Let Music In
By Aaron Shows (First Published in the Fall 2023 Issue of The Messenger)
The opening season of Third@First begins October 21 at 4:00 p.m. in the First UMC Sanctuary. Aaron Shows will be performing his newly composed work "Let Music In". We hope you will join us! To learn more about the Third@First concert schedule, visit www.thirdatfirst.org.
Keeping a music concert series alive and thriving for 10 years is a daunting task. From its early beginnings of planning programs, to rehearsal and concert scheduling, to fundraising, to connecting and working with musicians around the globe, the list of responsibilities goes on, and yet, the end result is something both beautifully intangible and somehow vital to the human condition: the gift of music.
First UMC’s Third@First series is one of the Pasadena community’s finest examples of a successful concert series.This fall we are celebrating its 10th season. There’s a good chance you have been to at least one of the concerts over the last decade, and if so, you have seen and heard firsthand the high standards of artistry involved: soloists, chamber ensembles, full orchestras with chorus, and more! All this to say, a musical celebration of this anniversary is in order. But first, some quick backstory.
First UMC’s Third@First series is one of the Pasadena community’s finest examples of a successful concert series.This fall we are celebrating its 10th season. There’s a good chance you have been to at least one of the concerts over the last decade, and if so, you have seen and heard firsthand the high standards of artistry involved: soloists, chamber ensembles, full orchestras with chorus, and more! All this to say, a musical celebration of this anniversary is in order. But first, some quick backstory.
Aaron working on New Music
Keeping a music concert series alive and thriving for 10 years is a daunting task. From its early beginnings of planning programs, to rehearsal and concert scheduling, to fundraising, to connecting and working with musicians around the globe, the list of responsibilities goes on, and yet, the end result is something both beautifully intangible and somehow vital to the human condition: the gift of music.
First UMC’s Third@First series is one of the Pasadena community’s finest examples of a successful concert series.This fall we are celebrating its 10th season. There’s a good chance you have been to at least one of the concerts over the last decade, and if so, you have seen and heard firsthand the high standards of artistry involved: soloists, chamber ensembles, full orchestras with chorus, and more! All this to say, a musical celebration of this anniversary is in order. But first, some quick backstory.
Founded in 2014 by First UMC member (and esteemed concert pianist), Junko Ueno-Garrett, and the church’s former music director, Sébastien Vallée, the Third@First Concert Series has provided a valuable ministry not only to the local Pasadena community and greater Los Angeles area, but in recent years an additional offering to the online community, extending its reach around the world. Whether it be musicians and ensembles of First UMC members and staff, local musicians, or internationally-renowned artists, every concert is offered free of charge to the public due to the support of generous concert goers who have kept this series flourishing. It’s thanks to them that Third@First has come this far, and will continue into the future!
As organist at First UMC, I’ve played in many of these programs since beginning my position at the church in the fall of 2016, performing as a soloist and as part of many different ensembles. If you have attended any of my solo concerts, you have experienced my own “brand” of musical antics, from singing Christmas carols in July, to traditional Celtic music played non-traditionally on the pipe organ (yes, Danny Boy, “The Pipes are Calling”). My most recent concert this past June was a silent movie accompaniment on organ, an “Organ-ic” movie soundtrack if you will.
And let us not forget the annual “Christmas Joy” programs where I’ve been part of keyboard shenanigans involving piano music for up to EIGHT HANDS. (Yes, that is four individual pianists!) It has certainly been a joy and an honor to plan and perform in these unique concerts, and it’s thanks to Junko and the Third@First committee for graciously including me in this series over the years.
First UMC’s Third@First series is one of the Pasadena community’s finest examples of a successful concert series.This fall we are celebrating its 10th season. There’s a good chance you have been to at least one of the concerts over the last decade, and if so, you have seen and heard firsthand the high standards of artistry involved: soloists, chamber ensembles, full orchestras with chorus, and more! All this to say, a musical celebration of this anniversary is in order. But first, some quick backstory.
