Recording project: Music and Stories

I've been really busy lately with projects. One of them is obvious: there's a concert in 2 weeks, so I'd better practice my cello... and of course there were invitations to make and generally getting the word out. I think practice is going rather well.

The other project is one Keith and I dreamed up last year in January when we were at Pre-Home Assignment Workshop: a CD (or set of mp3 downloads) to give to our supporters to give them a taste of my music ministry and thank them for their support. It was supposed to be a Christmas present. Oops.

Now there's a new deadline: have the CD ready to release on the day of the concert. (Not to mention, Shino, my collaborator for the upcoming concert and a major collaborator for the CD, is eager to have one.) Release date is March 5! Lots to do...

Ta-da! The cover will look something like this, only better, when I get used to the stamps. The Japanese writing on the right is my friend's calligraphy. The red stamp is my doodling... isn't it cool that you can get custom made stamps on the internet?

On the CD will be cello and piano music by Debussy, Rachmaninoff, and Brahms; Japanese folk songs accompanied by shamisen; my own hymn arrangements for viola da gamba and voice (in Japanese); and 2 Japanese worship songs composed by friends of ours and performed by the Sambi Reihai band at our church. Other friends contributed art for the cover, recording expertise, design help... and moral support.

The recording itself was completed before we left Japan. I just needed to figure out web hosting, CD printing (as in getting art printed on the back side of the CD rather than using a permanent marker to write the title, as I have usually done in the past), design for the cover and booklet, actually writing the material for the booklet... etc. I only came up with the title about a week ago, but things are coming together, I think. I hope.

If you are praying for us, then we invite you to order a CD (or mp3's to download). Click on the link; it will take you to an order form. This offer is also open to those of you who follow our blog and aren't on our email list. If we don't know you, please be sure to leave an answer in the box labelled "would you like to introduce yourself?" Please introduce yourself, and tell me why you want a CD, because I'm only giving this to friends... so let's be friends. We're looking forward to "meeting" you. :)

One more thing: if you want an actual CD rather than mp3 downloads, please order by February 28. Otherwise you might have to wait until May if I don't have any extras.

Okay, back to work on writing liner notes...