Let Freedom Ring!!!

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” ~Declaration of Independence, 4 July 1776).

I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend celebrating America's 250th birthday! We had a relatively quiet celebration, walking over to Smythe Park for music and food. What a surprise to have an Indian food truck! And Dagny made the beautiful fruit platter. But I really, really missed having fireworks on Daniel Island. If not now, then when?

My thoughts are very much on the freedoms we enjoy. True freedom isn't doing anything we want, but the freedom to do the right thing. As our pastor reminds us, we are free to sin, but not free from the consequences of sin. May God help us choose rightly!

July 4th would've been my father's 98th birthday. And I keep praying that he chose to be with Jesus in heaven. I am so grateful to him for bringing us to this country. I fished out an old picture, a Polaroid, that was taken when I was naturalized as a US citizen in the courthouse in Spokane, WA. I was 19 years old and had been waiting for this day since arriving in the US five years prior as a "resident alien." The term evoked laughter with thoughts of Martians (my family is from Maharashtra and years later my kids would simplify it to Martian). I knew even then that the US was the BEST country in the world to live in. And it's been confirmed over and over since living and visiting other countries. I came across a tweet by Jordan Peterson where he sums up the root of America's greatness: Dr Jordan B Peterson on X: "To the Americans: I've travelled all over the world. I've familiarized myself with many places, and met many people. And I'm a Canadian, although I’m privileged to reside once again in the States. And here's something I've noticed, and it’s a key element of America's continuing" / X 

I am so happy that my barbershop chorus will bring our Red, White, and Ringing show to various communities this summer to celebrate America's 250th birthday. God bless America!!!

Piccolo Spoleto Concert

We're taking a much-needed week off from barbershop practice tonight after our Red, White, and Ringing concert the last day of the Piccolo Spoleto festival. So wonderful to celebrate our nation's 250th anniversary with a truly American tradition--barbershop! I was so grateful to sing from the risers, though I had a cane with beautiful blue flowers, borrowed from a parishioner, should I need it. It matched our blue shirts. I love how God takes care of even the smallest details, knowing how much I like pretty things. 

Below, a few recordings. Enjoy!

One of my favorites from Toy Story: 

1. You've Got a Friend In Me
   https://youtu.be/3eaKgqFFoPg

Holy City Harmony Quartet Debut:

1. America the Beautiful
   https://youtu.be/Tl546wWiuN0 

One of the few songs where we tenors get the melody. It's an emotional song; I saw some in the audience weeping. Music truly helps heal a hurting heart:

1. It Is Well with My Soul
   https://youtu.be/Hve7zXkYt9A

Most importantly, you too can sing along. Here's David teaching the audience:

1. When the Saints Go Marching In
   https://youtu.be/SS8oVJIUB7I

Local ladies, if you love to sing, we invite you to come join us for Guest Night June 22nd. No experience necessary.

Barbershop Contest

It's been a rollercoaster of emotions these past couple of months. We're singing better and better. But this was the hardest contest I've ever sung. You can see it here: Charleston Sound Chorus - R9 Contest Set - May 2026  https://youtu.be/BPOCX887LMI 

Not only did I injure myself the day before, but our beloved bass section leader, Hannah Harris, died a week before contest. You can listen to David's speech and our song here: Charleston Sound Chorus - R9 Show of Champions -https://youtu.be/VSdJKGjUR5w  

Mary and Hannah

Only one of our quartets sang: Encore Quartet - R9 Contest Set -https://youtu.be/SvPZ6909-RI and they sang so beautifully. Hannah's quartet, Put a Ring on It (they sang at Dagny and Ian's wedding reception) had to withdraw. Alas, I missed all the quartet competitions because I fell in the shower and did the splits, tearing my hamstring. But God is so good--Michael came down with me and was able to care for me. In addition, our chorus has a physical therapist, a nurse, and a nurse practitioner, who are able to assess and give good advice. And many faithful women who prayed over me. Praise Him!!! I was able to procure a wheelchair and rehearse with my chorus and sing.

Below, our coaching with the Queens of Harmony, Dynasty Quartet, and another Queen, Gina Baker earlier in the year.

I had no idea that my fortune could turn in an instant... but what a reminder to stay in a state of grace.  

But I had help--so many graces were poured out on me. We'd been praying the world's oldest novena since Ascension Thursday, to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit and for their fruits to be manifested in us.

We sang. We touched hearts. We learned we could do this even through heartbreak and pain. Hannah would be proud. We placed 3rd overall and 2nd in our division. All glory to God! 

It is so hard to understand why all this is happening, but we trust in God's perfect will for our lives. I truly believe and live Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." 

I had planned to go to Chicago for the Catholic Writing Conference and then to my father's memorial, but I cannot risk further injury. So I'm staying home and resting in the Lord. I find myself crying out of the blue--it reminds me a little of having mild post-partum depression. But my heart is grateful--for having this time to rest and heal, for family and friends closeby, for pictures and videos of Hannah singing. Please pray for her and her family. May God have mercy on her soul, bring her to heaven, and may she welcome us with the choirs of angels when it's our turn to go to our eternal home.

As I rest with my kitties (purrfect therapy), I run through my music for Piccolo Spoleto concert and Guest Night (posters made by the talented Laurie Yoh). Today is Pentecost Sunday. Come Holy Spirit! Come! 

