My college teacher Susie Francis Dempsey (a recurring "character" in the tales I spin here) recently celebrated a birthday. I don't know which one; I'm a musician and can only count to four.
This video of Dr. Dempsey performing my "Arietta" (2006) was made in 2009, when she performed it in a studio recital. Yours truly caught it on his Flip camera (remember those?) and a precious (to me, anyway) memory was saved.
The little "diva nod" before she started is priceless. I think I told her I needed a moment to make sure the Flip was up and running. She was ready for her close-up, Max.
Since she has retired from college teaching, she is teaching privately in her home studio - see my previous post for a scene from her studio - she is performing more frequently - which is a good thing. Of course I am biased, but I have always been enamored of her singing tone, and it is something I have tried to pass on to my students.
Happy belated birthday, Dr. Dempsey. You have left a legacy in the many musicians you have taught in the Southeast - as a piano teacher, and as a fabulous theory professor at Jacksonville State University, to many music educators in schools today. You are still touching lives today, and hopefully for years to come.
