One of my greatest pleasures of late is doing more gigs with the band. THE BAND, meaning my friends and fellow musicians Mark Robinette, Dave and Carla Eskelsen and sometimes my daughter Kate. Kate is moving to Houston next week to work for Teach For America, a fabulous Corp of college graduates selected to teach underprivileged kids in inner city schools. She graduated from the University of Utah last month, with degrees in Linguistics and International Studies. She was selected to teach English as a Second Language and will be working with 4th to 8th graders in Houston. We're excited for her, but will miss having her so close. And of course I will miss her crystalline harmonies. For Memorial Day weekend we traveled to Ephraim Utah to play for the crowd at scandinavian Heritage Days. Mark Robinette was in New York on another gig, so greg Boothe joined the band playing bass and singing harmonies. What a blast! Greg and Merlyn and I used to sing together in a group we called Beacon Hill, and it was fun to make music with him again.
Right now we are gearing up for a production of SAINTS ON THE SEAS at the Farmington Arts Center. Tom and Gael Shults and my son John will join us, as well as my Dave and niece Katie Hansen. We will be recording the music live. I think it is perfect to celebrate the first pioneers, the ones who crossed the water before they crossed the plains, for the Pioneer Holiday. If you are saving gas and not heading out for the holiday come join us. The details are :
July 23, 24 and 25
8:00 pm
Farmington Arts Center, 120 S. Main Street Farmington, UT
tickets are $8 in advance or $10 at the door
Have a great summer, and I hope to see you at one of the shows!
Love,
Cori
February 20, 2008
Hello Friends~
Please forgive the long absence from the chat room. My mother became very ill last Fall and we rallied to her in the crisis. She is doing much better now and we are grateful. We had a wonderful season of Holiday performances, lots of them with the Band. The Band, by the way, is a group of some of my dearest friends: Dave and Carla Eskelsen (songwriters and musicians extraordinaire) Mark Robinette (swingin' bass player and master of all things musical, also happens to be one of my favorite human beings), and my own Kate Connors, back from a mission in Hong Kong and singing like an angel (she graduates from the U of U this May). When we're REALLY lucky we get Michael Huff to play with us, fattening up the music with his powerful piano work. This group makes me sing better than I am usually able, they make the music floating through the songs so sweet. I have convinced all of them to join me in my new undertaking.
The new undertaking, if all goes as planned, is a NEW CHRISTMAS ALBUM set to be finished for this coming winter. I am trying to squeeze a couple songs out of my brain for that project, but most of it will be my interpretation of favorite Christmas standards and some very old and very beautiful tunes from across the sea. I'm excited to start recording next month. If you have a favorite holiday tune that you think fits my style, please email it to me for consideration at cori@coriconnors.com.
On the home front all is peaceful and good. Dave was sworn in as a state district court judge on January 3rd. It is an honor for him to have been selected by the Governor and given the vote of confidence from the Senate, and Dave is very well suited for this job. He looks rather regal in his robes. I'll post a picture of him when I get one. On Valentines Day he was asked to perform two marriages in his courtroom. I asked him if he'd like me to come with my guitar and sing a love song. I tried to convince him we could have a full service wedding ceremony business, but he didn't agree. I did, however, make some Valentines sugar cookies for him to hand out after the ceremonies. I fear he thinks I am a bit irreverent for the bench!
 Last week my brother John Hansen finally released one of my favorite recordings on CD, The Path of Least Resistance. My brother was my first inspiration to play guitar, my first example in writing songs, my strongest supporter in recording my own tunes. He produced my album OUT OF THE BLUE (which, by the way, will soon be available for download on iTunes). You can order John's album right here on my website. You will not find better flat picking guitar work and I love his whole collection of songs.
I am also very excited to be teaching guitar lessons with my son John Connors at the Farmington Arts Center here in Farmington, Utah. It's a blast, and especially delightful for me to work alongside him. He is much better at guitar than I, but the two of us create a pretty well rounded teaching pool. I join many people who are begging Johnny to get his own album recorded. John is a great singer songwriter. He opens for me fairly often, and he steals the show! If you know him and you see him, give him a nudge to get going on the recording!
Our Dr. daughter, Sarah Petersen, is just about done with her intern year at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, MO. She's loving her practice, hating being away from her two darling kids the 80-100 hours a week that being a medical resident requires, and she is grateful for a husband who is willing to take care of the kids and hold down the fort during this intense time in her career. Sarah shares my birthday (March 5th...she was the best birthday present I ever received, born on my 22nd Birthday!) We are all gathering at Disneyland to celebrate this year, mid March. I am so excited! We are all excited!
