It took him a while to decide that music would be his life — that's always a scary notion, he says. "But don't ask me what else I could have been. There's nothing else I can do. I believe that everyone has talents and gifts. We all have different kinds."

He is also quick to add that "it is a great privilege to work with everyone associated with the choir and the orchestra. An army of volunteers keeps this ball rolling," he says. "None of us could do what we do without them."

He also appreciates the underlying support of the church, not only financially but in encouraging them to "dream big dreams." When it comes time to record a "Requiem," and someone says why not ask Frederica von Stade and Bryn Terfel to sing on it, "They say, 'why not!"'

So, as he takes over his new duties as choir director, those are two of his goals: keep the ball rolling along and dream big. Those — and to continue to share the power of music to comfort, to inspire, to uplift.

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E-mail: carma@desnews.com