Memorial Day

In the United States, Memorial Day is observed on the last Monday in May. The day was first set aside in 1868  ”for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every …

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Happy Easter

The glorious weather we’re having in Washington gives us much to celebrate in both the secular and spiritual realms. See Easter hymns from the Coptic tradition in Coptic Orthodox Liturgical Chant & Hymnody in the Performing Arts Encyclopedia. Remember Passover with the Yiddish play,  The mother of the world, or, Children come home in The American …

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Happy Holidays from the Music Division!

Imagine what the holidays were like in the years before there was such a thing as Black Friday or Cyber Monday. Sing along to “I’ll be home for Christmas.”  Sense the wonder and joy – and perhaps a bit of fear – in children’s hearts when you tell them that magical disembodied voice is  Santa Claus …

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