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Hi all, I’m expanding on comments originally made to Keith’s “Music recordings” post.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…



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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.