CARSONIA

Me and Vlad Tepes statue

Carpathian Mountain village

WELL!!! Once again, it's been a year since I wrote! HA! It's like that organ piece by John Cage "As Long As It Takes" or whatever the title is. He began with a REST which lasted something like 40 years (I think) and then they filmed a subtle chord change which a handful of Cage worshippers witnessed in person. I think it's somewhere in Germany. Anyway, I just returned from a fantastic trip to Bulgaria and Romania. I've been to Bulgaria 6 times before to participated in the same workshop, but this gtime, I took some students and decided to simply sing and learn from those around me. It was GREAT!

Haystacks

Yummy vegetable soup!

The very first time I went, there was this depressive event in my life and Bulgaria just magically transformed me into a non-depressed person! It was a choral workshop. I like the country so much that I created a small proposal to teach a class on American music and Amer. Music Education there after the next year's workshop. It was so much fun! The course lasted a week. The third year, I went again and taught a smaller course afterwards. That year and the fourth and fifth years, I did both the choral and the orchestral workshops, one following the other. I learned so much. The 6th year, I just went to visit for a few days and then went to Northern Scotland where I rented a car for a whole week and drove across the Cairgnorms on single track roads and ate whisky pecan pie and angus beef. It snowed on the way to the Isle of Skye and I thiknk I drove through one of the towns where some of my McPherson ancestors used to be. THis year, I met some awesome new friends from Australia and Brazil and also got to see four of my American conductor friends there. I think I fell in love again, damn it for those romantic people who are also hot and extremely ingtelligent! Grrrr on them! Alas, here are some pictures from that trip. I'm glad to be back, but in some ways, the Transylvanian region of Romania and the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria have claimed some of my heart and soul. I also feel like I could just stay there forever, but I know I really couldn't!

So, I'm not posting any people here, but you can check my website to see MANY more pictures and figure out who my awesome new friends are! : )