My House Debra

Dede was my stand partner for the recording session. She is such a fun person and I enjoyed sitting by her. I sat with her today for "The Spoken Word" also. I'm getting to know my of the violinists all the time. Dad and I during a break.

My children will relate to the many times we have listened to Josh Groban and Charlotte Church sing together in the famous rendition of "The Prayer". Well last night after a week of recording for our new upcoming CD we were priviledged to have Andrea Bocelli come and his producer David Foster, (the composer of "The Prayer") We were video-taped with Andre Bocelli for his upcoming Christmas special in the performance of the Lord's Prayer. Then the Choir and Orchestra performed for them and their entourage of people "Come thou fount of every blessing" The spirit was very strong in this rendition. Our final project was to video tape with David Foster in the performance of "The Prayer" (He played the piano part) I can honestly say that after listening to the score many dozens of times that it was a thrill to be able to play the same orchestration with the composer himself. I believe that we literally lived the music. It was an unforgettable experience.

News from the Choir

When world-famous, Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli walked into the Tabernacle on Temple Square on Saturday, September 12, it was his first visit to the historic structure and his first face-to-face experience with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. A few weeks ago when the Choir recorded “The Lord’s Prayer” for his upcoming Christmas album, so taken was Bocelli with the sound of the 360 voices recorded in the renowned Tabernacle, he determined to film a portion of his upcoming PBS television special from there as well.

He found what David Hurley of The King’s Singers, veterans of Tabernacle performances, described: “The Tabernacle seems to have this wonderful sound that contributes to the lovely sound that the Choir makes. It isn’t just the singers; it’s also the space within which they perform and the history of the choral singing there over many, many years.”

David Foster, acclaimed Canadian musician, composer and conductor accompanied Bocelli on the Tabernacle’s legendary pipe organ. Foster is a celebrity in his own right having produced 15 Grammy Award-winning albums including three for producer of the year.

Bocelli, who has sold more than 60 million albums, began his career “singing for relatives.” He learned to play the piano at age six and added flute, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, harp, guitar and drums to his repertoire. But it is his voice that distinguishes him. At age 12, a soccer accident left his already weakened eyes blind. He initially turned to the law for his life’s work but quickly shifted to follow his passion – music.

August was a busy month of sharing in the joy of Lauren's birth. I was able to be there for three differnt visits and enjoyed spending a week with Audrey and Andy when Lauren was born. Audrey and Andy were so happy to have little Lauren here that they just radiated from their faces the whole time. Andy was anxious to learn all he could - changing diapers, getting bottles ready, burping etc. Audrey just kept exclaiming how happy she was to have her little girl finally here with her. She was always commenting on how cute she was and how delighted she was to look at her. I am so grateful for this new little bundle of joy and am so blessed now to have three beautiful little girls grand daughters to watch grow up.