bit about the many people that touched her.
To Denise, you will forever be in my heart and a part of me. I will miss so much about you, I just cannot summarize it all. I have often thought how unfair it was for me to loose Trace and now you to the same disease. I will not dwell on this though because I know it worried you that this fact would make me sad. Honestly Neeser, I'm just sad that I no longer can talk to you, share things with you, visit you, hug you or just be near you. I will continue to fight to help find a cure and hopefully...
M&M's make friends...forever!!!! I love you and will deeply miss you.
Memorial
Please join us for a Memorial Gathering to remember the life of
Denise Broadhurst
Friday September 26, 2008 5pm - 8pm
at the Queens College Student Union 4th Floor West Ballroom
located through the Main Gate on Kissena Blvd
Please feel free to bring your memories and mementos. There will not be a formal service - if you wish to speak please feel welcome. In lieu of flowers a scholarship fund is being established in Denise's name at Nassau Community College Music Department.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Welcome....
For all that knew Denise, this Blog is for you. To embrace each other with the sharing of your relationship with Denise. Be it as family, friend, student, co-worker or though her music. She has touched so many people though her oh so busy and creative life, that this forum should collect an array of wealth and acknowledgment from those around her. Please offer your thoughts and memories to unite us all in celebrating Denise's life........
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