Our Annie graduated from BYU last April and is getting her masters degree in Speech Language Pathology at the U of U now.We love having her and her husband Jordon Merrill close by.
It's well after midnight and I'd better rest these weary bones now. I've added some pictures to my scrapbook of our family Nativity this past Christmas Eve, if you want to see the cutest Joseph and Mary and angels and shepherds in the history of family nativity events! Thanks for checking in. And thanks for listening.
All the best to you and yours.
Cori
September 28, 2007
Hello ~
With the hillsides all golden and red I'm waiting for the first snow to fall here in the valley so I can bake my traditional "first snowfall gingerbread men" with my three-year-old grand-daughter Sophie. But I am very much enjoying the temperature this day, in the low seventies. My heaven will be this temperature always! Then again, making cookies with Sophie is pretty heavenly, too. We're hanging in here are the Connors household. My mom is recovering from a pretty big scare three weeks ago when she had a perforated ulcer and they had to do emergency surgery. She is home now and between my sister, Libby and us we are blessed to keep vigil over her and bask in her strong spirit as she heals. In the hospital, for two weeks, all Mom's kids gathered around her bed, someone there 24/7 the whole stay, and the hospital staff was so great about it. We're talking 7 kids, and their spouses and kids! We had guitars going all the time, I put everyone to sleep and my brother John woke them up happily. We were able to go sing, at the request of nurses, to a bone marrow transplant recipient who had been stuck in his room for about a month. And John came with me as I performed my bi-weekly Heart and Soul gig, this time at St Joseph's Senior Care Center in SLC. The people there just LOVED John, started dancing to his tunes, one lady giggling every time he talked because I think she had a crush on him. It is a joy beyond measure to sing for people who cannot get out to the music, and I applaud Heart and Soul for their work in arranging for music to go to our brothers and sisters in those situations. (Check out their website at www.heartsoul.org.) I am looking forward to a small Holiday concert this year, a benefit for the Children's Miracle Network sponsored my Miss Farmington and Farmington City. It will be on a Monday night, a family affair with my son John opening for me and the band joining me, including my daughter Kate. The venue is rather intimate, not as large as I usually use for Holiday Concerts, so if you are interested in coming get your tickets early. You can order them at the following: http://www.farmington.utah.gov/ or call Farmington Leisure Services at 451-0953 xt. 4.
As the season moves us to close the windows and power up the old furnace be sure to cuddle with someone you love. Warm hugs to all,
Cori
November 6, 2006~
Friends~
Good times have abounded this year! We here at the Connors home have many reasons to GIVE THANKS! Mostly in regards to our kids, but also for musical and other adventures. We had two new grandkiddies welcomed this spring, one medical school graduation (our daughter Sarah is now Dr. Petersen, pediatrician), one daughter return from a mission in Hong Kong (Kate-we got to go get her!) and one wonderful wedding (our Annie married Jordon Merrill in August). I am still singing, still writing (though not as much as I should), and still enjoying sharing musical stories. I am in rehearsal with good friends Mark Robinette, Dave and Carla Eskelsen, Michael Hough and my kids John and Kate as well as the love-of-my-life David (singing the part of Joseph!)~ getting ready for the HOLIDAY CONCERT on Thanksgiving weekend. It's the 10th anniversary of Sleepy Little Town and we will celebrate in the lovely First Presbyterian Church on the corner of North Temple and C Streets in SLC, Sat. November 25 at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $7 in advance and $10 at the door. All profits from the concert will go to the JORDAN FOWERS MEMORIAL ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP FUND. Jordan was a beautiful young man who left us earlier this year very unexpectedly. This fund will support scholarships for Latino students wanting to attend BYU.
In the coming months I will be doing some house concerts on the east coast, as well as local performances here in Utah. Oh, and by the way, my song, "You Would Have Loved This" debuted on the Finnish music charts at #5 last week, recorded by international artist Tarja Turunen. It's her first single from a new Christmas Album. The world is a relatively small place indeed.
I hope you are all well and happily preparing for the blessed season ahead.
Love,
Cori
November 22, 2005~
Happy
Holidays Everyone-
The
season has rushed upon us and here we are already, preparing for the
multitude to gather in our home for Thanksgiving. We had anticipated
traveling to Sacramento for Thanksgiving dinner and a concert, but
that plan changed, so we are here at home in Utah. Dave is on his
way home from a 12 day sailing adventure with our friends the
Silvers. High seas and a contaminated water supply made
it true "high adventure" for all of them, four of them manning a
50 foot boat 900 nautical miles in the Atlantic Ocean. I
can't wait to see him!
