that kind of music:' Pitt says. "I grew
up appreciating all styles of music,
and my songs can have folk, jazz and
country sounds."
After classical piano training with
her dad, Pitt went on to private les-
sons on piano, oboe and flute. Her
interest in composing began when she
was 15, a time that found her among
peers expressing themselves with the
•
help of guitar chords at the Jewish
Community Center in Detroit.
"Songs are the-way we humans com-
municate best, and I really believe it's
a basic instinct;' says Pitt, who con-
tinued composing as a special interest
after marrying Barry Pitt and having
two children.
"All through history, songs have
been sung to deliver the message of
devotion to a higher power, of love
and longing, of nurturing and corn-
fort, of heartbreak and loss, of joy and
celebration — all giving voice to what
just can't be expressed with words
alone or instruments alone."
Pitt, a graduate of Ferndale High
School, earned a degree in music
education at Oakland University
and taught middle school. After her
children were grown, she studied
music composition at the University
of Michigan and went on to get a
master's degree at Eastern Michigan
University, where her concentration
was music literature theory.
Pitt has made three recordings:
This Beautiful Feeling was produced

by Unity Records. Wind Off the
Water and Peace of the River were
self-produced. The three are available
through www.cdbaby.com .
Pitt's choral pieces, including "I
Am of Sarah:' have been published by
Transcontinental Music Publications
and distributed by Hal Leonard.
Others are "Kumi Lach," a setting
to the Song of Solomon; "If I Take
the Wings," an adaptation of Psalm
139; and "Remember," a history of
Chanukah.
"My lyrics search for deeper val-
ues," says Pitt, a member of the Guild
of Jewish Temple Musicians and the
Nashville Songwriters Association.
"Even my work that is not Jewish
looks for spirituality"
Pitt, who teaches transcendental
meditation at a charter school to help
students reduce stress and has been
featured on the Today show to explain
the results of the program, has net-
worked to encourage the performance
of her pieces. They have been part of
services in New York, North Carolina
and California. Soon, she will have a
Web site, www.jrpitt.com .
"I am currently working on a com-
mission for Temple Emanu-El in New
York',' says Pitt, a member of Hadassah.
"I work best in the morning so I'm up
early at the piano or guitar:' ❑

See "I Am of Sarah" at 7:30 p.m. Friday,
June 9, at Temple Beth El, 7400 Telegraph,
in Bloomfield Township. (248) 851-1100.

much for patient-client privacy — but
breezes over that little detail.
The parade of Jews — Michael Ovitz, says little about Gehry's roots. The
shrink, however, does help us see how
Michael Eisner, Barry Diller and Julian
ambitious and competitive Gehry is
Schnabel (in his trademark bathrobe)
under his deceptive veneer
— that Pollack calls on to join
of easygoing rumpledness.
Sydney
Pollack
him in harmonizing about the
For all his charm and
and
Frank
architect's talent suggests that
talent,
Gehry comes off
Gehry
at
the
Gehry may feel more kinship
as
a
far
less compelling
Guggenheim
with Jews than with Judaism.
and
complex
figure than
Bilbao
in
Spain
His therapist for 35 years,
Louis
Kahn,
the
late Jewish
Milton Wexler, comments bland-
architect
profiled
a couple
ly on a range of topics — so
of years ago in his son's provocative
documentary, My Architect.
That film is superior to Sketches of
Frank Gehry on every count, even
if its subject never became a pop
culture icon. ❑

Dinner for Four

$49 99

DINNER INCLUDES:

Four Glasses of Wine (21 yrs & older)
Bread Basket • Side of Pasta
Choice of Soup or Salad
Choice of: Eggplant Parmigiana,
Whitefish Siciliana, Chicken Picante
Chicken Cremosi or Fettuccini Alfredo

Exp. 6/30/06

Announcing
our NEW
casual dining menu:

•Jeremy Char-Grilled Burger
•Grilled Chicken Sandwich
•Chipolte Barbecued Duck Quesadilla
• Grilled Salmon Salad

OUTDOOR PATIO NOW OPEN!

(248) 681-2124 • 1978 Cass Lake Rd. • Keego Harbor
Dinner: Tuesday-Saturday 5:30-10pm • Sunday 5:30-9pm
• Weekend Reservations Suggested •
Bring in this ad for a complimentary appetizer I
when you join us for dinner
Sunday - Friday

,Q11100

Sketches of Frank Gehry is scheduled to
open Friday, June 16, at the Landmark
Maple Art Theatre in Bloomfield
Township. (248) 263-2111.

.

1•11110001

*Limit one per table • Not redeemable on holidays • Expires 7/7/06

1107730

June 3 2006

49