January news

It is still my great hope to begin blogging again (I miss it more than I can say!), but for now I will have to be content with sharing my monthly newsletter with you.

Greetings from Jane Ellen’s Official Website!

Dear Friends,

I hope that the new year is treating you kindly thus far and that it will bring you health, happiness, creativity, and an abundance of time spent with family and friends.

Many things happened at the end of last month, and there is some new excitement in the works, so I’ll try to catch you up as quickly (and briefly!) as possible.

On December 22nd, movements from my set of violin duets entitled ‘The Lonely Wanderer’, were performed as part of a chamber ensemble concert given at the Good Samaritan White Acres Retirement Community, in El Paso, TX. Hanson Yu and Wesley Yu performed four movements from my suite, one of which, ‘Night in Russia’, was later recorded and posted on Journey STC’s MySpace page: www.myspace.com/hansonjourney. Other works performed included compositions by Bach, Chopin, and Saint-Saëns, as well as arrangements of popular Christmas carols. I am hopeful that I may be able to collaborate on further performances by this group of fine musicians, and I am deeply grateful to them for showcasing my work.

Mystic Age Radio in Ft Pierce, FL (www.mysticageradio.com) continues to feature my works (generally programming tracks twice an hour), for which I am eternally grateful. Their live Christmas show included several tracks from my ‘Flowers in Winter’ CD (‘Silent Night’, ‘Greensleeves’, God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen’ and ‘Good King Wenceslaus’), closing with ‘Time for Rejoicing’. A few days later all the artists on the MAR playlist were excited to learn that the station has been awarded First place in Ambient, and Second place Overall in the Net Radio Awards. I am very grateful to them for their continued support, as I am to Spirit Within Radio in Lubbock, TX.

Happyday New Age Radio in South Korea has now added me as “best romantic pianist” and “best healing pianist” to their recommended artists list which you can access here: http:/inewage.com/recommend.htm (you’ll have to scroll down the page, as I’m new).

Also at the end of last year, my dear friend Laura honoured me with a lengthy post in her blog entitled: ‘Jane Ellen: Woman of Substance’. You can find the article here (I apologise in advance for the long url, but it will save you hunting for the December 29th entry):
http://gedsternguide.blogspot.com/2007/12/jane-ellen-woman-of-substance.html.

The new year started off with a bang with even more exciting news!

Composer, pianist, and recording artist Elizabeth Middleton is coming to Albuquerque, NM to give a concert promoting her latest recordings, and she has asked if I would appear as a guest at her concert. Naturally, I said yes! The concert will be held April 20th, at 3pm, at the First Unitarian Church in Albuquerque (Carlisle/Comanche NE). I’ll be sure to let you know more details as they materialise.

Last, but certainly not least, I am thrilled to announce that Canadian concert organist and composer Thomas Gonder has added my ‘Danse des Esprits’ to his repertoire, and will be performing it later this year.

If, for any reason, you wish to stop receiving these newsletters, simply reply to any mailing with the word “unsubscribe” written in the subject line. Your wishes will be immediately respected. If this newsletter has been forwarded to you, and you wish to join the monthly mailing list, send an email to jane@janeellen.com with the word “subscribe” written in the subject line.

See you in February!

Follow your heart,
Jane Ellen

It never rains …

… but it pours.

This is just a brief note to let all my wonderful friends know (yes, that would be you, reading this blog!) that I’m doing my best to stay in touch for the next few days. My computer has suffered the accursed blue screen of death, after also suffering a malicious exploit. Naturally, these things chose to happen the Saturday before a holiday, when I can’t get my tech to look at anything until next Wednesday.

*sigh*

I am, however, grateful for this antiquated laptop which is - despite multiple headaches and the speed of a turtle moving through a three-foot snowdrift - keeping me in touch with the rest of the known world.

Please be patient, and know that I will be back up to full speed and full access within a few days. You may also feel free to send virtual tea and sympathy, or to order me a pizza. Your choice.

I’m ready for 2008. How about you?

Cheers, and sincere best wishes for a bright new year,
Jane

December news as the year flies by

I’m currently going through a lot of personal changes, and although nothing is earth-shattering, everything is happening with such momentum that I’m expending all my energy simply trying to keep things from spinning out of control. I had hoped to be back blogging by now; I miss it far more than anyone probably realises. I can at least post my December newsletter, however, and hope to write a post or two before the year is out.

