Dear Friends,

There’s so much to tell you this month that I’m not even sure where to begin!

First, I want to give a “plug” for an amazing organisation and time management consultant who, after a very few sessions with me, has made a real difference in my being able to handle the many varied hats I currently wear. Hazel Thornton of Organized for Life (www.org4life.com), is nothing short of amazing. Whether your organisational needs are in the office, the home, or in scheduling your time, she not only has the tools and knowledge but the sincere desire to sort your problems and create a solution unique to your personal situation. Even if you think your particular problem is impossible, I would encourage you to give her services a try. She takes a sincere personal interest in all of her clients, and is dedicated to making their lives simpler and better. Visit her website, or look for her on Facebook and Twitter; although based in Albuquerque, she also offers consultations via telephone and email.

I’ve just finished a very welcome week-long holiday, spent seeing the sights, doing the tourist shtick, and just plain relaxing with my best friend and long-time composition colleague, lyricist Claire Roth. Our journeys took us all over the Albuquerque landscape, and we rode the train north to spend a day in Santa Fe as well. Sadly all events were cancelled the day we visited the International Balloon Fiesta, but despite numbing temperatures, we had a wonderful time enjoying the carnival atmosphere and exploring the artisans tent.

Although the music appreciation classes at the New Mexico School of Music have been indefinitely postponed, I am currently teaching a keyboard class at the school’s northeast campus. OASIS is in full swing, and this month has also found me giving presentations to a lunch-time philosopher’s group and at a meeting of the Albuquerque Newcomers. My work for the Sigma Alpha Iota American Composers Bureau has also begun in earnest, as the fraternity prepares for its annual winter magazine which pays tribute to the American composer.

And now, I’m incredibly excited to announce that my new CD is currently being manufactured with a tentative release date of November 1st! This concluding album to the trilogy of CDs I began five years ago is entitled Following My Heart, contains 14 newly-composed tracks, and features several guest artists. If you’re following me on MySpace, Facebook or Twitter, watch for the album giveaways taking place over the next two weeks leading up to the album’s release.

As always, the album will be available from CDBaby, iTunes worldwide, DigStation, Napster, Rhapsody, and other digital outlets. You can also purchase the albums directly from me at any personal appearance, and/or order them via email. I will happily sign any of the albums ordered through me – just be sure to give me all of the details at the time you place your orders. Full details will be in the November newsletter, which should hit your inbox on the 1st of the month!

I’m also very pleased to let you know that a very limited run of my 2007 holiday album, Flowers in Winter, will be released at the same time as the new CD. Although the album is still available in digital format, I’ve had many requests over the past year to re-release the actual CD. If you’re interested in getting a copy, please watch for details in the next newsletter. I’m also hoping that Heartstrings by UK composer Glyn Greenslade (a compilation of Glyn’s arrangements of my work which also includes one of his brilliant original compositions) will finally be available for digital download at the same time. Being an independent artist may be incredibly challenging – but it’s never boring!

Recent performances include my premiere of the piano solo ‘Autumn Skies’ on October 6th at the Albuquerque Unitarian Fellowship. Fans of KC Cafe Internet Radio (www.kccaferadio.com) can expect both my Christmas album and the new CD Following My Heart to be added to the station’s playlist very soon.

Although this information was in my last newsletter, I’d like to mention it one more time: my only physical address at this time is: Jane Ellen, 4744 Trumbull Ave SE, Albuquerque, NM 87108-3551, United States. There is no need to add “in care of” or anyone else’s name to the address, as my residence is within the main residence without a separate post box; and yes, Ellen really is my last name. Also, it would be good if you could begin using my Gmail – jane.ellen.music@gmail.com – as I will receive your personal mail more quickly at that address.

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

Dear Friends,

August vanished in a flash, and for many, September brings the official end of summer. I’m eager to share with you what’s been happening in my life, and I am happy about the many opportunities presenting themselves.

Work continues at Mountain Road Recording studio with Sid Fendley, and I’m feeling very good about the forthcoming CD. In the October newsletter I’ll announce the list of guest artists and give you a pre-release rundown of the tracks. In the meantime, I can tell you that members of the Albuquerque Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (AUUF) have gotten a sneak preview of several new works, including a piano solo version of the proposed opening track, ‘Raindance’. As always, the album will be available in regular CD format directly from me, CDBaby.com, and other outlets, or as digital download via iTunes and other major distributors.

I’m incredibly excited about beginning work at the New Mexico School of Music this term! I will be teaching two sections on music history and appreciation at the main campus in Nob Hill; one section will be for students of mid and high school age, the other will be for adults of any age. These classes will be fun as well as informative, and with a little luck, there may even be a surprise or two in store for the students! Classes are one hour in length, beginning September 19th and continuing for ten consecutive weeks on Saturday afternoons. I have attached a flyer to this newsletter which will give you all the information for both classes, including dates, times, fees, and registration. Please feel free to contact me at any time for more information.

