Hail, thou ever blessed morn!
Hail, redemption’s happy dawn!
Sing through all Jerusalem,
Christ is born in Bethlehem.

I’m in Lee’s Summit, but barely.  The last 20 miles were rough with ice and sleet and nastiness.  We expect 5-8 inches of snow overnight. 

This will be a white Christmas indeed!

But the driving to/from church is a mess.

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign.
In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

Enough for Him, whom cherubim, worship night and day,
Breastful of milk, and a mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him, whom angels fall before,
The ox and ass and camel which adore.

Angels and archangels may have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;
But His mother only, in her maiden bliss,
Worshipped the beloved with a kiss.

What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.

This year’s carol, my tenth!, is named in honor of my nephew Joseph.  The text by Alfred, Lord Tennyson celebrates the new year.

Dear friends around the world –

The holidays are here.  One of my favorite seasons of life find me joyous, prosperous, and healthy.  I hope this season finds you well and hale too.

From my perch here in the living room at 25 Lawn Place in Saint Louis, I hear Chanticleer singing Christmas songs, peek over to the Christmas tree, and feel the warmth of the fireplace on the other side of the room.  Samson, a feisty little dog who joined my household just before the new year 51 weeks ago, is nearby and pondering why he can’t be on my lap.  Life is good indeed.

The updates:

I continue my appointment at Webster University as Chair of the Department of Music.  In my first year here, we had a banner year for new students, made two solid hires of new faculty, and increased our presence in the community. We are experiencing happy things this year too, and seem to have weathered the financial storm.  My biggest task these last six months has been our every-ten-year self-study for the National Association of Schools of Music, a monumental task that will be finished in less than a week.  Long hours have been the rule the last few weeks.

I also continue in my contract with the Gateway Men’s Chorus, serving as Artistic Director.  We are growing in numbers, in stature, in artistic ability.  We have a fun time, and I’m honored to work with these guys. We premiered a new commissioned anthem in June, one that you can hear here.

I’ve traveled (as usual!) this year.  The new year began with a visit to New York City for a conference, but also for a tour of the Steinway piano factory, an opera at the Met, and Billy Elliott and Equus on Broadway, and some time with former students.  I headed with students to Italy and Greece in May, then turned around three weeks later and journeyed to London.  While in England in June, I spent more time with Howells’ manuscripts at the Royal College of Music, and made a day trip to Gloucester to see the land and breath the air that inspired my own composer/muse.  AND I finally saw the Queen herself, and the Royal Family.  This term I’ve been both to Washington, D.C. and San Diego on school business.  In ten day’s time I leave for Copenhagen for a conference, marking my first-ever trip to Scandinavia.

The biggest news at home involves Misha Raber.  We’ve been dating for nearly three months.  He’s a joyful companion and a great friend.  I’m head-over-heels and fleet on my feet when I’m with him.

I’ve reconnected with old friends this year, most notably my high school buddy Tom Flint.  And life here in Saint Louis is filled with people who enrich my life, as I hope I do theirs.  Some of those friends helped me with canning this summer and autumn!  Others have visited while on their travels, including Jeffery Thyer, Corby York, Kyle Unruh, Jim Helton, Markie and Eleanor, Todd Neff.  The Carter Hotel is regularly booked for a night or two.

My teaching load is different than I ever expected.  When I got the doctorate and started in 2000 at Ball State, I expected not to teach voice again.  Here at Webster, I’m teaching 6-8 talented voice students each term.  This fall I taught a band of music theatre majors a course in Fundamentals of Music Theory.  And I loved nearly every minute of the class.

My family continues in health in Lee’s Summit.  Pop and Joanne stay busy in their mid-70’s and retirement.  Karen teaches in Grandview, but lives near the school we attended as kids in Lee’s Summit.  Her eldest, Blayne, is now 21 and a junior in college; her daughter, Kristen, is a freshman at Missouri State.  Beth and Robert still live in the family home.  Anna is a teenager now, and in 7th grade.  Luke is in third grade; Joseph, an adorable terrorist at age 4.  And there’s Aunt Esther, all 97 years of her, and the last of my relatives of her generation.

My annual carol is coming soon, I promise!  I invite you to peruse the past year of blog entries if you’re bored!!

And in case you missed the humor, here are two priceless links from this year:

• http://jeffreycarter.wordpress.com/2009/10/02/watch-then-weep/
• http://jeffreycarter.wordpress.com/2009/12/20/christmas-can-can/

Samson and I wish you joy and happiness, prosperity and peace in these dark days of wintertide.

–Jeff

In just a few minutes, I’ll leave the office for the Christmas holiday.  It’s 5.21 p.m. right now.  The NASM self-study continues to invigorate and bedevil me, but this is all part of the job.  I’ve been writing and editing and pulling together information diligently for two weeks; the end is in sight.

This evening, in the midst of rain and damp and dreariness, I’ll work on my annual holiday letter, and try to write a Christmas carol.

Tomorrow I leave for Lee’s Summit for 48 hours away.

Movies will never, ever, no never be the same again.

That’s my considered verdict after seeing Avatar last evening.

I’m not too geeky, and I’m not really into sci-fi any more than the next guy on the subway.

But Avatar?  This flick represents a whole new world.

I don’t care if the characters are stock.  At least they’re three-dimensional, and not just because of the glasses.  I don’t care if I can tell in the first ten minutes who will be involved in the climactic showdown, or in the first hour who is going to die later.  I don’t care if I have to suspend my disbelief over and over.  Avatar, as a cinematic achievement, as an artistic vision, as a trailblazing testament to what money and imagination can do . . .  Avatar is stunning, breathtaking, don’t-blink-or-else cinema.

Straight No Chaser is making the rounds again this year . . . .

After brunch with my music theatre kids this morning, I took three of them to visit Sara Teasdale in her grave here in Saint Louis.  Audrey sang some Teasdale poetry this year.  Teasdale is one of my absolute favorite poets.

At Sara Teasdale's grave. L-R: Jared, Audrey, Kyle, Misha.

Audrey is from California.  She doesn’t like Missouri cold.