GreenHouse Studio

Studio dog reporting for duty… 😴😴😴

Christmas Eve 2020 @rvogen is back to help me celebrate today. This is a favorite for both of us. And a tune that feels particularly appropriate this year. . Have yourself a merry little Christmas Let your heart be light From now on Our troubles will be out of sight Have yourself a merry little Christmas Make the Yule-tide gay From now on Our troubles will be miles away Here we are as in olden days Happy golden days of yore Faithful friends who are dear to us Gather near to us once more Through the years we all will be together If the fates allow Hang a shining star upon the highest bough And have yourself a merry little Christmas now.

12/13/2020 . Musicians: Hi! My name is Alaina Latina (@alaina.latina ). I have been playing viola for 9 years and am currently a freshman music therapy major at Maryville University, where I take private lessons with Sam. A fun fact about me is that I went on tour as a violist and vocalist with Aaron Shust in 2018! O Come, O Come, Emmanuel is one of my favorite Christmas carols. As a Christian I am grateful for the opportunity to put my best foot forward in service through music. + Sam ✌🏻

12/12/2020 . Introducing Chris and Laura Livesay! . I’m Chris (@livesayc92 ) and I’ve been playing bass for 18 years or so. I am an elementary orchestra teacher here in St. Louis. A fun fact about me is, I like to golf! This is a favorite tune of mine as I LIVE for snow in the winter. . I’m Laura (@lauralivesay22 )! I’ve been playing trumpet for 16 years and am now a high school band director in the St. Louis area. A fun fact about me is I like to blog! This tune is fun and brings me joy!

12/11/2020 . Musicians: I’m Ranya Iqbal (@aikicello) and I’ve been playing cello for over 25 years. I am a full-time cello teacher and performer based in St. Louis. A fun fact about me is that I’m a 3rd Dan in Aikido. I’ve just always really loved this tune! . Still Sam on the violin! I am a sucker for any Christmas carol in Dorian mode! This little nugget was inspired by Chick Corea and Joshua Bell on the latter’s holiday album, Musical Gifts. I also want to take a brief moment here to give a shout out to all my collaborators. This has been so energizing and I am learning so much! We hope you guys are having as much fun listening along.

12/10/2020 . Musicians: My name is Hannah Frey (@hannahviolin ) and I’ve been playing violin since I was five years old! So, a long time! I play and teach violin full-time in the St. Louis area. I’m teaching a lot of lessons over the internet these days, of course! A fun fact: One of my favorite things to do on vacation is go on a road trip west to see beautiful scenery, camp in a tent, and sit around the fire at night listening to the sounds of nature. I love the geysers and bison in Yellowstone National Park, and I love hiking all day long in the mountains and wilderness of Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, etc. Sam picked this tune for me, but I do love Christmas carols in general. They take me back to childhood. When I was a kid, my parents would load us (me, two sisters and a brother) in the car and we would drive from our home in South Carolina to visit our grandparents in Ohio and Pennsylvania. There wasn’t anything to do in the car once it got dark, so we would all sing songs together, and we did a lot of Christmas carols in four part harmony.

12/9/2020 A tune from Joni Mitchell’s Blue album. I’ve always found her work to be perfectly melancholy. It feels appropriate this year. On a lighter note! Can anyone spot the Collin Garrity toilet paper ornament from Urban Matter on the tree?!

12/8/2020 . Musicians: My name is Mark and I am a retired naval captain who served as a pharmacist. I have been playing the guitar (on and off) for 50 years! A fun fact about me is I played in my first guitar recital when I was 50 years old. I chose this song because it has a nice melody for finger style technique. . It’s still Sam on the fiddle. Mark is my uncle! I’m partial to this tune because my birthday is on Three Kings Day.

12/7/2020 . Musicians: I’m Renée Vogen! I've been playing horn for 19 years and am now a freelance horn player based in Chicago, IL. A fun fact about me is that I have a cat, a tortie, named Annabelle Bronstein. One of my favorite memories from my time at the @Eastman School of Music is the Holiday Sing, a time where everyone in the stressed out flurry of the end of semester would come together to share music, rest, and be still. People performed in such memorable ways. I think we all felt the freedom to be creative, silly, and joyful. We always closed the event by singing Dona Nobis Pacem together as a school in a massive round. It was really magical. . My name is Will Berman. I've been singing for 15 years and am now a freelance musician based in the tri-state area. A fun fact about me is that my favorite Christmas song is Mariah Carey’s recording of Please Come Home. Like Renée, I really enjoyed the fact that everyone came together to sing this at the Eastman Holiday Sing. It’s always special to me in these moments to feel like all humans can sing and that singing is a way to bring people together. I am really missing singing with my colleagues at the moment so it is very nice to have the opportunity to recall a time when that was possible. . It’s me again, Sam. I met Renée and Will while completing my undergraduate degree at Eastman. We have remained close friends since and it is an honor to have them join me here!

Learning all about aspect ratios over here. Here’s another take of Wexford Carol with all the parts in frame! #WineGlassSolo

12/6/20 . Work: Wexford Carol is claimed to be one of the oldest extant Christmas carols. I was introduced to it by Yo-Yo Ma and company on his Joy and Peace album, another favorite from childhood.

12/5/2020 . Musician: Violin Tabernacle Choir Work: Ding Dong Merrily on High! “Ding dong merrily on high, In heav’n the bells are ringing”