In other news, I’ll be back at OASIS beginning September 25th, with 8 more lectures scheduled throughout the autumn term; I’ll be speaking to Albuquerque Newcomers in October; and my annual work for the composers issue of Pan Pipes (published by Sigma Alpha Iota) is about to kick into high gear. I’m also looking forward to attending the 2010 Texas Music Educators Association Convention in February in San Antonio, Texas, at which there will be concerts featuring the music of a wonderful friend, composer James Cohn.

Recent performances not previously mentioned include my premieres of the piano solos ‘Hold Fast to Dreams’ and ‘Garden of Memory’ on August 2nd, and ‘High King of Heaven’ in a new version scheduled for release on the upcoming CD, on September 6th, both at AUUF.

The major part of my new, updated website should be online about the time the new CD is released, and I’m still working hard to make the album Heartstrings, a compilation of Glyn Greenslade’s fantastic arrangements of my work, available via digital download. This is proving to be an incredible, albeit stressful, time of transition for me, and I’m very grateful for the friendship, love, support, and encouragement that continue to come my way.

And finally, a few housekeeping notes: I have closed the Albuquerque post box, (2270D Wyoming Blvd NE #182) and am using only the following physical address: Jane Ellen, 4744 Trumbull Ave SE, Albuquerque, NM 87108-3551, United States. In answer to a couple of recent queries, no, you don’t need to add “in care of” or anyone else’s name to the address, as my residence is within the main residence without a separate post box; and yes, Ellen really is my last name. Although you can still reach me via jane AT janeellen.com, I am gradually moving all of my contacts over to Gmail. It would be good if you could begin using my Gmail – jane.ellen.music AT gmail.com – as I will receive your mail more quickly at that address.

See you in October!

Follow your heart,
Jane

Dear Friends,

Thank you for the outpouring of support I received after the publication of my last newsletter; I am more grateful to all of you than I can say. Although things remain difficult for me personally, I’m beginning to move ahead professionally. With this month’s newsletter I shall attempt to catch you up with what’s been happening during the past year through last month, and then in July I’ll have some exciting new opportunities to announce!

I was thrilled last summer by the inclusion of my work in the soundtrack to the German film Ekkelins Knecht by Peter Klewitz, for which I wrote the mediaeval-inspired piece ‘Ausklang’ (Ending). In March 2009, composer/keyboardist Glyn Greenslade of Surbiton, England, produced an album entitled Heartstrings, which included his orchestrations of ten of my piano solos in addition to the title track that he wrote. Although Glyn had hoped that I would be able to collaborate with him more closely, my personal situation at the time made it impossible for me to do so. The CD is truly a monumental effort by Glyn, and I am incredibly honoured and grateful that he put so much time and effort into the work of another composer. I hope to be able to announce plans for distribution of this CD in my next newsletter.

Despite not being able to actively promote my work, I received word that many of my compositions were being performed. Organist William James Ross played ‘Danse des Esprits’ on May 11, 2008 at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Antonio, TX. In his note to me he said, “It is a beautiful piece and was received with great enthusiasm by our congregation, most of whom remained seated to hear and stood to applaud!” A cappella vocal group Quodlibet, directed by Marilyn Alletzhauser, presented two previously commissioned works written with Claire Roth, ‘Sweet Seduction’ and ‘Dream Vacation’, April 13 and November 16, 2008, both at St Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in Albuquerque.

My heartfelt thanks goes to Wilma Gantz of Albuquerque who has become an incredibly faithful performer of my piano compositions and arrangements at various venues. Wilma wrote to let me know that last summer she performed ‘A Child’s Heart’ at Covenant Presbyterian Church (June), La Vida Llena Life Care Center (June 24), and again at La Vida Llena on September 2nd to honour the 100th birthday of a resident; in November and December she played ‘High King of Heaven’, ‘Be Still My Soul’, and ‘Greensleeves’ for La Vida Llena Healthcare; in January 2009 she performed ‘In the Bleak Mid-winter’ and ‘The Eternal Rose’; and finally in May, ‘I’ll Remember You’.

Scott Reeder, Irma Reeder, and Kimberly Newman sang my choral work ‘A Debt of Love’ in October; a quartet from the Albuquerque Accordion Ensemble introduced the commissioned work ‘Just For the Folk of It’ in December, under the direction of Dan Wright; and Bonnilyn Neyens of Fort Madison, IA played my arrangement of ‘Be Still My Soul’ for church services this past Memorial Day.

I’ve received several queries about my website, which I’ll be the first to admit has been sadly neglected. I will be updating the JEOW, along with my pages on MySpace and FaceBook as soon as possible. I also plan to resume blogging, and for those of you on Twitter, I will soon be back there as well.

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 July!