Founded in 2014 by First UMC member (and esteemed concert pianist), Junko Ueno-Garrett, and the church’s former music director, Sébastien Vallée, the Third@First Concert Series has provided a valuable ministry not only to the local Pasadena community and greater Los Angeles area, but in recent years an additional offering to the online community, extending its reach around the world. Whether it be musicians and ensembles of First UMC members and staff, local musicians, or internationally-renowned artists, every concert is offered free of charge to the public due to the support of generous concert goers who have kept this series flourishing. It’s thanks to them that Third@First has come this far, and will continue into the future!
As organist at First UMC, I’ve played in many of these programs since beginning my position at the church in the fall of 2016, performing as a soloist and as part of many different ensembles. If you have attended any of my solo concerts, you have experienced my own “brand” of musical antics, from singing Christmas carols in July, to traditional Celtic music played non-traditionally on the pipe organ (yes, Danny Boy, “The Pipes are Calling”). My most recent concert this past June was a silent movie accompaniment on organ, an “Organ-ic” movie soundtrack if you will.
And let us not forget the annual “Christmas Joy” programs where I’ve been part of keyboard shenanigans involving piano music for up to EIGHT HANDS. (Yes, that is four individual pianists!) It has certainly been a joy and an honor to plan and perform in these unique concerts, and it’s thanks to Junko and the Third@First committee for graciously including me in this series over the years.
Playing Piano
Keeping a music concert series alive and thriving for 10 years is a daunting task. From its early beginnings of planning programs, to rehearsal and concert scheduling, to fundraising, to connecting and working with musicians around the globe, the list of responsibilities goes on, and yet, the end result is something both beautifully intangible and somehow vital to the human condition: the gift of music.
First UMC’s Third@First series is one of the Pasadena community’s finest examples of a successful concert series.This fall we are celebrating its 10th season. There’s a good chance you have been to at least one of the concerts over the last decade, and if so, you have seen and heard firsthand the high standards of artistry involved: soloists, chamber ensembles, full orchestras with chorus, and more! All this to say, a musical celebration of this anniversary is in order. But first, some quick backstory.
Founded in 2014 by First UMC member (and esteemed concert pianist), Junko Ueno-Garrett, and the church’s former music director, Sébastien Vallée, the Third@First Concert Series has provided a valuable ministry not only to the local Pasadena community and greater Los Angeles area, but in recent years an additional offering to the online community, extending its reach around the world. Whether it be musicians and ensembles of First UMC members and staff, local musicians, or internationally-renowned artists, every concert is offered free of charge to the public due to the support of generous concert goers who have kept this series flourishing. It’s thanks to them that Third@First has come this far, and will continue into the future!
As organist at First UMC, I’ve played in many of these programs since beginning my position at the church in the fall of 2016, performing as a soloist and as part of many different ensembles. If you have attended any of my solo concerts, you have experienced my own “brand” of musical antics, from singing Christmas carols in July, to traditional Celtic music played non-traditionally on the pipe organ (yes, Danny Boy, “The Pipes are Calling”). My most recent concert this past June was a silent movie accompaniment on organ, an “Organ-ic” movie soundtrack if you will.
And let us not forget the annual “Christmas Joy” programs where I’ve been part of keyboard shenanigans involving piano music for up to EIGHT HANDS. (Yes, that is four individual pianists!) It has certainly been a joy and an honor to plan and perform in these unique concerts, and it’s thanks to Junko and the Third@First committee for graciously including me in this series over the years.
Playing the pipe organ and piano, however, are not the only things I do musically. In addition to my performing career, I’m also a composer. In fact, composing music is what brought me from my earliest music lessons growing up in Alabama all the way out here to Los Angeles. Now you may be wondering: How does my composing side tie into Third@First’s 2023-2024 season? Long story short, the opening concert will premiere an original piece I’m composing! Some time ago, Junko asked if I would be interested in writing something big for the October 2023 concert, and after a short silence, realizing my jaw was somehow lying there on the floor in front of me, I picked it up and agreed immediately!
