Thu, 3 February 2011
When your task is as daunting as interpreting the life of Jesus Christ through music, it's nice to have support from fellow artists throughout the centuries. Taking inspiration from the religious paintings of Carl Bloch and drawing from the melodies of timeless hymns, LDS composer Marshall McDonald uses his gifts with piano and orchestra to create a moving and meditative narration of the life of the Master in "This is the Christ." |
Wed, 22 December 2010
A Musical Christmas Card for 2010 |
Thu, 16 December 2010
In this engaging new book, author and historian Paul Thomas Smith has created my Christmas pick of the year--a text that is comfortingly familiar, yet filled with the bits of history and insight a life-long scholar can add to the narrative to make it vivid and alive in our minds and hearts; a book families and students of the scriptures can enjoy for years to come. And the illustrations drawn from the religious paintings of Carl Bloch are the perfect accompaniment to the text throughout. |
Thu, 9 December 2010
It's been years in the making, but Dawn Pheysey, Curator of Religious Art for the BYU Museum of Art, can still hardly believe they are all displayed here together for the first time in history; five of the eight huge Carl Bloch masterpieces which have graced churches across Denmark and Sweden for over a hundred years. |
Thu, 2 December 2010
If you've ever had a New Year's Eve where all you wanted to do was warm up some enchiladas for dinner and then go to bed, then you can relate to Beth, the protagonist of "Promise Me." After a year when tragedy seems to have moved in as a permanent companion, an unusual meeting at a 7-Eleven starts a whole new relationship that will change everything in her life and present her with a choice she never could have imagined. |
Fri, 26 November 2010
Singer and entertainer Alex Boyé takes you back to your childhood (if you're old enough to remember music on vinyl) with crooner-style Christmas standards, plus puts his own stamp on "Go Tell it on the Mountain" and the original title track. |
Thu, 5 August 2010
LDS Twelve-Step Conference to be Held at UVU in Orem, UT, Next Week |
Thu, 15 July 2010
BYU Church History professor John Livingstone had long had a vision of sharing the history and sites of the Restoration with people everywhere on the globe, and when videographer John Starrs moved into his ward it seemed that both the right people and the right technologies were coming together to make it happen. |
Thu, 1 July 2010
Bruce tells how you can download RootsMagic Essentials for free. After that, you can use it for an unlimited time, it has unlimited space for names and information, and there are free blogs, user groups, and podcasts to help get you going and get you unstuck when you think you've hit one of those unsolvable family history mysteries. That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull... |
Thu, 17 June 2010
Though he didn't begin his biblical works until the last 10 years of his life, French painter James Tissot managed to complete more than 700 paintings of the New Testament and the Old Testament--a project he was still engaged in at the time of his death. Rita Wright from the BYU Museum of Art is passionate about these paintings and points out highlights from the New Testament collection opening today at the Museum and running through January 9, 2011, sprinkling in observations about Tissot's life, way of working, details of the paintings themselves, and the surprising reaction to their Paris premiere among both the clergy and the elite. Plus, an unexpected "prophetic" connection to an edition of Tissot's illustrated bible used by two different LDS Church presidents. Don't forget to Click Here to view the paintings discussed! That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull...
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Thu, 27 May 2010
On a paternity break from "Phantom," (he and his wife Rachel just welcomed their fourth child) Dallyn talks about new versions of traditional favorites like "Come Thou Fount" and "Amazing Grace," and the more contemporary pieces he's sprinkled in, like "He'll Find a Way" and "Come Harvest Time." It's great listening for fans of rich orchestration and a trained voice. That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull... |
Fri, 21 May 2010
The idea for this show began over 40 years ago when Don Oscarson (writer of the original Nauvoo Pageant) was driving through Cajun country in Louisiana listening to the blues, and it finally made it onstage when he matched it up with writers Marvin Payne and Steven Kapp Perry. This engaging, new retelling of the timeless parable of the Prodigal Son is set in Kentucky coal country and features an imaginative staging of the classic tale featuring 6 show-stopping performers who seamlessly trade off roles and instruments like they were born to do it. "Take The Mountain Down" premiered live at BYU Education Week two years ago which led to a recent taping by BYU Broadcasting. Don't miss it on BYU-TV Tues, May 25th, at 8 PM Mountain Time, and the following Saturday, the 29th, at 9 PM. Also available now on CD and DVD at MarvinPayne.com That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull... |
Thu, 13 May 2010
Because the gospel is a constant in so many of our lives, we may hear certain words and concepts mentioned so frequently that we think we "get them," or have a complete understanding. One of the beauties of "Light in the Wilderness, Explorations in the Spiritual Life" is the way it strips away that "veil of familiarity" and beckons us to new dimensions of enlightenment concerning even the most basic concepts of God, nature, and what we are made of. In this wide-ranging discussion, Catherine Thomas invites fellow seekers to search behind familiar gospel words and concepts to find the spiritual realities they represent. From sacrifice to joy, this is a journey of increasing peace and faith in the God who made us and invites us to expand our minds and spirits and become like him. That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull...
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Thu, 6 May 2010
"Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" in 5/4 time? Yes, and it works. Originals, hymns, and even a primary song all mixed together? yes, and it works. What really works is the 3-part of blend of the voices and personalities of Soni, Brooke, and Whitney, the three young mothers who make up Mercy River. Coming into their own on their second album release, you'll hear about choosing songs, the impact of meeting LDS sisters at Time Out for Women events around the country, and why this particular kind of music feels just right for Mercy River. |
Fri, 23 April 2010
Over the past 25 years, Julie de Azevedo has written, produced, and performed some of the most popular songs in the LDS music industry. Masterpiece, her new best-of collection, features the favorites which have connected with people around the world, plus a couple of new tunes, including "God's Signature," which are sure to bring a smile to anyone who has some life experience under their belt. In this edition Julie talks about integrating and finding balance between the different parts of her life, why she writes what she does, and the common theme she's discovered between being a wife, a mother, a musician, a therapist, and how she's finally bringing it all together. That's this week on The Cricket and Seagull... |