Follow your heart,
Jane

Dear family, friends, and colleagues,

I realise there has been a rather long silence from me, which I hope to rectify in the coming months. I pray this writing finds all of you well and happy, and that the year has treated you kindly.

Many of you know that I have spent the last four years as the sole carer for my mother, Ann. It is with deep regret that I must tell you that she passed away ten weeks ago, on March 18th, 2009. What some of you may not know, is that Ann was also known to the world as the poet Ann Cragg, author of the volume Ghosts and Echoes, whose work also appeared in various compilations, books, magazines, and websites. Many of you subscribed to my newsletter only to keep up with bits of news about her work and updates to her pages which have been featured on my website over the years.

I will be sending another newsletter early in June, which will attempt to catch you up on what has been happening with me, where I am now living, and what my plans are for the future. However, I feel it is appropriate to dedicate the remainder of this newsletter to my mother, to whom I owe not only my lifelong love of music and literature, but who was the driving force in the early days of my career as a musician and composer and who remained until the end not only my biggest supporter, but a beloved companion and friend. Her death has left a gap in my life which can never be filled.

What follows is a short obituary that was written for use by newspapers in and around her home town in Missouri. Certain personal details have been omitted.

Follow your heart,
Jane

In Memory of Ann Cragg
Beloved sister, mother, poet, and friend

Ann Cragg died Wednesday, March 18, 2009, in Albuquerque, NM. Born in Wayland, Missouri, USA, she was the fifth of eight children and grew up on the family farm near St Patrick. She wrote her first poem at the age of 14 and would continue writing all her life. When she was 16 she graduated from the Catholic High School in St Patrick, at which time she received the offer of a full scholarship from a private college, where she hoped to study journalism and art. Because she knew her family could not help her raise the money required to pay for her books, supplies and basic living expenses, however, she turned down the scholarship and went to work in the private sector.

During World War II she served at the ordnance plant in Des Moines, Iowa, measuring azide powder for bomb detonator caps. After the war she worked for a time at Graham Hospital in Keokuk, Iowa, and then enlisted in the US Army in 1950 at the outbreak of the Korean war. She served first in the Cadet Hospital at the US Military Academy, West Point, New York, and then as a surgical nurse on the small island of Okinawa, a base in full support of US troops in Korea. She remained in the Army several years after the war and travelled extensively, including a tour of duty in Germany. Later she spent several years in France during which she wrote numerous newspaper articles, and after spending time in Colorado and Virginia, eventually settled in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

She grew more serious about her writing in the 1990s, and adopted the pen name Ann Cragg. In 1999 a book of 200 of her poems was published under the title Ghost and Echoes, which garnered world-wide attention. She received numerous requests to have her poetry included in church worship services, in various anthologies, a cookbook, and one poem was used on the web site of an English Minister of Parliament. A photograph and a short piece about her was featured alongside her poem ‘Taps’, in Richard H Schneider’s 2002 book Taps: Notes From A Nation’s Heart (William Morrow/Harper Collins, New York). She collaborated on several musical works with her daughter, composer Jane Ellen, and had plans for two further books at the time of her death: a second, smaller volume of poetry and a book of short stories about her early life.

Ann was an extremely private person, yet was known for always being ready to give a helping hand in any way. She gave selflessly and tirelessly of herself and her resources throughout the years. Among her favourite causes were animal welfare, national wildlife, and the Dominican Sisters of Hope in Newburgh, New York, an order which cares for elderly religious who devoted their to lives teaching school. She made friends more easily with young people than her peers, and was a great source of encouragement to them. She was devoted to her only child and an unflagging supporter of her musical career. Although no longer able to attend Mass, she remained a life-long Catholic and was blessed to receive numerous visits from priests and Eucharistic ministers in her final days.

She is survived by her daughter; two sisters; a brother-in-law; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins; as well as by many friends around the world by whom she will be dearly missed.

I’ve had rather a rough patch this past year, and I’m not yet in the clear.  Slowly but surely, however, I’ve begun to attempt to pull things back together which includes getting this blog up and running in the near future. I’m only beginning to realise how much I love writing — words that is. Music composition remains my first passion, but writing prose, commentary, and reviews is quickly moving into a solid second place.

Until I can get everything back up to speed, I’d love for you to follow me on Twitter (twitter.com/janeellen), look me up on Facebook (Jane Ellen), or join me on MySpace (myspace.com/janeellenmusic). Although www.janeellen.com has undergone several facelifts in its eleven year history, it is currently sadly neglected and out of date. It is my perhaps my overly ambitious hope to introduce version 2.0 before the end of the year.

As for me, I’ve not changed so much. You could say I’m a little bit older, a little bit sadder, and a little bit wiser, but most of you could probably say the very same thing about yourselves. Until next time, I’ll leave you with a quotation from Winston Churchill which currently means a great deal to me:

Success isn’t final, failure isn’t fatal:
it’s the courage to continue that counts.

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

… 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

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

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

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!!