Junko first explained the concept of the piece to me, that it should be of substantial length (an estimated 30 minutes) and would include musicians from the church, including the choir, with potential for local musicians being involved as well. With those guidelines, my creative brain went right to work, wondering first what text I could set to music and use to celebrate this occasion. I poured through a few books of poetry I had acquired over the years for this very “compositional” purpose, but nothing seemed to grab me as particularly exciting, interesting, or in some way appropriate for this scale of an event. Enter my good friend, and chair of First UMC Trustees, Paul Audley. (Can you hear the superhero music playing in your head?)
First UMC’s Third@First series is one of the Pasadena community’s finest examples of a successful concert series.This fall we are celebrating its 10th season. There’s a good chance you have been to at least one of the concerts over the last decade, and if so, you have seen and heard firsthand the high standards of artistry involved: soloists, chamber ensembles, full orchestras with chorus, and more! All this to say, a musical celebration of this anniversary is in order. But first, some quick backstory.
Founded in 2014 by First UMC member (and esteemed concert pianist), Junko Ueno-Garrett, and the church’s former music director, Sébastien Vallée, the Third@First Concert Series has provided a valuable ministry not only to the local Pasadena community and greater Los Angeles area, but in recent years an additional offering to the online community, extending its reach around the world. Whether it be musicians and ensembles of First UMC members and staff, local musicians, or internationally-renowned artists, every concert is offered free of charge to the public due to the support of generous concert goers who have kept this series flourishing. It’s thanks to them that Third@First has come this far, and will continue into the future!
As organist at First UMC, I’ve played in many of these programs since beginning my position at the church in the fall of 2016, performing as a soloist and as part of many different ensembles. If you have attended any of my solo concerts, you have experienced my own “brand” of musical antics, from singing Christmas carols in July, to traditional Celtic music played non-traditionally on the pipe organ (yes, Danny Boy, “The Pipes are Calling”). My most recent concert this past June was a silent movie accompaniment on organ, an “Organ-ic” movie soundtrack if you will.
And let us not forget the annual “Christmas Joy” programs where I’ve been part of keyboard shenanigans involving piano music for up to EIGHT HANDS. (Yes, that is four individual pianists!) It has certainly been a joy and an honor to plan and perform in these unique concerts, and it’s thanks to Junko and the Third@First committee for graciously including me in this series over the years.
Playing the pipe organ and piano, however, are not the only things I do musically. In addition to my performing career, I’m also a composer. In fact, composing music is what brought me from my earliest music lessons growing up in Alabama all the way out here to Los Angeles. Now you may be wondering: How does my composing side tie into Third@First’s 2023-2024 season? Long story short, the opening concert will premiere an original piece I’m composing! Some time ago, Junko asked if I would be interested in writing something big for the October 2023 concert, and after a short silence, realizing my jaw was somehow lying there on the floor in front of me, I picked it up and agreed immediately!
Junko first explained the concept of the piece to me, that it should be of substantial length (an estimated 30 minutes) and would include musicians from the church, including the choir, with potential for local musicians being involved as well. With those guidelines, my creative brain went right to work, wondering first what text I could set to music and use to celebrate this occasion. I poured through a few books of poetry I had acquired over the years for this very “compositional” purpose, but nothing seemed to grab me as particularly exciting, interesting, or in some way appropriate for this scale of an event. Enter my good friend, and chair of First UMC Trustees, Paul Audley. (Can you hear the superhero music playing in your head?)
Paul Audley, Chair of Trustees and "Let Music In" Lyricist
Being a man of many creative talents, he agreed (after a little persuasion) to collaborate. After some brainstorming back and forth on possible imagery and symbolism, the result quickly became a beautifully colorful text entitled, “Let Music In”. Much like water, which sustains us, fills the earth and connects us all, this piece will serve as an invitation to allow music to “live” within us and bring us together.
