A look back at 2014 and Events to Note

Time passes so quickly; January is almost over, and I can’t believe my last post was before Christmas of last year.

I’d like to look back at 2014, remarkable in its moments of both grief and joy for the Compline Choir in Seattle:

Peter Hallock (1924-2014)

Carl Crosier (1945-2014)

Glenn White (1933-2014)

We had times of great grief beginning in April, when our founder and director from 1956-2009, Peter R. Hallock, died. Also in 2014, death took two of Peter’s closest associates for many decades. Carl Crosier, Peter’s business partner in Ionian Arts, and founder of the Compline Choir at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu, died in August. Then in December, Glenn White passed away; Glenn was a remarkable acoustician, recording engineer, organ builder, and wine expert who collaborated with Peter on many projects over six decades. At his celebration of life on December 18, 2014, Peter’s Te Deum Laudamus (containing material pre-recorded by Glenn) was played in lieu of a sermon. If you’ve missed any of the descriptions of the services honoring Peter or Carl, go back a few posts on this blog, and you will find many links. Jason Anderson, director of the Compline Choir, recently published “I Call: A poem reflecting on loss” – I really recommend it to you. Also, I hope to write more about Glenn White and the Te Deum.

Fred McIlroy and daughter Madelyn

Justin Cormier and son Daniel

Brian Glosh

and daughter Macie

Now I’d like to report on some happier news from 2014. It was back in January of 1989 that my youngest daughter Francesca was born; until 2014, it was the last time that a child had been born to a currently-singing member of the Compline Choir in Seattle. But in 2014 we were blessed by the birth of not one child, but three! All three fathers have musical careers. Fred McIlroy is Organist-Choirmaster at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Lakewood, WA, where he also directs a Compline Choir once a month. Justin Cormier is accompanist coordinator at Seattle Pacific University, and organist at First Free Methodist Church. Brian Glosh and his family will be moving to Virginia at the end of February, but we’ve been blessed with his contribution to Compline over the past year; listen to his countertenor solo at the beginning of “Once in Royal David’s City,” which we did in procession on the Second Sunday of Christmas, January 4. Brian, we’re going to miss you!

Events to Note

Thomas Merton

January 31, 2015 would have been the 100th birthday of Thomas Merton, Trappist monk and prolific writer.

On Saturday, February 28, 2015, 9am, I will be giving a presentation at the Search for Meaning Book Festival, an annual event sponsored by the Seattle University School of Theology. The Compline Choir is going to assist me in my talk, which is titled “Prayer as Night Falls: Seeking the Numinous at the End of the Day.” See the festival link for more information; I’m the second author listed under the “P’s.”

On Saturday, May 9, 2015, 8pm, there will be a celebration of Peter Hallock’s music in a concert at St. Mark’s Cathedral by Opus 7 Vocal Ensemble and the Compline Choir. Save the date!