Because
of the altered plans for this week I will not be doing a Holiday
Concert in Sacramento or in Utah. I will, however, be
singing for the Primary Children's Hospital Festival of Trees "Lights On
Ceremony" on Nov 29 at 8:30 in Salt Lake City. By the
way, my songs Heavenly Choirs
and Wise Men Seek Him Still
are both on the Festival of Trees compilation CD this year. I'll also
be singing at the Farmington Family
Christmas Sing-In on Dec 12 at the Farmington Arts Center, and
at New Sounds for Christmas
at the Wasatch Presbyterian Church on Dec 6 at 7:30. Join us at
any of these free performances. I am also still booking private
and corporate Christmas parties.
I
hope you are all well, and seeking meaningful happiness in your
lives. This has been a year of much change for us, and we move
forward with hopeful hearts and love of our Savior.
Happy Holidays,
Cori
June 8, 2005
Hi Folks~
Cori here, just trying to keep in touch. We just
finished a performance of Saints on the Seas Unplugged in Ephraim and
had so much fun we are planning to record the project in its earthy
non-orchestral form sometime this year. I'll keep you
posted. For now I am performing quite a bit at weddings and other
private parties, but here are a few events that are open to the public
and are also FREE! Hope to see you at one of them (except for the
radio interview, where I won't actually see anyone! But tune in while
you're cooking up a tasty Father's day dinner at 2 in the afternoon.)
And a Happy Father's Day to all you men folk!
All my best!
Cori
November
4, 2004
Hi Folks!
Finally! That new album
I’ve been promising to do...It’s DONE!
PONTIAC ROCKET is in the can, so to speak. Songs like Idaho Wind, and Across the Wooded Hill, Sisters and Ice Cream, and of course Pontiac Rocket, they’re all on it.
And new songs like Broken and
The King of the Burley Parade,
as well as remakes of old songs like the Old Singer Sewing Machine. It has been a BLAST making this one. Not just because I have relived my childhood
singing the songs, but because I have worked with such great musicians
as Michael Dowdle, Carla and Dave Eskelsen, Kate MacLeod, Mark
Robinette, Todd Sorensen, my own Kate Connors of the angel voice, Tom
Shults, Bob Pegritz, Theresa Ellis’ magical string arrangements and a
wonderful ensemble of stellar string musicians. In
spite of a bit of a glitch called Guillain Barre syndrome, an 18 month
stint of paralysis that left me with a hint of imperfection in my
playing ability but an increase in gratitude quotient, I am back to
sharing the music again. So COME JOIN ME
and my family for an album release holiday concert. Libby Gardner Hall
is such a beautiful place with lovely open acoustics, and we’re
planning a sort of “unplugged”, “come into
our living room and listen” sort of evening. Here are the details:
Cori Connors PontiacRocket/Holiday Concert
Saturday,
November 27, 2004
7:30 PM
Libby Gardner Hall ~ University of Utah President’s
Circle Drive
Tickets $5 in advance ~ $10 at the door
Available by calling 801-451-2831
order NOW online
Hope to see you there!
Of course, if you can’t make the concert, you can
order the CD at my website after the concert. Visit
coriconnors.com. Hope your holidays are
super!
Love and warm hugs,
Cori
November
15, 2003
A
NOTE TO MY FRIENDS
Happy
Holidays Friends!
This
is Cori (didn't-she-say-she-would-have-a-new-album-by-now?) Connors,
touching base before the holiday flurry begins. I wanted to let
you
know that I will not be doing a
Holiday Concert this Thanksgiving
weekend. My family and I are going "home" to Pittsburgh.
But plan
on it next year! Perhaps we will even have an album release
concert
outdoors this summer. I am recovering from Guillain Barre
Syndrome,
which had me down flat for a number of months. I 'm back in the
studio
after an 8 month break, and loving it! We have all the guitar tracks
done and are working our way through the rest of production. This
album will include songs like Pontiac Rocket, Idaho Wind, Across
the Wooded Hill, Sisters and
more. I've written a few new ones in the last couple months and
at
least two of them are on this project as well. Dave and I are adjusting
to the occasional "empty nest" since Annie went off to BYU.
Kate is at
Utah State. Sarah is in her second year at the U of U Med School and
her husband Dave is preparing to graduate this spring from the U.