Greetings from Jane Ellen’s Official Website!

Dear Friends,

It’s been a roller coaster ride since the release of my last CD, and I can scarcely believe the year is nearly over! I promise not to take too much of your time, but I did want to touch base with everyone once more before the new year.

On the recording front, there are only a few copies of the limited edition CD Flowers in Winter still available, and I’m thrilled with the response that it is generating internationally. Even after the physical CDs are sold out, mp3s will still be available via CDBaby.com, iTunes, and other reputable download companies. Please remember to check out the work of London-based charity SoundAid which uses music donated by independent artists to raise money for Heifer International. You can find my SoundAid EP Heartsounds here: www.soundaid.org/janeellen.

More recent news in brief: Happy Day Radio in South Korea; Mystic Age Radio (www.mysticageradio.com) in Ft Pierce, FL; and Spirit Within Radio (www.spiritwithinmusic.com) in Lubbock, TX are all currently broadcasting tracks from my three CDs. German composer/recording artist Sascha “Psycomatic” Hummel requested permission to sample ‘Time for Rejoicing’ for a new work due out in 2008. Pianist/composer Alessandra Celletti, of Rome, Italy, is currently reviewing one of my piano works; Parisian harper Eve McTelenn has graciously accepted my set of Celtic harp pieces; while cellist Ivan Pelayo, of Guadalajara, Mexico, has requested several of my chamber scores to study for possible performance. New Orleans artist Stuart South has asked permission to turn a photo taken of me at a childhood accordion competition into a painting, and I am looking forward to seeing the results next year.

You can expect to see some changes at my website, www.janeellen.com, but it will take some time to implement them. I will be eliminating a lot of older sections to make room for a new focus on my musical work and compositions. I’m also working steadily with interactive networks such as MySpace (www.myspace.com/janeellenmusic) and Classical Lounge (www.classicallounge.com/janeellen) - both of which have brought me an amazing amount of publicity in a relatively short period of time - and I will be linking all of these sites together.

If, for any reason, you wish to stop receiving these newsletters, simply reply to any mailing with the word “unsubscribe” written in the subject line. Your wishes will be immediately respected. If this newsletter has been forwarded to you, and you wish to join the monthly mailing list, send an email to jane@janeellen.com with the word “subscribe” written in the subject line.

Thank you for your continued support, your encouragement, and your friendship over the years. I wish you, and all whom you love, the brightest and most beautiful blessings of the season, and look forward to seeing you next year!

Follow your heart,
Jane Ellen

November newsletter

Several people have suggested that I reprint my monthly newsletter at WordPress, so here goes:

Greetings from Jane Ellen’s Official Website!

Dear Friends,

It’s hard to believe it’s been exactly a month since I last wrote, and in that short amount of time I’ve been presented with some rather overwhelming opportunities, for which I’m deeply grateful.

My latest album, Flowers in Winter, is now available via CD Baby.com, iTunes, and several other major paying download sites, such as Verizon, Napster, and Muze. As the album continues to be made available via digital distribution, physical sales of the limited edition CD are also doing well. Very soon I will have recouped enough to repay the backers approximately 70% of the recording and production costs. Although I have no way of knowing how many countries for sure, I can tell you that my CDs are currently being played in: England, Scotland, Ireland, Holland, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, India, Japan, Australia, Mexico, Canada, and the US. Heartfelt thanks go to all of you who continue to support my music, and to all of my new friends and fans as well!

Perhaps the most exciting thing to happen since my last newsletter, is that shortly after the release of Flowers in Winter I was asked by the London-based charity SoundAid (www.soundaid.org) to donate an extended play CD (EP) to raise money for Heifer International. Heifer Intl is an amazing organisation that not only helps people to help themselves, but gives them the means to help others as well. I chose to donate six tracks, and the resulting album Heartsounds may be seen here: www.soundaid.org/janeellen/. Needless to say, I am extremely proud to have become involved with SoundAid and to have my music help to make a difference in solving the problem of world hunger. I look forward to contributing a second EP in the future.

