It is already a tired trope to refer back to 2016 as a year of near-armageddon, given the tumultuous political and social climate that exists both here in the United States, and abroad. But I would be remiss if I did not thank everyone who brought LIGHT to my life in 2016, a year that had many meaningful musical and life events.

Best wishes to you all for a great 2017!  But first, some highlights from the last year:

• To begin with, I am most grateful that Melissa and I are healthy, and that our families are doing well. It was a good year for us to have each other’s backs!
• As a conductor, I had the great fortune to lead The Singers on a number of choral masterpieces in 2016, including: Herbert Howells’ Requiem, Samuel Barber’s Agnus Dei, Jake Runestad’s The Hope of Loving, and another appearance at the renowned Ravinia Festival in Chicago where we performed Rachmaninoff’s Vespers (All-Night Vigil) in memory of maestro Robert Shaw. In the fall we performed our first all-Baroque concert, which gave me the chance to finally conduct J.S. Bach’s Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied and Handel’s masterpiece, Dixit Dominus. At Christmas, the women of the choir performed Benjamin Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols to the pleasure of everyone who saw and heard it!
• My job as Choirmaster at The House of Hope Presbyterian Church in St. Paul means that I get to work with a group of volunteers and professional singers who possess such great talent! In Holy Week we presented the Lenten portion of Handel’s Messiah, Music Sunday brought Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb and Jonathan Dove’s Seek Him that Maketh the Seven Stars, and Christmas Eve brought Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Part III. I am fortunate to work so closely with one of the world’s finest organists, Aaron David Miller, who aside from being a world-class musician, is also one of the most gracious colleagues and friends.
• In the spring, I became the bass in the chamber group The Mirandola Ensemble, so I get to sing on a more regular basis again. What’s especially fun for me is that the Artistic Director/Tenor Nicholas Chalmers was a high school student of mine from my Hopkins High School days.
• I golfed nearly 70 times with my best golf buddies Michael Armstrong, Steve Kovacs, and Steve Pearson. I was a happy member at Boulder Pointe in Elko, and the drive was worth it to spend time with these guys three times a week!
• I turned 40 on September 1. The day started with 40 celebratory burpees (and a great work out) led by Dori Johnson, owner of Paddlesculpt, which is my newest community of friends. In the evening, Melissa hosted quite a surprise party at (of course!) Pepitos for both me and my sister-in-law Becky Holm-Johansen. Becky and I share a birthday (along with my own twin brother, Michael), and we were really happy to have Melissa’s brother Jon-Eirik, Becky, and our rockstar nephew Elliott in from Colorado. It was a great day shared with so many friends.
• Of course, November brought the election of some orange, three-thumbed buffoon. That’s all I can say on that subject.
• On a more personal level, Melissa and I had to say goodbye to our beloved Charlie the Beagle on Monday, December 5. We are grateful to all those who loved our little guy with us, and we both achingly miss him every day.Again – all best wishes to you!