July 2008

You may be wondering just what this picture is all about. Well, I have owned one conducting baton for the last 20 years until my first year of full-time teaching. The photo says it all. One might say it was time, but those teachers out there know better ;-)  All joking aside, it was a wonderful first year and I look forward to many more . . . and many more batons!

I had hoped to have time to update this page more often, but alas . . . Since February, I made it through another semester at school. What a great bunch of kids at Covenant Christian Academy! The Spring Concerts and Music Festivals all went smashingly during the month of May. The Concert Chorale received a "Superior" rating at the ACSI Music Festival at Gordon College, something they have not done in the past.

On the church front, the "Festival of Pipes" organ concert I gave back in May - with a huge help from our church choir, handbell choir and special guests (thanks Gail, John, Joe & TJ!) - was also a great success. The concert commemorated the recent renovation of the church's Ryder tracker organ as part of a larger renovation project of the church interior, which is now underway!

I have gotten back to some producing and recording, specifically finishing up a wonderful album with singer/songwriter Gail Dorey. She has written some powerful songs and we have covered the gamut from solo piano to an Enya-esque song with 30+ tracks of vocals! The CD should be released sometime this fall. I'll keep you posted because you'll definitely want to check it out.

Thanks for stopping by and staying abreast of my whereabouts. If interested, you can check out some full-length tracks of mine on my MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/petervantinestudioorchestra. More to come soon (I hope)...

                                      Peace,
                                        Peter
 

February 2008

Well, it's the middle of February and I am enjoying a few days of R&R during school vacation. My "new" position (starting back in August of 2007) as Director of Music at Covenant Christian Academy is going very well. The students, parents and faculty are all terrific and teaching is proving to be most rewarding. If you'd like to take a peek at where I'm hanging my musical hat these days, check out www.covenantchristianacademy.org.

The transition from studio life to academia has caused me to pause briefly with my composing, but I am anxiously looking forward to getting back to it. Currently I am working with a number of licensing companies and all of them want more material, so I have to get cracking! I have also been pecking away at an oratorio, a ballet, some new choral works based on the Psalms and some miscellaneous instrumental pieces.

I am also still holding a ministry position as Pastor of Music & Worship at Middleton Congregational Church. This May I will have been there for 20 years! I can't believe it. The church is in the midst of a capital campaign to renovate and redesign the sanctuary and other interior spaces. This would provide a wonderful and relevant space for worship by allowing much better access and more freedom for contemporary worship.

Lastly, I have spent the last few days re-vamping my Web sites into this one site. I have finally closed vantinestudio.com, which makes sense since the studio is no longer there! I hope you enjoy looking around the site and listening to some of my compositions and arrangements. I am thankful for the gifts with which God has blessed me and look forward to learning so much more. Thank you for being here with me all these years and supporting my musical endeavors. I couldn't have done any of it without YOU!

                                      Peace,
                                        Peter

Photos

Here are a few random photos you might find interesting (or not ;-)


Various shots while tracking Camille


Conducting Camille


CCA Mug Shot


Field trip to BSO with my band students


"So many notes, so little time..."


Our faithful dog, "Poco"


With the "brothers" in Joseph


Onward, the MCC Worship Team


Christmas Eve at MCC (aren't they festive!)


One Foundation Anniversary Concert (2003)


The Ryder tracker organ at MCC (newly renovated, 2007)


Peter and Virginia (our Associate Organist) at the tracker


Can't you just hear J.S. Bach?


Getting serious now...


Sitting at the Bosendorfer grand piano


Performing new piano solo compositions


Studio shot


Studio shot with vocalist Julie-Ann Aguhob


Yes, this piano has 92 keys!
(and I'm trying to play every single one of them at once!)