Several radio and internet radio stations have asked me to submit Flowers in Winter, along with my other two albums, for airplay evaluation. As of this writing, I have been accepted by Mystic Age Radio in Fort Pierce, FL (an internet station which you can find at www.mysticageradio.info) and will be the artist on their official 2008 calendar for the month of July (which you can see here: www.cafepress.com/tdnt.181584553, if you click on “view calendar pages” you can actually see the July page with my picture!).

Once again, I’d like to invite you to visit me at both My Space (www.myspace.com/janeellenmusic) and Classical Lounge (www.classicallounge.com/janeellen). Both places have proven invaluable to me for networking, and not only have I met composers and musicians from all over the world in the virtual neighbourhood of cyberspace, I have exchanged music with several. I have been able to pick the brains of others who have been kind enough to take the time and trouble to share networking techniques and tips with me, and I’ve also met some lovely music fans who are wonderfully receptive to and encouraging of my work.

For those of you interested in word games, I’d like to invite you to the wonderful new online game sponsored by the United Nations called Free Rice: www.freerice.com. It’s a vocabulary game where you match a word with its definition, and for each word you get correct, 10 grains of rice are donated. I’ll warn you though, it can become wonderfully addictive, and you’ll easily find yourself donating 1,000 or more grains of rice a day!

I hope to have more exciting news to report in December. Until then, as we enter this most festive season with numerous holidays being celebrated worldwide from now until the end of the year, I wish all of you health, happiness, and joy.

If, for any reason, you wish to stop receiving these newsletters, simply reply to any mailing with the word “unsubscribe” written in the subject line. Your wishes will be immediately respected. If this newsletter has been forwarded to you, and you wish to join the monthly mailing list, send an email to jane@janeellen.com with the word “subscribe” written in the subject line.

See you in December!

Follow your heart,
Jane Ellen

The world is even smaller than I thought.

I’ve been trying to find the right word … overwhelmed? Dumbfounded? Awestruck? Gob-smacked? How is it that I’ve been sitting on a Music account at MySpace since last April and yet had no idea that it was actually good for anything?! Yes. Well. I never claimed to know everything.

Let me see if I can catch you up, let alone catch myself up. Life has rather exploded all over the place and I’m somewhat scattered trying to collect the pieces. The new CD, Flowers in Winter is doing well; this is the third week since its release and I’ve already paid back more than one third of the money owed to the backers. Yesterday it was listed on iTunes well ahead of schedule, and the page at CD Baby is getting a steady stream of hits.

Shortly after the CD’s release I began using my page at MySpace, and it has really taken off. I’ve made some valuable contacts, met a lot of really terrific musicians, and am in the process of submitting material to a couple of organisations (wish I could say more, but I can’t — yet). But perhaps the best part is that I’ve discovered an entire new world of music and musicians (and any of my friends will vouch for the fact that my CD library is already one of the most eclectic in the galaxy!) and am literally drowning in sensory overload.

Just in case you think I’ve completely lost it, take heart. On the front page of my friends list are icons for both the Official Freddie Flintoff MySpace page and England Cricket. Some things never change, they just get shifted to the back of the cooker temporarily.

Lecture season continues, and I’m working as hard as possible to finish up the composer biographies for the winter issue of SAI’s Pan Pipes magazine, which contains the annual tribute to the American composer.

Must dash … more soon. Promise!!

October Newsletter

Several people have suggested that I post my monthly newsletter here at WordPress, so here goes:

Greetings from Jane Ellen’s Official Website!

Dear Friends,

My new album is finally out, and I can’t wait to share all of the information with you!

Flowers in Winter was officially released a few days ago, on October 21st, and preparations are in full swing to make the album available as quickly and easily as possible. Packaged in an environmentally-friendly, retro-style jacket, the CD is selling for only $10 plus postage. Currently, the album may be ordered directly from me or from CD Baby.com. From the JEOW, at www.janeellen.com, there is a banner on the front page which will take you directly to ordering/payment information, a track listing, complete liner notes available for print-out or download, and cover art. A few complete tracks and several excerpts will be posted shortly as well.

