Food Glorious Food!

I'm happy to see more and more choirs discovering two of my pieces which have the most fun, most creative texts-- "My Friend Elijah" (Walton Cat # HL08501621) and "Play with your Food" (Walton cat. # HL08501682)

The whole three part set and excerpted movements of "Play with your Food" have been featured this season by a number of choirs, including two separate performances at the NW ACDA conference a few weeks ago in Seattle. And now coming up, Bemidji State University is singing the whole set on their spring tour (see tour info below). Many thanks to Dr. Bradley Logan and the choir!

I get a kick out of some comments here and there from some people who know my music- they have noticed I have written a whole bunch of food-based tunes. Well. we all get hungry, don't we? And I keep finding really great texts about food, I just can't resist them. Beside all the food references in "Play with your Food", "My Friend Elijah" talks about Oreo cookies a bit, on its way to discovering miracles and a vision of God- gosh, that Elijah fellow gets around.

Btw, here are the poems from "Play with your Food" (an interesting side note- Sidney Hoddes, the author of Mashed Potato/Love Poem used to hang out with the Beatles in Liverpool before they became famous):


I. Summer’s Bounty by May Swenson

berries of Straw apples of Crab beans of Lima
berries of Goose apples of May beans of Jelly
berries of Huckle apples of Pine beans of Green
berries of Dew apples of Love beans of Soy

berries of Boisen nuts of Pea melons of Water
berries of Black nuts of Wal melons of Musk
berries of Rasp nuts of Hazel cherries of Pie
berries of Blue nuts of Chest cherries of Choke

berries of Mul nuts of Brazil glories of Morning
berries of Cran nuts of Monkey rooms of Mush
berries of Elder nuts of Pecan days of Dog
berries of Haw nuts of Grape puppies of Hush









II. Mashed Potato/Love Poem by Sidney Hoddes

If I ever had to choose between you
and a third helping of mashed potato,
(whipped lightly with a fork
not whisked,
and a little pool of butter
melting in the middle...)

I think
I’d choose
the mashed potato.

But I’d choose you next.


III. Vending Machine by Grey Held

Let me do It!, he shouts.
I take the coins from my pocket,
and he counts out the quarters—three, four:
I pick him up so he can slide
the money in. He pushes the buttons:
K—I whisper,
10— I whisper. Out falls
the package of peanut butter crackers.


He grabs it from me, yanks
the little red string that opens the wrapper
and it falls to the floor. He unglues
the top half of a sandwich,
scrapes the peanut butter off
with his teeth, his tongue, polishing
the cracker into the soggy circle
he hands to me. Your half, he says
and I take it.


And here is the info on Bemidji State's tour- maybe you can make it if you are in the Upper Midwest!

BEMIDJI, Minn. (March 30, 2010) — The Bemidji Choir and Chamber Singers, under the direction of Dr. P. Bradley Logan, professor of music at Bemidji State University, will open a five-day 2010 spring tour on Tuesday, April 6, in Grand Forks, N.D.

The tour begins April 6 and will include eight concerts in six cities in Minnesota and North Dakota, culminating with a Saturday, April 10, home concert in Bemidji. Tour dates include:

• Tuesday, April 6 - Grand Forks, N.D.
The Bemidji Choir features Grand Forks native Anna Smith, a senior in music/liberal arts and music/teacher certification and choir manager.
12:15 p.m. - Central High School; 115 N. 4th St.
2 p.m. - Red River High School; 2211 7th Ave. S.
7:30 p.m. - United Lutheran Church; 324 Chestnut St.
• Wednesday, April 7 - Bismarck, N.D.
The Bemidji Choir features Bismarck natives Alyssa Wagner, sophomore in elementary education and social studies education, and Alex Ferderer, freshman in music/teacher certification.
7:30 p.m. - Cathedral of the Holy Spirit; 508 Raymond St.
• Thursday, April 8 - Moorhead, Minn.
7:30 p.m. - St. Joseph’s Catholic Church; 218 10th St. S.
• Friday, April 9 - Fargo, N.D.
11:52 a.m. - Shanley High School; 5600 25th St. S.
• Friday, April 9 - Park Rapids, Minn.
The Bemidji Choir features Park Rapids native Nick Dahn, a sophomore in music/liberal arts.
7:30 p.m. - St. John’s Lutheran Church; 803 W. 1st St.
• Saturday, April 10 - Bemidji, Minn.
7:30 p.m. - Bethel Lutheran Church; 5232 Irvine Ave. NW.

The program will feature a broad array of pieces, including “O Magnum Mysterium” by Jeff Enns and a trio of pieces by Paul Carey collectively called “Play With Your Food!”

The Bemidji Choir was founded in 1937 by Carl O. Thompson and has gained an international reputation for excellence. The choir has represented the United States five times at The Europa Cantat, an international choir festival, and has performed in a number of other countries including Israel, Italy, Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic and Switzerland. The choir also has performed at numerous national and regional conventions across the United States.

The choir has also produced Bemidji State University’s world-reknowned Madrigal Dinners for each of their 41 seasons.

The 2010 Bemidji Choir features 54 singers, while the Chamber Singers is an auditioned choir of 16 members from within the Bemidji Choir.

Dr. Brad Logan, director
Logan, chair of Bemidji State’s Department of Music and director of choral activities, received his undergraduate degree from North Dakota State University, a master’s from California State University in Long Beach and a doctorate from the University of Illinois. He has served on the faculties of the University of Montevallo, Louisiana College, University of Illinois and California State University in Long Beach. He made his Carnegie Hall debut conducting René Clausen’s “a new Creation” in 2002, conducted the BSU Chamber Singers on Garrison Keillor’s “Prairie Home Companion” in 2003 and served as conductor of the Röthenberg Choral Festival in Röthenberg, Germany, in 2005. He is the executor of the Edwin R. Fissinger Musical Estate and serves as co-editor of the Edwin Fissinger Choral Series published by Meadowlark Music Publications. Dr. Logan has been an active teacher of voice for 30 years. His studio has produced numerous winners of state and division National Association of Teachers of Singing competitions and prepared students for graduate study at leading conservatories in the United States.

About Bemidji State University Bemidji State University, located in northern Minnesota's lake district, occupies a beautiful campus along the shore of Lake Bemidji. The University enrolls nearly 5,000 students annually and offerings include more than 65 undergraduate majors and 13 graduate programs encompassing the liberal arts, interdisciplinary studies and applied fields. The University is a member of the Minnesota State College and Universities System and has a faculty and staff of nearly 600. University signature themes include environmental stewardship, civic engagement and global/multicultural understanding. For further information about the University, visit our web site at: http://www.bemidjistate.edu.