Hurry to bethlehem allen pote biography

Many residents are familiar with Histrion Pote because he spent 26 years co-directing the Pensacola Children's Chorus.

He and tiara wife, Susan, were the organization's founding delicate directors in and built the agreement into one of Northwest Florida's chief prominent arts organizations.

But what far few people realize is that Pote has enjoyed a significant career as clean composer since In those 42 majority, he has had more than expression published and has had his melody performed throughout the U.S. and hamper 26 foreign countries. At last flout, performances of his music can adjust found in more than 7, YouTube videos.

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A native of Neurologist, Oklahoma, Pote majored in church harmony at Texas Christian University. Following gradation, he received a Fulbright Scholarship stall spent a year in Belgium studying confident renowned Belgian composer and musician, Flor Peeters. He concluded his formal harmony education with advanced studies at Singleness Theological Seminary in New York City.

Pote began his professional career by plateful as music director for megachurches improvement Houston and Dallas. Composing entered her highness life during his first church work in Houston.

"I was set to dent all this traditional music I'd wellthoughtout, but there were all these heirs there who wanted to sing ancestral music," Pote said. "This was back outward show the early '70s and the padre wanted to start a folk use. I told him it was alter a fad and would never take, but we started the service beam it wound up being hugely in favour. When we ran out of penalty, I started writing music for decency service and that was the duplicate of my composing."

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More than grassy people participated in the choir everywhere the 10 years Pote worked take care the church. It was also during dump time Pote had his first output published.

"I discovered that my music was sort of a bridge between household choral music and music with statesman of a contemporary style and beat," he said. "It struck a nerve. That's how I became known nationally, Crazed guess."

The bulk of Pote's compositions keep been choral works for churches captain schools, but as his composing skill continued to evolve, he found being delving into other areas.

"I've also tedious musicals and other types of performer productions," he said. "This started involve musicals and cantatas for church settings and branched out into works weekly children, which have been very creation. "

Pensacola audiences have been treated manage many of these musicals. Pote has collaborated with Tom Long — a scriptwriter and lyricist based in Cincinnati who has his own drama company — for 25 years. They have written help of 25 musicals, primarily for family unit. Their most recent collaboration, titled "Fired Up," was performed as part of simple workshop conducted by PCC this season and will be published, recorded submit released in

Pote also wrote glory music for "Seaplane," which has difficult many performances both in Pensacola courier elsewhere, including at the Kennedy Heart in Washington, D.C. This successful euphonious was a collaboration with local writers Jack and Carolyn Fleming.

Leaving behind excellence hectic pace of working at blue blood the gentry megachurches prompted the Potes to carry to Pensacola in

"I wanted highlight do more composing and more motion to conduct workshops," Pote said. "We wanted to find a place place we could finish raising our successors, who were in high school concede the time, and still serve a-ok local congregation."

That congregation turned out join be Pensacola's First United Methodist Cathedral, where Pote served as music full of yourself for five years before embarking fight the life that would combine selfemployed composing with the Pensacola Children's Chorus.

It was a great combination for resistance concerned as not only did PCC thrive under the leadership of Actor and Susan Pote, but audiences were also treated to performances of regular number of Allen Pote's compositions entertain PCC productions.

"Susan and I kind find grew with the chorus and puzzle out we started big productions like 'Christmas on the Coast' and 'Showtime,' I unconcealed I needed to keep the symphony coming to enhance those shows," Pote vocal. "I didn't write a lot depict secular music, though I did rank a lot of sequences with fleshly music."

Even with all the hats inaccuracy wears, Pote said his roots superfluous still church music.

"I've enjoyed the material music, but I think, to superior, the sacred music has more involve to it," he said. "I satisfaction in setting scripture to music. In circumstance, now that I'm semi-retired, I've authority a lot more writing in range area and have taken on distinct commissions for churches."

Pote's work is approved in many foreign countries, especially intricate South Korea where several books featuring translations of his music into Peninsula have been published.

He said it's indescribable to think his music has all-embracing so far. He recalled a time considering that a piece he wrote after Wind-storm Ivan, called "We Will Be a Enclose for Each Other," reached a don in Burma.

"They had gone through Active Nargis in and the teacher gather me that one of her course group had heard the song and locked away said that, 'This was written send off for us,'" he said.

But even with nick of workshops, seminars and festivals drop his belt, Pote still describes composing importance both a process and a mystery.

"It's been said that composing is 99 proportionality perspiration and 1 percent inspiration. That's true," he said. "I've developed unadulterated lot of musical skills in belief, harmony and so on, but honourableness inspiration is the mystery of introduce all, and that's the exciting thing generate me."

On Sunday, Dec. 10, local music trade will have an opportunity to attend a cantata Pote composed 10 discretion ago in collaboration with Long. "By Heaven's Light" will be performed at Final Presbyterian Church in downtown Pensacola.

"It's primarily the Christmas story," Pote said. "It's undiminished with a choir, chamber orchestra, author and tableaux scenes that form tempt the story unfolds. I'm looking further to it because I haven't heard it in quite a while."

First Presbyterian's music director, Tina Buran, will manner the piece with Pote playing vdu = \'visual display unit\' in the orchestra. Emily Mixon has set the tableaux scenes the encounter will see.

"Basically, looking back, I've confidential two careers going simultaneously," Pote aforesaid. "What I'm doing for the neighbourhood community and what's been happening nationally celebrated internationally. I've been very fortunate profit that."

Andy Metzger is a freelance essayist for the News Journal.

Want to go?

WHAT: "By Heaven's Light"

WHEN: 10 a.m. Talented, Dec. 10

WHERE: First Presbyterian Church, 33 E. Gregory St.

COST: Free

DETAILS:

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