If you prefer, you may order directly through CD Baby.com, by going to this address: http://cdbaby.com/cd/janeellen3. CD Baby is hosting excerpts of all 12 tracks, and complete liner information has been posted there as well. Single tracks from the CD will be available by the weekend from my SnoCap store, hosted on my MySpace page (more information below), and it is my hope that the album will begin to be available through iTunes and other digital distributors by mid to late November.

Here is an excerpt from the liner notes that I would like to share with you:

Welcome to my third recording project, Flowers in Winter, a 12-track seasonal album. This offering features six arrangements of timeless Christmas carols along with six original compositions. As on the last album, noted percussionist Ken Battat sits in, this time on two tracks (a jazz trio piece, and a mediæval-flavoured number), while other tracks feature woodwinds, strings, bells, and even harpsichord. The title of the album is taken from Shakespeare’s A Winter’s Tale and calls to mind the idea of beauty found even in the midst of trial and hardship. Although the theme is seasonal, there is clearly an underlying sub-text which speaks to a desire for peace, a cause which is close to my heart. The album was deliberately crafted in the hope that it may be enjoyed throughout the winter season by music lovers of any culture and background.

The traditional carols were selected for being my personal favourites and because each speaks to the overall theme of the collection . . . . Among the original works on the CD is ‘Prayer for Peace’, with an accompanying text by Claire Roth (ASCAP), which was written for a 2007 World Peace Day Concert . . . . ‘One Little Child’ was written several years ago and subsequently published as a choral work for children’s choir and keyboard . . . . ‘Time for Rejoicing’ is perhaps the most exuberant piece on the album . . . . Other numbers written especially for this album are the Elizabethan-flavoured title track, ‘Flowers in Winter’, a reflective piano solo entitled ‘A Child’s Heart’, and ‘Children’s Carol’.

I have always believed that there are far more things which unite the people of the world, and that we share in common, than there are things which divide us. I hope that you will find something in this recording that speaks to you, touches your heart, and brings you a moment of peace.

Lastly, I would like to let you know that I have also established pages with MySpace Music (http://www.myspace.com/janeellenmusic) and Classical Lounge (http://www.classicallounge.com/janeellen). I would most highly recommend Classical Lounge to any composer or professional musician who doesn’t necessarily want to be involved with MySpace, but who is looking for a place to showcase their music and meet other like minded artists in a quality and safe environment - and just like MySpace, it’s free! I’m still blogging as well, and I’m still very happy with the quality of service provided by WordPress for Jane’s Journal, which is at http://janesjournal.wordpress.com/.

If, for any reason, you wish to stop receiving these newsletters, simply reply to any mailing with the word “unsubscribe” written in the subject line. Your wishes will be immediately respected. If this newsletter has been forwarded to you, and you wish to join the monthly mailing list, send an email to jane@janeellen.com with the word “subscribe” written in the subject line.

See you in November!

Follow your heart,
Jane Ellen

And now the fun begins

The CDs are here, I’ve had the first release event with another one to come this Saturday, and despite the ongoing need for publicity, performances, trips to the post office, emails, and everything that’s involved in flogging the CDs, an enormous sense of relief has set in. CD Baby will soon have a page up with audio samples for all twelve tracks on Flowers in Winter, as will my website. In the meantime, you can preview a couple of tracks at MySpace, and you can find complete ordering information, as well as download or print out liner notes, by clicking the banner on the front page of my website.

My friend George Gesner (award-winning songwriter, producer, and talent behind the label Blue November Records) is in town, and I’m looking forward to having lunch with him today. I’m excited to be able to hand him a new recording, as well as thank him for the fantastic link to my website I found this morning at Blue November. You should investigate all of the artists at Blue November; not only do they carry George’s music, but that of Jim Barbaro and Frederik Doci.

Moment of glee: India beat Australia in the Twenty/20. Well done, India! Second moment of glee: Doctors Five and Ten will be together for this years Children in Need charity special. The only thing better than this would have been to add Six, or to have had it happen with Nine. If none of that makes sense to you, you’re obviously not a Whovian. And that’s okay, I know there are a few of you who are deprived.

The CDs are ready!

I’ve just had word that the CDs are ready ahead of sched! The mailing envelopes arrived yesterday, and now I’ll be able to get postage quotes and finalise the price list. Then I’ve got to post copies to my distributor, and begin the task of mailing promotional copies. Things are more than manic at present, but I’m far more excited about all of this than I expected to be a few weeks ago.

