FRENZY-ed birthday with Erin

Over the past weekend, the birthday-celebrating Sewer Raccoon News editor was feted by daughter Erin to a wind ensemble concert at Lawrence University's Memorial Chapel, where Erin is a senior, a clarinetist. Under the brilliant direction of Dr. Andrew Mast, (pictured) it had to be the best concert the normally peacable raccoon booster ever attended! The finale was Andrew Boysen Jr.'s Frenzy, an intricate blur of head re-arranging percussion and complex instrumentation artistry. If the chapel could have lifted its roof in a hat-doffing gesture to the conductor and players, it surely would have. It was a hurricane of sound. Your choicely-seated, balconied editor nearly beat his head against a nearby pillar, and had no recourse but to get out his Indian drum and beat that mercilessly the next day when he got home. Something like that needs to be kept going with whatever is at hand, for long and long.

Before the concert, Erin presented her birthday card with a twinkle in her eye, I think because she knew what the very old drummer & raccoonteur was in for, and very shortly. Afterwards, when the players were off-stage packing up their instruments, Erin said she asked the conductor if he could still hear ? (after FRENZY)

His reply: "Yes, I'm still here."

The wind ensemble plans to offer that same concert soon in Omaha. Look out! They're in for a thrill!