USA East Music BULLETIN - WINTER 2019/20 - ISSUE 4 | Page 9

On Saturday afternoon, we had chance to
listen to the vocal music being worked on by
the delegates. Mid-Winter is a stunning take
on the traditional Christmas Carol, In the Bleak
Mid-winter by Simon Morton. Jelani Weekes
provided two reflective pieces for the choir
to perform, Jesus is Here which would suit
any worship service, and Lord of My Youth for
Singing Company. Eastern Territory Alumnus
Kathryn Opina (Western Territory) had a truly
beautiful songster piece performed, The King,
which I look forward to hearing again soon.
This is just a taste of the great music that
was premiered this weekend, with over 30
pieces for brass being performed, and 11
wonderful songs being sung. One of the great
joys of the experience is to sit and listen to
the fantastic creativity of the other delegates
around you, and to be able to discuss and
dissect the pieces with them afterwards.
For myself, I was able to hear two pieces
performed over the weekend. An upbeat Latin
American number for brass band, Lampara
and the funky singing company tune, Bring
it in! To hear these two pieces performed
live, by such wonderful musicians, was such
a pleasure, but more importantly it was a
fantastic learning experience. It is one thing
to imagine how a piece will sound, or even
to hear it ‘performed’ by whatever computer
program you are using, but nothing will ever
compare to hearing a piece played by a live
ensemble. I think it is fair to say, we all came
away from the weekend with some patches
and fixes for our pieces, as well as new ideas
T H E S A LVAT I O N A R M Y U S A E A S T
to go forward with.
Daily devotions at the NACF are a unique
time. In each period one of the faculty would
present a piece that they had written, and
truly a piece of their own heart. It is easy to
forget as the beneficiaries of composer’s
work, quite how much time, effort and
struggle can go into each piece of music that
we perform. Here in devotions, we were able
to hear first hand some of the background
to the amazing music that we have. These
private moments gave each of us a chance to
reflect on our own music, and of course, on
the reason we write music in the first place.
An unexpected highlight was the
forming of a trombone ensemble, made up
of delegates and faculty alike. A bizarrely
large proportion of those in attendance
at the NACF are trombonists, and so we
were able to get together to rehearse and
perform in worship on the Sunday. Of all the
music we played, the highlight for me was
Peace, Perfect Peace an arrangement of Erik
Leidzèn’s beautiful song by faculty member
Nick Simmons-Smith.
h t t p s : / / w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / c r a i g.
lewis.146/videos/10156638728971078/
I am so thankful to have been a part of the
NACF again this year. This wonderful weekend
is a great time to meet with other composers,
to enjoy time in fellowship, and to learn from
some of the finest musicians in the world. For
a composer, this is such an important time of
renewal and recharge, as well as an igniting
point for new creative endeavors. Thanks of
course go to all of the faculty, and those who
helped organize this fantastic event – NACF
2022 cannot come soon enough! ■
W I N T E R 2019/20 | USA EAST MUSIC BULLETIN • 9