I’ve just finished updating my page at My Space, and Classical Lounge is the next stop. Soon the new banner will be up on the JEOW as well, along with liner notes available for free download and complete ordering information. Give me a couple of days, and I’ll be back to posting about other things. Promise.

The countdown begins

The CD and jacket are being duplicated as I type. With a little luck, I’ll actually beat the last minute deadline by nearly a week, which means I could have the albums in hand by Saturday. Several people have asked if I get to relax now. Yes, well. Wishful thinking!

Next there are liner notes to be written, which will be available for download from my website; I’ll post the link here as soon as they’re ready. Mailing envelopes have been ordered, and as soon as they arrive I must get quotes for both national and international post. There are web pages to be created as well, but I have gotten a new banner done for the front page:

If I’ve formatted that properly, you should see an animated gif. If I’ve mucked it up, I’ll go back and sort the WordPress code as soon as possible.

The first release event is this Sunday at the regular meeting of the AUUF who, once again, have generously provided the front money for the album’s release. The second event is the following Saturday, October 27th, at a Donor Appreciation Afternoon for patrons of OASIS where I regularly lecture. I’ll be shipping copies off to CDBaby, as soon as possible, in the hopes of getting some digital distribution before the season is over, and of course, I’m hoping to sell enough before the season ends to pay back the major portion of the financing.

And yes, in the midst of all this, I did indeed notice that England beat Sri Lanka on their home turf to win the ODI series. We shan’t discuss the drubbing received in the last match, however.

The Master … almost

I hadn’t realised the Whovian implications until I typed that.

In my stereo, as I type, is the almost final master recording of Flowers in Winter. As soon as I sign off Sid will make the actual master which goes to DeSoto Productions; Jorgie will be really glad to get it since I’m running so far behind sched (although the cover artwork has already been turned in, as of earlier today).

I’ll want to listen very carefully with headphones, but I have to admit that what I’m hearing out of the speakers makes me pretty happy. Here’s a portion of an article being published in a newsletter about the CD, which will give you a taste of what to expect.

Jane Ellen’s latest studio venture, a 12-track seasonal album entitled Flowers in Winter, will be available November 1st. This project features six arrangements of timeless carols and six original pieces written by Jane. As on the last album, noted percussionist Ken Battat sits in, this time on two tracks (a jazz trio piece, and a mediaeval-flavoured number), while other tracks feature woodwinds, strings, bells, and even harpsichord. The title is taken from Shakespeare’s A Winter’s Tale, and calls to mind the idea of beauty found even in the midst of trial and hardship.

Although the theme may be seasonal, there is clearly an underlying sub-text which speaks to a desire for peace, a cause which weighs heavily on Jane’s heart. The album has been deliberately crafted in an attempt to be enjoyed throughout the winter season by music lovers of any culture and background. Amongst the traditional selections, you’ll find ageless melodies such as ‘Greensleeves’ (an Elizabethan tune which became known in the 19th century as ‘What Child is This?’), a medley of 16th century carols (‘Lo How a Rose’, ‘This Endrys Night’, and ‘Coventry Carol’), and Franz Gruber’s enduring ‘Silent Night’.

Also included are ‘Good King Wenceslaus’, a call to social justice, as well as ‘God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen’, which became famous by way of Dickens’s immortal A Christmas Carol which was in itself a plea for both social justice and our moral obligation to those less fortunate than ourselves. Lastly, Christina Rossetti’s ‘In the Bleak Mid-winter’ (melody by Gustav Holst) stresses the importance and value of each person’s gifts and talents.

Original works include ‘Prayer for Peace’, ‘A Child’s Heart’, ‘Time for Rejoicing’, ‘One Little Child’ (which was formerly published as a choral work for children and keyboard and is re-arranged here for flute and piano), ‘Children’s Carol’, and the Elizabethan-flavoured title track, ‘Flowers in Winter’.

I’ve been so close to this project that at times it’s been truly nightmarish; but despite the album being fraught with obstacles, it looks as if it’s finally going to happen. It’s starting to feel … ever so slightly … like Christmas is on the way.