Preparing for Christmas; Praying the Great O-Antiphons of Advent

There are lots of Advent hymns but O Come, O Come Emmanuel is the most popular and it comes from the Great O antiphons that are sung after Vespers the last seven days of Advent (Dec. 17th - Dec. 23rd). See this beautiful creative project from Look to Him and be Radiant: O Antiphons Projects {Free Printables, Bible Study, and Google Classroom Projects}

Below, the complete text of the hymn. I find myself singing it while I prepare my home--after several years of not managing to get a tree (by Gaudete Sunday all the trees are gone) we got one earlier this Advent and had so much fun decorating it. It's been lovely to have the fresh Frasier fir in the house. My nativity set is all over the place--only the shepherd is in the creche :) I've also prepared a batch of Swedish glug (my father-in-law's recipe) and it is so delicious to sip it warm in the evenings as we watch the cats playing with the ornaments. We'll have a full house with the kids and as in several Christmases past, find myself again on deadline...so trying to remember to do a bit of work each day. May you have peace and joy as you prepare for these holy days and be comforted in knowing that our Lord comes to be with us in the messiness of our lives, to free us from sin, to make us whole again.

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.
Refrain: Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel. 

O come, thou Wisdom from on high,
who orderest all things mightily;
to us the path of knowledge show,
and teach us in her ways to go. Refrain

O come, O come, great Lord of might,
who to thy tribes on Sinai's height
in ancient times once gave the law
in cloud and majesty and awe. Refrain

O come, thou Rod of Jesse, free
thine own from Satan's tyranny;
from depths of hell thy people save,
and give them victory over the grave. Refrain 

O come, thou Key of David, come,
and open wide our heavenly home;
make safe the way that leads on high,
and close the path to misery. Refrain

O come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer
our spirits by thine advent here;
disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
and death's dark shadows put to flight. Refrain 

O come, Desire of nations, bind
in one the hearts of all mankind;
bid thou our sad divisions cease,
and be thyself our King of Peace. Refrain

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear. Refrain 

As much as it is fun to have Christmas concerts and parties, I'm grateful they are behind us so that we can regain the quietness of Advent. In our Catholic community, the real partying begins after Midnight Mass and lasts throughout the Octaves of Christmas and Epiphany!!! This week is actually ember week--with days of fasting. 

Happy Pentecost!

What an amazing weekend! We had the great pleasure of listening to the Charleston Symphony perform some of the most beautiful pieces of music--Samuel Barber's Agnus Dei (swoon), Schubert's Mass in G (my heart soared at the Sanctus), and more. I bought tickets at the last minute because we weren't sure whether we'd be going to the priestly ordinations at the St. John the Baptist Cathedral that very night, but with six priests being ordained, I knew there'd hardly be any room. So we went to the concert instead and given that all of it is a prayer, I felt good about offering it for the new priests. Dagny made an interesting observation--that one can sing these beautiful Mass settings for a concert, yet in many places, the Latin Mass is being suppressed. How can that which has always been holy be restricted is beyond my understanding. But that's a discussion for another day. Many in our Charleston Sound Chorus were able to come to listen to our own Danielle Simonian sing. She's amazing. Listen to her hold a looooong note at the very end in her quartet Encore: How Many Hearts Have You Broken (near). 

Saturday we sang at Fr. Justin Damask's first Mass at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. It was the old Pentecost Vigil, lesser only than the great Easter Vigil, and so very beautiful. Fr. Wilson gave a rousing homily, reminding that in the early church, vigils would go long into the night as the faithful listened to the Word, prayed, and were exhorted to live a good Christian life, and so we participate in that tradition of the Apostles and Mary. Yes, she was there! He spoke about pride, how language becomes a tool to control and the great reversal of Babel at Pentecost. From the beginning, the church is Catholic. It doesn't erase differences, but brings order to chaos. We see the New Covenant reflected in the Old, the Holy Fire, that doesn't annihilate, but transforms. And when we are open, the graces that rain down to us from above overflow. So many blessings! 

Finally, I share a bit of my own artwork. On First Fridays, our local library hosts Crafternoon, so I go there to play for a couple of hours, then off to First Friday Mass (devotion to the Sacred Heart). Given the plethora of AI-generated art that's trained on the work of humans who are not compensated, I wanted to share my first efforts at painting animals. I made the collage for Put a Ring on It quartet that sing the cutest song: A Dress with Pockets (my mother sewed pockets in all of our dresses). The stained glass is a gift from Dagny. Fitting for Pentecost! Come Holy Spirit! May this be a summer of great growth in all the gifts that God has bestowed upon us.

Piccolo Spoleto Debut

Saturday afternoon was amazing! We sang well and best of all, we stayed in tune. The chords were definitely ringing. And that space--Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul--was so lovely to sing in. It was so much fun to sing in our hometown to a very responsive audience. This is why I love performing. Thank you to all who came to support us. I loved every moment. While the quartets tested the space before our warmup, I took some pictures. 

And thanks to Laurie Yoh, pictured above, we have videos and the poster below. Seriously, I am so awed by all the talent in our chorus. It's fabulous to sing alongside them.

Our opening number tells you everything about our chorus: As Long As I'm Singing

Take a Chance I couldn't help but think of how much this also applies to the writing life, especially when we're querying and submitting. But I know that no writing is every wasted. Just ask my mewses :) 

We ended with One Moment in Time. I love this song because of all the hopes and dreams and desires I still have. May they be aligned with what our Lord dreams for me. 

 

We're having a guest night on Monday, June 9th. Local ladies, come sing with us!