Goings-On: 2024 and Hello 2025!
Venus high above Houston
I usually write a Mishaverse end-of-the-year post: a look back at wonders and such. Herein, Dear Reader, you’ll find some musings, music, videos, playlists, and links to explore. Many lovely artists and friends appear here, so please get cozy with a cuppa and follow those links out to their work as well. This is in a sort-of chronological order from the beginning of the year (but not really!)…
Thanks for joining me on the ride!
I released my Prairie Song—inspired by the stunning reclaimed Prairie Land at Memorial Park in Houston. Visit the Prairie Song project page, here. I also (finally!) finished my North Wind piece based on a children’s book by George MacDonald — the song is not released yet! And ,any thanks to Don Gunn for polishing my mixes.
Morning light: gold and yellow and blue…
Wild nature in the big city…
Choreographer Toni Valle and guitarist and composer George Heathco launched their dance and music project, Testamony: Seen and Heard. I contriuted some singing and voice work to George’s score. Looking forward to the next iteration of this project!
In April, I sang one of my new pieces, The Morrigan Project with harpist extraordinaire, Caitlin Mehrtens in concert with Rhapsode / Loops38. Lots of goodies plus videos et cetera of that project here!
Excerpt from The Morrigan Project.
For All Hallow’s even I released a Misha Micro Opera, inspired by Emily Dickinson’s I Could Not Stop for Death… with more loveliness for our autumn city prairie lands….
At the zero hour of 2024, I wrapped a shoot with Neil Ellis Orts that will be a new experimental dance and music film entitled, Credo, and inspired Neil’s poetry, a silver umbrella, and by the glorious tenacity of nature in our big city of glass and concrete and steel…
Neil Ellis Orts with brolly on top of the land bridges at Memorial Park, Houston!
I added vocals to Patrick Smith’s beautiful guitar track, Forgive Me. Partake of this work at his Bandcamp page here.
I was Visiting Artist at University of Houston’s Dance Department with professor and choreographer, Toni Valle’s students. I was also a visiting artist at Lone Star Cy Fair’s Music department with composer B.P. Herrington’s students.
I was a guest on Thorn Coyle’s podcast Magic, Creativity, and Life — listen here and find Thorn’s extensive work as a writer of fiction and nonfiction on their website . My track Earthshine appeared on a Make Weird Music June playlist—check that out here with all the other wondrous music-makers! I had a lovely interview with Angela Tyler of Muddy Paw PR—Angela and team are a wonder in the work they do with indie musicians.
I continued intermittent coaching with Trey Gunn—rock icon, music maven, touch, and inspiration guru. Oh! I joined the Recording Academy and have voted in the Grammy process as well as becoming a mentor for Grammy U.
Our big house renovation began in June and we are moving back into Beauchamp Ranch in January—with a giant and gorgeous upstairs new studio space! The Astros’ Orbit visited us on Valentine’s Day!
I spent my birthday with my Soul Mate in one of my favorite places on planet earth, Tofino, British Columbia on the Pacific Rim.
Glorious Chesterman Beach, Tofino British Columbia….
I popped over New Orleans in the early part of the year and hung out with my big brother, the guitarist, Mark Penton (I also did a fab photoshoot of him, which was actually a super-cool gift I gave myself, too):
Mark Penton, the big brother and arguably the inspo for most of my everything.
My upcoming goings-on include my Hymn to Apollo project inspired by the Homeric Hymn and my visit to his temple in Turkey—expect the first track around the January 2025 full moon. My live projects in 2025 include appearances with The Rhapsode Guild, and a month-long music and sound installation with live performances at Sawyer Yards Arts Complex.
Happy 2025, y’all!