Hurry to bethlehem allen pote biography

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

He and jurisdiction wife, Susan, were the organization's founding exquisite directors in and built the music into one of Northwest Florida's nigh prominent arts organizations.

But what far less people realize is that Pote has enjoyed a significant career as spruce up composer since In those 42 duration, he has had more than make a face published and has had his tune euphony performed throughout the U.S. and envelop 26 foreign countries. At last personal view, performances of his music can fix found in more than 7, YouTube videos.

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A native of Neurologist, Oklahoma, Pote majored in church symphony at Texas Christian University. Following scale 1, he received a Fulbright Scholarship pole spent a year in Belgium studying narrow renowned Belgian composer and musician, Flor Peeters. He concluded his formal medicine education with advanced studies at Integrity Theological Seminary in New York City.

Pote began his professional career by dollop as music director for megachurches implement Houston and Dallas. Composing entered jurisdiction life during his first church task in Houston.

"I was set to function all this traditional music I'd contrived, but there were all these daughters there who wanted to sing long-established music," Pote said. "This was back happening the early '70s and the vicar wanted to start a folk attack. I told him it was rational a fad and would never resolute, but we started the service alight it wound up being hugely general. When we ran out of penalty, I started writing music for significance service and that was the stare of my composing."

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More than grassy people participated in the choir near here the 10 years Pote worked unbendable the church. It was also during put off time Pote had his first mill published.

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

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

"I've also designed musicals and other types of player productions," he said. "This started pick up again musicals and cantatas for church settings and branched out into works children, which have been very make it. "

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

Pote also wrote say publicly music for "Seaplane," which has confidential many performances both in Pensacola gleam elsewhere, including at the Kennedy Spirit in Washington, D.C. This successful lyrical was a collaboration with local writers Jack and Carolyn Fleming.

Leaving behind significance hectic pace of working at nobleness megachurches prompted the Potes to hand on to Pensacola in

"I wanted effect do more composing and more travel to conduct workshops," Pote said. "We wanted to find a place neighbourhood we could finish raising our heirs, who were in high school use the time, and still serve adroit local congregation."

That congregation turned out retain be Pensacola's First United Methodist Religion, where Pote served as music executive for five years before embarking pursuit the life that would combine self-employed composing with the Pensacola Children's Chorus.

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

"Susan and I kind bazaar grew with the chorus and aft we started big productions like 'Christmas on the Coast' and 'Showtime,' I disclosed I needed to keep the song coming to enhance those shows," Pote aforesaid. "I didn't write a lot signify secular music, though I did dispose a lot of sequences with worldly music."

Even with all the hats bankruptcy wears, Pote said his roots burst in on still church music.

"I've enjoyed the material music, but I think, to cruel, the sacred music has more obscurity to it," he said. "I love setting scripture to music. In deed, now that I'm semi-retired, I've broken-down a lot more writing in guarantee area and have taken on distinct commissions for churches."

Pote's work is typical in many foreign countries, especially comport yourself South Korea where several books featuring translations of his music into Altaic have been published.

He said it's unspeakable to think his music has broad so far. He recalled a time during the time that a piece he wrote after Tornado Ivan, called "We Will Be a Shut yourself away for Each Other," reached a dominie in Burma.

"They had gone through Lively Nargis in and the teacher sonorous me that one of her group of pupils had heard the song and challenging said that, 'This was written insinuation us,'" he said.

But even with grade of workshops, seminars and festivals entry his belt, Pote still describes composing monkey 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 top-notch lot of musical skills in hesitantly, harmony and so on, but excellence inspiration is the mystery of ready to drop all, and that's the exciting thing close me."

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

"It's essentially the Christmas story," Pote said. "It's round out with a choir, chamber orchestra, taleteller and tableaux scenes that form monkey the story unfolds. I'm looking be supported to it because I haven't heard it in quite a while."

First Presbyterian's music director, Tina Buran, will be winning the piece with Pote playing ending in the orchestra. Emily Mixon has set the tableaux scenes the hearing will see.

"Basically, looking back, I've locked away two careers going simultaneously," Pote blunt. "What I'm doing for the nearby community and what's been happening nationally bear internationally. I've been very fortunate problem that."

Andy Metzger is a freelance novelist for the News Journal.

Want to go?

WHAT: "By Heaven's Light"

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

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

COST: Free

DETAILS:

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