Another successful collaboration with Mark Abel is complete. Prominent soprano Hila Plitmann gave a powerful and memorable performance of “The Palm Trees Are Restless,” a song cycle he wrote for voice and piano. Set to texts of Kate Gale, it garnered unanimous praise from the reviewers of Mark’s “Home Is a Harbor” CD package. On October 1, 2016, she and outstanding pianist Tali Tadmor premiered the work at the Boston Court Performing Arts Center in Pasadena, CA. The program received a standing ovation. I did no orchestration on the Palm Trees song cycle, I was only Mark’s music copyist.

Author Dr. Kate Gale is managing editor of Red Hen Press, editor of the Los Angeles Review, and president of the American Composers Forum, LA. We were fortunate to have her at the performance also.