They
delivered to us the joy of this family at the moment...our little
Timothy David Petersen! John will graduate from BYU in April as well,
and is currently making application to Law Schools. His wife
Ashley
teaches second grade and is carrying the next bundle of delight...a
little Connors girl due on Feb 1! John and I have been
performing a
bit together lately (he's a tremendous singer/songwriter!) and that's
been a BLAST! Dave is busy being husband/father/lawyer/mayor and
mechanic to seven cars that occasionally fill up our driveway!
I
am humbly aware of so many blessings. This brush with paralysis
and
struggle with nerve regrowth changes the way everything looks...the way
it feels and sounds and tastes. It has been a blessed struggle
and
gives all of us even more reason to GIVE THANKS! It means so
much to
me that you understand what I try to convey in my songwriting
and
performance. Thank you for your support and friendship.
Much
love!
Cori
April 15,
2003
Cori is now recovering from Guillian
Barre Syndrome, thus there is a delay in the recording of her new
album
and performances. Cori has a relatively mild case limited to
numbness
in her legs/feet and hands and wants you to know that it is fully recoverable and
this
healing surely must be a good incubation time for songs!
November 2002
Hello Friends,
I lit the fire tonight in our fireplace, a token of the impending
season. Snow tires are snugly fitted to the car and we're
gathering in for the winter. As the holidays approach a
mysterious mixture of joy and melancholy sifts into our Family room as
I reminisce and anticipate the years that surround us. The sweetly
honest and powerful song, "How Can I Keep From Singing"
fills my thoughts and I offer thanks for all that is...and isn't...mine.
I am blessed at the moment to be in the process of recording a new
album. Songs like Pontiac Rocket and Idaho Wind and Across the
Wooded Hill are
being polished and dressed for a release in the Spring of 2003. I love
working
with Mark Stephenson and Michael Dowdle, as well as the other musicians
whose
talents grace the songs. I'll keep you posted as the release date
approaches.
I am also preparing for my annual Holiday Concert, to be held
Thanksgiving Weekend. This year I am honored to be a part of the
TSSA/Soularium
"Up Close and Personal Concert Series". I will be joined by
musical
friends for an intimate live recording session, with a live
audience.
Come join us Saturday Nov. 30 at Soularium Studios, 870 E. N. Union
Blvd.
(7145 S.) in Salt Lake City. Show starts at 8:00 with Tom Shults
opening, and the cost is $8. It is a relatively small venue and
we recommend you order tickets in advance either through this website or through TSSA or by
calling me at 801-451-2831.
It's the time of year we start booking up the evenings for performances
and people start ordering CD's for Christmas gifts. Probably the
greatest joy of songwriting and singing, for me, is hearing from people
whose hearts beat to the same kind of drum. Thank you for your words of
encouragement and
support. It is death to a songwriter when no one will listen.
By the way, if you want to order Sleepy Little Town CD's in quantities
of ten or more, I offer a considerably substantial savings. Call
me
personally for information on that 801-451-2831.
My family is well. I try, unsuccessfully, to make my children
stop growing up and leaving me, but alas they become marvelously
independent
and loving friends. My David, now the mayor of our sleepy little town
of
Farmington, is as constant and true as ever a man could be. My mother
continues
to enrich our lives, as do our siblings and nieces and nephews.
It is surely time to pause and Give Thanks! May blessings abound
for you, and for those you love.
Cori
March 18, 2002
I have finally
figured out how to update this page. Forgive me if you've come to
chat and
there's been no new news! My Seatrek adventure was grand, and
Mark
Robinette and I still travel doing mini-versions of the Saints on the
Seas
"UNPLUGGED". It's been fun. Now it is time to move forward
with
my new project. I am gathering material and energy to begin a new
CD,
which is always exciting to me. (Only thing to compare to it is finding
out
you're pregnant!) This project will finally have songs like
Pontiac
Rocket and Idaho Wind; Across the Wooded Hill and Sisters, and many
other
songs that I really enjoy performing. Wish me luck, and keep your
ears
open for a new album this coming Fall.
The family is all
doing well. Dave is Mayoring and lawyering. Our kids are all
great.
We have one son and three daughters...John, Sarah, Kate and Annie. John
and his bride Ashley are in Provo, with John finishing up his degree in
Philosophy and Ashley teaching her own class of Second graders. I
asked
her if I could have the little crayon scribbled note on her fridge that
says
"Mrs. Connors--You are so butiful!" (Just looking for a little
positive
affirmation for my own fridge---maybe a motive to not open the
fridge!!!)
