Jazz Pianist Brian Raymond
When professor David Ripley’s son was 3, the child fell asleep upon the couch in a timber-frame house his father was building for the family. As Ripley looked down upon his son that day curled up, he said to himself, "My God, if I could put that into a song." Later that day, the lyric came to him.
Ripley, a professor of music who specializes in voice and opera, recorded the original composition, “The Sleeping of a Child,” on his 1990 "Mustard Seed, Songs of Faith" recording. For many years, he thought about arranging it for choir, but never did -- until the tragedy in Newtown, Conn.
“I had to respond in some way to this horrific event. That was the catalyst for my decision to arrange the song for the UNH Concert Choir, which I will be directing this spring while their regular conductor, Bill Kempster, is on leave. This, I hope, will be a response, among others I am sure, from the entire UNH community to the tragedy of the Newtown massacre,” Ripley says.
“I feel it is so important that we, as a society, find artistic ways that are beautiful and healing to respond to the Newtown tragedy beyond the arguments about gun control. I feel that these gestures that are imbued with conscience and priorities can speak as forcefully as any politician, perhaps more so,” he says.
On Sunday, May 5, 20 the UNH Concert Choir premieres the new arrangement of “The Sleeping of a Child.” Originally for solo, unaccompanied voice, it is now for five-part chorus, solo soprano, baritone, and harp. It will be dedicated to the families of Newtown, Conn., and the national effort to lessen gun violence in American society. The choir will perform Ripley’s piece under his direction as part of a program titled “A New Created World, The Joys of Papa Haydn”, after his oratorio, “The Creation.” The concert starts at 3 p.m. in the Johnson Theater of the Paul Creative Arts Center. The program is free and open to the public.
“It is quite remarkable how these efforts, which are
Ripley, a professor of music who specializes in voice and opera, recorded the original composition, “The Sleeping of a Child,” on his 1990 "Mustard Seed, Songs of Faith" recording. For many years, he thought about arranging it for choir, but never did -- until the tragedy in Newtown, Conn.
“I had to respond in some way to this horrific event. That was the catalyst for my decision to arrange the song for the UNH Concert Choir, which I will be directing this spring while their regular conductor, Bill Kempster, is on leave. This, I hope, will be a response, among others I am sure, from the entire UNH community to the tragedy of the Newtown massacre,” Ripley says.
“I feel it is so important that we, as a society, find artistic ways that are beautiful and healing to respond to the Newtown tragedy beyond the arguments about gun control. I feel that these gestures that are imbued with conscience and priorities can speak as forcefully as any politician, perhaps more so,” he says.
On Sunday, May 5, 20 the UNH Concert Choir premieres the new arrangement of “The Sleeping of a Child.” Originally for solo, unaccompanied voice, it is now for five-part chorus, solo soprano, baritone, and harp. It will be dedicated to the families of Newtown, Conn., and the national effort to lessen gun violence in American society. The choir will perform Ripley’s piece under his direction as part of a program titled “A New Created World, The Joys of Papa Haydn”, after his oratorio, “The Creation.” The concert starts at 3 p.m. in the Johnson Theater of the Paul Creative Arts Center. The program is free and open to the public.
“It is quite remarkable how these efforts, which are