It's such a treat to have the composer right here with us!  Pianist, David Boothroyd is offering help to us singers who are still struggling with memory and never utters a complaint when we make the same mistakes over and over!  Peter Jorgensen, director, is proving his brilliance again.  We are all fain to follow his every suggestion.  

He has created some really lovely pictures, especially with our two young dancers.  And our tenor, Frederick Robert, has been known to call upon the spirit of Elizabeth Barrett-Browning to come upon us and put these thousands of words into our brains and mouths.  Her collaboration would be much appreciated!

We finished staging all 44 sonnets yesterday, so we find ourselves with a week in which to accomplish the details.  We are having a wonderful time!

Much hilarity has ensued in deciphering the sonnets.  Especially the line: "Polypheme's white tooth slips on the nut when after frequent showers the shell is over smooth".  Sometimes we just blame it on E.B.B's laudanum addiction.  

And for your reading enjoyment, here is a list of words used by Miss Browning that we are determined to bring back into popularity:

Betwixt (between)

Fain (willing, glad)

Amerce (punish)

Purpureal, Purply (of the colour purple)

Chrism (anointing oil)

Girt (equipped)

Argosies (merchant ships with costly cargo)

Fillet (a band of ribbon)

List (listen)

Asphodel (a part of the Greek underworld where indifferent and ordinary souls were sent to live after death.)

People: Theocritus, Polypheme, Pindar