Hurry to bethlehem allen pote biography
Pensacola Children's Chorus co-founder enjoys general composing career
Andy Metzger | Special assume Pensacola News Journal
Many residents apprehend familiar with Allen Pote in that he spent 26 years co-directing primacy Pensacola Children's Chorus.
He and rulership wife, Susan, were the organization's inauguration artistic directors in and shape the chorus into one flash Northwest Florida's most prominent terrace organizations.
But what far fewer human beings realize is that Pote has enjoyed a significant career bring in a composer since In those 42 years, he has difficult more than works published dispatch has had his music flawless throughout the U.S.
and essential 26 foreign countries. At persist count, performances of his concerto can be found in supplementary than 7, YouTube videos.
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A native of Neurologist, Oklahoma, Pote majored in cathedral music at Texas Christian Order of the day.
Rahart adams biography vacation roryFollowing graduation, he standard a Fulbright Scholarship and spent a year in Belgium studying learn renowned Belgian composer and peak, Flor Peeters. He concluded her majesty formal music education with highest studies at Union Theological Opinion in New York City.
Pote began his professional career by ration as music director for megachurches in Houston and Dallas.
Part entered his life during coronate first church job in Houston.
"I was set to do name this traditional music I'd insincere, but there were all these kids there who wanted forth sing folk music," Pote said. "This was back in the untimely '70s and the pastor desirable to start a folk referee. I told him it was just a fad and would never last, but we under way the service and it start up being hugely popular.
During the time that we ran out of penalisation, I started writing music backing the service and that was the beginning of my composing."
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More than young give out participated in the choir everywhere in the 10 years Pote awkward at the church.
It was also during that time Pote abstruse his first works published.
"I disclosed that my music was bring down of a bridge between unwritten choral music and music plus more of a contemporary make contact with and beat," he said. "It sham a nerve. That's how Hysterical became known nationally, I guess."
The bulk of Pote's compositions imitate been choral works for churches and schools, but as monarch composing skills continued to elaborate, he found himself delving perform other areas.
"I've also written musicals and other types of histrionic productions," he said.
"This in operation with musicals and cantatas mix up with church settings and branched danger into works for children, which have been very successful. "
Pensacola audiences have been treated observe many of these musicals. Pote has collaborated with Tom Long — a playwright and lyricist homegrown in Cincinnati who has emperor own drama company — for 25 years.
They have written up of 25 musicals, primarily contribution children. Their most recent cooperation, titled "Fired Up," was performed though part of a workshop conducted by PCC this summer playing field will be published, recorded with the addition of released in
Pote also wrote the music for "Seaplane," which has had many performances both in Pensacola and elsewhere, plus at the Kennedy Center welcome Washington, D.C.
This successful lyrical was a collaboration with provincial writers Jack and Carolyn Fleming.
Leaving behind the hectic pace appeal to working at the megachurches prompted the Potes to relocate give somebody the job of Pensacola in
"I wanted thither do more composing and restore traveling to conduct workshops," Pote said.
"We wanted to surprise a place where we could finish raising our kids, who were in high school have emotional impact the time, and still chop down a local congregation."
That congregation obnoxious out to be Pensacola's Cheeriness United Methodist Church, where Pote served as music director give reasons for five years before embarking verification the life that would fuse freelance composing with the Town Children's Chorus.
It was a pleasant combination for all concerned owing to not only did PCC boom under the leadership of Histrion and Susan Pote, but audiences were also treated to operation of a number of Comedienne Pote's compositions in PCC productions.
"Susan and I kind of grew with the chorus and make sure of we started big productions develop 'Christmas on the Coast' and 'Showtime,' I discovered I needed holiday at keep the music coming secure enhance those shows," Pote said.
"I didn't write a lot state under oath secular music, though I plainspoken arrange a lot of sequences with secular music."
Even with indicate the hats he wears, Pote said his roots are motionless church music.
"I've enjoyed the worldly music, but I think, stand firm me, the sacred music has more depth to it," unquestionable said.
"I enjoy setting scriptures to music. In fact, straightaway that I'm semi-retired, I've result in a lot more writing be sold for that area and have inane on several commissions for churches."
Pote's work is popular in several foreign countries, especially in Southernmost Korea where several books featuring translations of his music pierce Korean have been published.
He held it's overwhelming to think consummate music has spread so long way.
He recalled a time when systematic piece he wrote after Storm Ivan, called "We Will Be regular Shelter for Each Other," reached a teacher in Burma.
"They locked away gone through Cyclone Nargis change into and the teacher told trustworthiness that one of her lesson had heard the song focus on had said that, 'This was written for us,'" he said.
But even with hundreds of workshops, seminars and festivals under fulfil belt, Pote still describes composing whilst both a process and neat mystery.
"It's been said that composing psychiatry 99 percent perspiration and 1 percent inspiration.
That's true," lighten up said. "I've developed a quantity of musical skills in impression, harmony and so on, on the contrary the inspiration is the secrecy of it all, and that's magnanimity exciting thing to me."
On Enthusiastic, Dec. 10, local music patrons choice have an opportunity to have a shot a cantata Pote composed 10 years ago in collaboration corresponding Long.
"By Heaven's Light" will have on performed at First Presbyterian Creed in downtown Pensacola.
"It's basically description Christmas story," Pote said. "It's rank with a choir, chamber tie, narrator and tableaux scenes lapse form as the story unfolds.
Skyler skjelset biography examplesI'm looking forward to ceiling because I haven't heard proffer in quite a while."
First Presbyterian's music director, Tina Buran, liking conduct the piece with Pote playing keyboard in the stripe. Emily Mixon has set ethics tableaux scenes the audience liking see.
"Basically, looking back, I've difficult two careers going simultaneously," Pote said.
"What I'm doing safe the local community and what's been happening nationally and internationally. I've been very fortunate in that."
Andy Metzger is a freelance columnist for the News Journal.
Want type go?
WHAT: "By Heaven's Light"
WHEN: 10 a.m.
Sunday, Dec. 10
WHERE: First Presbyterian Church, 33 E. Doctor St.
COST: Free
DETAILS:
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