Album Notes

So, the dog gallups in! He grabs and chomps his squeaky toy, shakes it side-to-side like the silly yellow thing was fighting back. Whip! Grrrrr! He slings it against the wall. By accident? To get attention? Maybe. But when you do look at the toy... it's become a fine watch. OK. That's way strange. But there is something going on in this music that's hard to put in words. How does a little tune that no one worries about, like "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," become a full-on, soaring ANTHEM that makes you put down what you're reading and look at your speakers? Suddenly, here's a soundtrack for Mel Gibson playing the lead. Like some kind of magic, Julie has the abililty to tease the grandeur and emotion out of any melody, even pieces you never cared a whit about. And when the music already *has* elegance and drama, like so many Christmas tunes, look out! Julie would tell you it's the Spirit of God. And she's right. Here's a Christmas CD that God has wrought. This is music that's just perfect played quietly with a fire crackling in the fireplace. But when you turn it up, doesn't matter how good your system is, there's almost no keeping up. Resounding joy at the coming of Messiah is just HUGE in this music. In her trademark cinematic style, Julie has taken your favorite Christmas tunes and cranked the emotion knob to 10. Could well become your favorite Christmas album, the perfect background support to any glad holiday party (except that guests will stop and ask "what IS this?"). But at some point, do turn it up! With instrumentation about a mile deep, louder play will let you hear what's happening all over the concert stage. If you would like to hear God glorified in a new way, but with ancient favorite music, sign up right now. Mystic bag pipes. Thundering timpani. Lilting strings. Haunting woods. Soaring power. It's not like Christmas is boring, but WOW, will this music add to your joy! If you prefer instant electronic delivery, all of Julie's CDs are available at Apple's iTunes Music Store. About the Artist Julie Larson is a composer and orchestrator. She studied piano at the University of Texas at Austin and received her degree in music composition from the Thorton School of Music, University of Southern California at Los Angeles. She was composer-in-residence for the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra for six years and has received grants from the Texas Commission on the Arts, the Texas Composers' Forum, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Ms. Larson has composed three symphonies and pieces for a variety of chamber ensembles. For eight years, she produced, directed and scored numerous award-winning videos, including an award winner at the prestigious New York Film Festival. At present, Julie is writing music based on the melodies of traditional hymns. Her new music is cinematic in style -- movie music -- and the unsung words to the hymns are the dramatic inspiration. "My goals are simple. This music is written about the glory of God, and my desire is to glorify God with it."