Author: Stacy Horn

I keep putting off my feelings about trying Khalid Sheik Mohammed in New York. I’ve already said that I want the trial here in New York City.

I’m going to take a lazy way out. Andrew Cohen’s arguments in The Atlantic sum up my feelings best. Some favorite snippets:

“Aren’t you willing to set aside your rage at his treatment for the diplomatic and political benefits America will receive from giving the guy an open trial? Don’t you think that treating Mohammed and his colleagues like common criminals is precisely the right message to send to the world about terrorism and al-Qaeda? Don’t you think it hurts their cause to be considered murderers and not jihadist soldiers?”

“Have you taken the time to look at the track record that federal prosecutors have in successfully trying terror suspects in New York? Can you name a single case where the feds lost a major terror trial since September 11, 2001? Can you name one from before the terrible events that day? Is Tim McVeigh walking around Buffalo today? Is Terry Nichols walking around Kansas? Is Ramzi Youssef back in Brooklyn or Zacarias Moussaoui out on an airfield trying to fly planes in Minnesota? Have you heard from Jose Padilla or Richard Reid lately?”

“Are you worried that Mohammed will try to turn his trial into political theatre? So what? The world already has heard what he and his al-Qaeda pals think of America. The world already has seen the photos from Abu Ghraib. The world knows about waterboarding. It’s old news. Mohammed is just a man, and soon he’ll be a defendant, and then he’ll be a ranting, shrieking crazy person in court, then he’ll be convicted and then he’ll be sentenced.”

Bottom line and these are my words: I want the opportunity to bring our case and all our evidence against him in open court. A public demonstration of the very thing we fight for – our system of justice and freedom. We say our way is the best and the most fair and here’s our chance to show it.

From our holiday performance tonight. I stood in the first line right behind the orchestra and I was able to sneak in a few shots at the end. Doesn’t this look like a glorious thing to do? Oh I wish you all could have heard it. This is one of the better things humanity can do.  Yay us!

Thank you Grace Church!  (And thank you James Renwick for designing this place.) (And while I’m at it, thank you, composers! And orchestra and John and fellow singers!)

Out on my walk today. These really doesn’t convey how loud it was.

I found the picture I took last year of that same corner where they’re selling trees. Quite the difference. SNOW!

I realized something last night about choir. Performances are fun and exciting and I love singing with the orchestra, but the best part about singing with the choir turns out to be the weekly rehearsals.

I feel more like I’m singing with people at the rehearsals. I can’t hear myself or the people next to me at the dress rehearsal and performances, I guess because we’re so close to the orchestra. I can hear the people behind me, and I have a lovely soprano singing behind me so that’s nice, but I don’t get that feeling of making music together with all these people. This is not a complaint. I love the performances too, for different reasons. I just realized I like the regular rehearsals more.

Oh wait, I do get that feeling in the pieces where we sing a capella, and during the carols.

Oh and the orchestra with the Bernstein is amazing. It’s a very festive, twinkling, sparkling, sound.

I was trying to get creative in this shot.

It was not a success.  This is a Santa standing up in front of a bunch of Christmas trees for sale.  In fact, I think I took a picture of the same Santa from last year.  I should see if I still have it.

I was going for a “Santa in the urban wilds of New York City” thing.

Tonight we rehearse with the orchestra!!  Woohoo. Very exciting.

John, our conductor, has me standing behind the timpani again this year. He is definitely trying to tell me something.

What I can’t wait for is to hear the quartet at the beginning of the Mendelssohn we’re doing.  We haven’t heard that sung yet, and it’s a beautiful piece of music.