Ars Nova

Oh, to have been in Boulder last weekend….

[Thomas Edward] Morgan, artistic director of Ars Nova, masterfully conducted the hushed phrasings of the integrated folk influences and traditional chants of the Russian Orthodox Church. In the rich, resounding acoustics of the cathedral, the lambent songs of praise enveloped the audience in a wash of celestial sounds.

The Denver Post/via A Capella News

In January of 1982, while I was busily putting the finishing touches on my B.A. coursework, Tom Morgan was producing and directing Godspell as a for-credit academic project. I ate lunch with Tom and his crew pretty regularly, and Tom kept me up to date on the production’s status. Most likely I told him about Andrew Carnegie, since the steel industry’s early days were dominating my afternoons and evenings–or about Tommy Thompson, whose half-awake music-making–the course was American Folk Music–helped (en)lighten my mornings.  The need to actually finish the Carnegie paper on deadline prevented me from attending Tom’s production, a decision I regretted then, and regret now.

Tom graduated a couple years after me, then moved to Colorado for grad school. He’d send an occasional note to report on his life and share what he’d heard from mutual friends.  Not sure how we lost touch, but it’s probably time to renew the friendship.

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