Psalm 146 – Praise the Lord!

This psalm setting was commissioned by Elsa Heckman for the music ministry of Our Lady of Grace in Palm Bay, FL on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the parish. In discussing with Elsa that kind of composition she wanted for the event, we decided that an upbeat Gospel style setting would be most appealing for the occasion and the congregation. The two recordings below are from a live performances at Holy Cross in Orlando in 2011.

1. Listen now - Morning Mass     
2. Listen now - Afternoon Mass     

Festival Celebration Choir

One of my many pleasures during my tenure in Albany was working with the Festival Celebration Choir. Founded by my predecessor at the Cathedral, J. Robert Sheehan, the group was initially quite large. By the time I encountered the group, it had become a more moderate 60-80 voices. While under its second director, Deacon Neil Hook, I was offered several opportunities to accompany the choir for different concerts, including a presentation of the Mozart Requiem on June 6, 2004. The group even commissioned me to write a Te Deum for them. Eventually, Neil decided it was time for him to retire as the group’s conductor and passed the baton to me. Regrettably, only a year later, I had to pass the baton along again as my tenure in Albany came to a close and new opportunities awaited for me in Orlando.