I have a lot to be thankful for these days. 
photo credit (c) Charlotte Fiorito Photography 2012, All Rights Reserved
In no particular order:
I recently sang and taught at an amazing event in San Jose, CA. The Tech Awards give innovative folks who are doing great works to benefit humanity a chance to be seen and heard and to get monetary awards. I got to give a workshop for these engineers and scientists, to aid them in presenting their projects in public.
From a Distance, video of The Tech Awards ceremony with my new friend Dolores
Bonus: Did you hear the embedded melody in the piano? Our arrangement.
That weekend I also had a visit with my wonderful 89-year old voice teacher in Berkeley, Lilian Loran. She gave me the confidence to pursue solo singing and to “sing classical music the way you sing your Carole King songs.” Well, I now give the same advice to my students. I met my colleague from long ago, Susie Morris, at Lilian’s, and we sang “Sound the Trumpets” of Purcell for her. I believe we last sang that duet in 1979, and it was like we had never parted!
Eleanor Cohen and I visited that weekend. Although she was never my piano nor voice teacher, she was a mentor to me: she told my dad I had one of the few true contralto voices and he should stop bugging me to stop doing music and try for medical school. She’s “only” 86 and still stands on her head every day. Thanks, Ellie!
We’ll be recording John McDonald’s The Budbill Seasons in December, Elizabeth Bennett and I. Elizabeth is a Shakuhashi player, and the poet, David Budbill was a student of hers. In Winter: Tonight: Sunset, the speaker expresses appreciation:
“…I pause in this moment at the beginning of my old age and I say a prayer of gratitude for getting to this evening…”
Once home in Boston, I saw Ann Moss, a delightful colleague who took my graduate level classes once upon a time at Longy. She is launching her own solo CD project and we were there to encourage her. You can check out her project of new works (and Joni Mitchell songs–I’m glad she learned that lesson well to combine art songs of all genres) at http://annmosssoprano.tumblr.com/currents
Dana Maiben is writing a piece for our Mockingbird Trio, The Green House, to be premiered on February 3 at Brandeis University, and the early drafts look wonderful. Story by Martha Collins.
We have been awarded another grant to teach Singing to senior citizens–in my home branch of the Boston Public Library. It will begin on Fridays in March.
Hooray for MetLife and Creative Aging! Platinum Singers continue as well…
And finally, I’ll be performing a set at the Lily Pad in Cambridge, MA on Sunday February 24. Special guests to be announced. Improvisation and original songs are sure to be part of this mix.
Elizabeth Anker 