Sarah was admitted to Medical School and will start this August
(hopefully
she will chose to accept the U of U offer, then she and her husband
Dave
will be closer!) Kate has just taken her last bows as Vi Moore in
the
musical Footloose at Viewmont High. She had a powerful
solo and duet that always moved us to tears (we went to all six
performances). She is in the process of deciding where to go to
college next year. I am going to hug Annie so tightly she can
never leave! I see them
all going, and I am forced to redefine myself and I DON'T LIKE IT ONE
BIT! Annie is still full of magic, a wonderful artist and singer
who has lately proven herself to be a whiz at AP Biology. I adore all
these Connors kids!
I am performing
locally, mostly where people hire me. When the new CD is finished
we will hit the public performance trail to promote it, so check the
calendar as the
leaves change colors in Autumn. Look for an album release concert
Thanksgiving weekend.
Now it's get to
work time. I am working on two new songs and think I'll just go
let myself dance with my guitar.
Be sure to visit
again!
Love,
Cori
November 12,
2001
Hi I'm back!
England was amazing! It was grand to perform in cathedrals and
beautiful old concert halls with the symphony orchestra. We'll be
performing Saints
on the Seas in Salt Lake City on January 8th at Cottonwood
Auditorium. Tickets are available through SmithTix. The
Saints on the Seas CD is
now available here on my website - order now.
Since we got
back from England, I've been my husband Dave's campaign manager in his
bid to
be mayor of Farmington. HE WON! And now I am Lady Mayoress,
as
they call them in England.
I'm currently
preparing for a Christmas concert with Mark Robinette to be performed
at the UofU
Fine Arts Auditorium, Saturday November 24, at 8PM. Tickets for
the
concert can be ordered here too - Order now!
After the
holidays I'm hoping to begin recording the new CD, which will include
Pontiac Rocket, Idaho Wind, Across the Wooded Hill, and other
songs.
Keep in touch!
Cori
August 8,2001
Ahoy, Friends!
Well, my friend
Debbi Woods whipped up a little artistic magic and here we have this
newborn website! Thanks, Deb! The part of me that wants to be
really hip thought I should have a minimalist look, with strange hip
looking objects leading us along. But what we discovered was that
my music and I are pretty sentimental, pretty much a trip to a cozy
spot. I am just a squishy snuggly chair to curl up in, and it
would be untrue to appear as anything else! So I hope if you enjoy my
music, you'll enjoy browsing this
site. Keep and eye
on it. We'll have new news and stories and pictures and
performance calendars regularly. I am planning to record a new album
this fall, so watch for that. And be sure to sign my guestbook
before you leave! Now...it's off to England for my family and me.
I will be performing in five different cities over there. And in
the next few months I'll be in New York and California as well.
We are so excited to see the fruits of our labors the last nine
months. I have been researching journals of early Mormon
emigrants from all over Europe, and have based the songs and script of
"Saints on the Seas" on them. It is a musical tribute, written
with Kurt Bestor and Mark Robinette. I have had many a tearful moment
as I read of the hardship of this first generation of Latter-day
Saints, and many a hearty chuckle
as I read of their amazingly creative problem solving techniques.
I
love these people from my past. I am bound to my own
ancestors
who came from England and Wales and Denmark. I hope this love for
them
is evident in the pieces we have written. Be sure to log on to
seatrek2001.com and read about our adventure. The CD will be available
from their website, or from mine soon. The BBC will be recording the
Liverpool show. They have been doing a documentary on Seatrek,
and have interviewed me in Liverpool and in Salt Lake City. KSL
TV will also be doing a documentary on
it and broadcasting it at noon on October 7 on KSL channel 5 in Salt
Lake
City. This is between sessions of the LDS General
Conference.
Our daughters, Kate and Annie will be writing and photographing the
trip
for an article in the New Era magazine. That should be published
next
spring (they have a six month lead time).
Well, we are
tired just thinking about it! Our daughter Sarah will be taking
her MCAT
test while we are gone, so send your good thoughts in her direction.
And
our son John who served his mission in Wales and England a year ago, is
staying
home to work.He co-wrote one of the songs with me, and he won't even
get
to see it performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Choir! How
I
would love to squeeze him in a suitcase and bring him along to the
countries he adores!
So we're off
now! Much packing to do! Thanks for visiting, and I hope
you come again!
Cheers!
Cori
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