After the text was as good as we could make it (at least for the time being), we discussed the outline of the greater piece, the order of the poetry lines, and how it would best be brought to life with the musical resources available. In this church alone, we have a pipe organ, piano, a choir, and solo vocalists—not to mention orchestral instruments like cello and flute. I gave much consideration and thought about our resources and potential musical styles. It became most clear to me that celebrating a music concert series that regularly offered such a variety of musical genres provided the unique opportunity to build some bridges between each major era of Western music history, from the early medieval days of chant through the Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Impressionistic, Modern eras, and oh so much more in-between.
Fast forward to today, I’m currently in the middle of composing this music, and not only do I have to finish it soon, it has to also be practiced, refined, and rehearsed in preparation for the concert! As the music continues to take shape (like any creative endeavor), I have to allow myself to metaphorically “Let Music In,” and like a sculptor who tries to envision a statue somewhere inside the marble rocks of a mountainside, I must keep “chiseling away” at these notes and rhythms to discover what this music will ultimately sound like. This piece has evolved over the months, becoming a multi-movement work, meaning it can be divided into smaller sections that, together, make up the greater whole. Each section strives to feature a different soloist or ensemble, highlighting many of the various forms and harmonies the composers and musicians before us have explored. It’s indeed a journey through music history!
As pointed out in the beginning: planning, organizing, and running a successful concert series for 10 years (and counting) is a hugely daunting task. Reflecting on this for myself, I can definitely draw similarities to the creative process of composing music for the anniversary celebration of such a wonderful and important series. Thank you to Junko for asking me to take on this task, and thank you to Paul for being such a helpful and creative collaborator on this adventure. In the spirit of music bringing us together, I hope you will join us on October 21 at 4:00 p.m. for the opening concert of the Third@First 2023-24 series. With all this new music in my head, I’m excited and looking forward to bringing it to life, and sharing it with you very soon.
After the text was as good as we could make it (at least for the time being), we discussed the outline of the greater piece, the order of the poetry lines, and how it would best be brought to life with the musical resources available. In this church alone, we have a pipe organ, piano, a choir, and solo vocalists—not to mention orchestral instruments like cello and flute. I gave much consideration and thought about our resources and potential musical styles. It became most clear to me that celebrating a music concert series that regularly offered such a variety of musical genres provided the unique opportunity to build some bridges between each major era of Western music history, from the early medieval days of chant through the Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Impressionistic, Modern eras, and oh so much more in-between.
Fast forward to today, I’m currently in the middle of composing this music, and not only do I have to finish it soon, it has to also be practiced, refined, and rehearsed in preparation for the concert! As the music continues to take shape (like any creative endeavor), I have to allow myself to metaphorically “Let Music In,” and like a sculptor who tries to envision a statue somewhere inside the marble rocks of a mountainside, I must keep “chiseling away” at these notes and rhythms to discover what this music will ultimately sound like. This piece has evolved over the months, becoming a multi-movement work, meaning it can be divided into smaller sections that, together, make up the greater whole. Each section strives to feature a different soloist or ensemble, highlighting many of the various forms and harmonies the composers and musicians before us have explored. It’s indeed a journey through music history!
As pointed out in the beginning: planning, organizing, and running a successful concert series for 10 years (and counting) is a hugely daunting task. Reflecting on this for myself, I can definitely draw similarities to the creative process of composing music for the anniversary celebration of such a wonderful and important series. Thank you to Junko for asking me to take on this task, and thank you to Paul for being such a helpful and creative collaborator on this adventure. In the spirit of music bringing us together, I hope you will join us on October 21 at 4:00 p.m. for the opening concert of the Third@First 2023-24 series. With all this new music in my head, I’m excited and looking forward to bringing it to life, and sharing it with you very soon.
Posted in Third@First