It’s late March here in the DC area, and the weather is already getting warmer. Things always calm down a little bit after Pinewood Derby and high school hockey seasons are over, and it’s nice to have the opportunity to relax a bit. This week, I’m happy to be working and hanging out (well, mostly hanging out) with my good, longtime friend, Paul Sirvatka.
[blockquote]This is Part 1 of a series on the production of A Time Will Come For Singing (Special Edition). See All Posts [/blockquote]
Paul and I go back nearly 30 years. Paul was the director of the St. Petronille Contemporary Choir (Glen Ellyn, IL) from 1988-1995. Paul was a mid-20-something at the time, and I was in my late teens. I got involved with the group during my senior year of high school after hearing them at Mass one Sunday, and I was immediately hooked. I learned so much in that group; I took all sorts of ideas I first learned under Paul’s direction with me when I left for college the following year. Every vacation, I’d always eagerly return to sit in with the group while I was home. We were not the most amazing group of musicians or singers, but everyone genuinely enjoyed each other’s company. I think that really showed in our music.
Paul and I saw each other while I was home in Chicago last December. Paul is an excellent piano player, and an event at Paul’s house almost always winds up around the piano at some point. This visit was no different.
Paul has followed the development and growth of our studio here in Arlington over the years, and he mentioned how fun it would be to just come out for a week and “record something.” So during his visit this week, we are doing exactly that. We don’t have any particular objective for the week — mostly, we’ve been doing a lot of noodling around with the “record” light on, just to see where it goes.
We are also discussing the possibility of reworking some of Paul’s older music that we performed with the St. Pet’s Contemporary Choir, an idea I have been bugging him about for many, many years. I’m not sure if that will go anywhere, but if it does, I’ll certainly write about it here on the blog. For now — it’s been a fun, laid-back week in the studio with a good friend. Paul is an excellent musician and I continue to be inspired by him even today, nearly 30 years after I first met him.
