The Henning Ensemble in 2025 & Moving Forward, and Bliss

 What the man said while on his cell phone was, "A car just tried to run me over." What the man did while concentrating on his cell phone was, just step off the curb without regard for his personal safety. Too dumb to live? You make the call....

Porridger’s Almanack (Breakfast of Ganglions)

Your worst sin is that you have destroyed and betrayed yourself for nothing.

— Fyodor Dostoevsky

apart from my own pieces (among those listed here) in 2025 the Karl Henning Ensemble, now 32 performances strong, presented premières of Alan Westby’s Quiet Girl, Pam Marshall’s Carvoeiro Clifftop Walk, Robert Gross’ Four’s the Charm and Kevin Scott’s Min’khah: In Remembrance Shoshanna C. Winson. My auld friend, Christopher Gordon Forbes has already composed a beautiful piece for us for this season: Pillars of Creation. And another friend, here in Boston, Frank Warren, has composed his Quartet № 3, Op. 119 for us, a thoroughly charming piece. Yet another friend, Dennis Bathory-Kitsz is writing a piece for us, and both Alan Westby and Pam Marshall are working on new pieces for us.

Another big piece of 2025 news viz. the Ensemble, of course, was the welcoming of  two superb colleagues: clarinetist Todd Brunel and bassoonist Greta Rosen into the band.

Because I composed it on New Year’s Day (ten years ago today, in fact) I always recall Things Like Bliss on this day. Originally, it was one of those “well, it seemed practical instrumentation at the time” scorings: clarinet, two guitars and double-bass. “Hold my beer,” said the Universe.