Speaking of music (see yesterday’s post for some of the year’s notable recordings), winners of the 2019–20 Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for the Performance of American Music have been announced. First place in the college/university ensemble division went to William B. Drury and the New England Conservatory Symphonic Winds for their performance of Whitman Tropes by Richard Toensing.
Sharp-eyed readers will no doubt recognize that piece as part of the album Night Songs: The Music of Richard Toensing, which I recommended back in 2018 (I received an advance copy) promising “not only satisfaction and edification, but also spiritual fulfillment.”
The reason I mention this today is not to say “I told you so”—even though I most certainly did—but to point out that, in addition to being a long-time friend and former bandmate, Bill is a proud Hillyard native, Rogers High School grad, and Gonzaga University alum. And because, well…I told you so.
