My family’s group has been in need of new recordings for quite awhile, and I’m happy to say that a Christmas album should be out by the end of this year. “What Can I Give Him?” will contain hymns like “Silent Night” and “Child in the Manger,” as well as more upbeat songs like “Rejoice with Exceeding Great Joy” and a humorous rendition of “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” As of today, I need to meet with Dad to hear his critique before entering the mastering phase… and record an instrumental part by my mom that I completely forgot about. Sorry, Mom!

My next planned musical foray will be “Ganneldor of the Greenwood,” a story album inspired by the world of the Lord of the Rings. (No, I had no intention of making an album… it just sort of happened in my spare time. 😂) If all goes well it should be released in 2023.

However… All eleven songs will be premiered live at the 9th International Conference on J.R.R. Tolkien’s Invented Languages, to be held in Kraków, Poland August 6th. Although in-person registration is closed, registration for the Onatsie [online day through Zoom] is available until August 3rd by emailing Beregond through www.omentielva.com. School-age children and students attend free, while adults can register as “non-attending” for 135 Polish zloty, or approximately 29.09 US dollars.

Although I will be joining from my home in the US, I am sure it will be a lovely time and provide a window into the amount of work that is still being poured into the languages Tolkien left behind.