I’ve always enjoyed vocal arranging. Growing up as student choir director in my high school and college choirs was a big influence on my appreciation for the craft of putting voices together.

Harmonizing them always came easy for me – somehow I just heard the harmonies in my head and usually what I heard, worked.

Also my teenage days were full of folk music, and the harmonies and vocal arranging of Peter, Paul and Mary, The Four Freshmen and The Beach Boys opened my mind to many refreshing possibilities.

So when I first got into the music business as a composer, I always did my own vocal arrangements, was good at it and enjoyed it immensely.

I don’t do this job anymore. I gave it up. I’m fortunate enough to live in a city surrounded by wonderful talent and into my life came someone who I’ve learned from over and over.

Watchfire Music artist, Margaret Dorn, has been one of my best friends and closest music associate for over 30 years now. I first hired her many years ago at the New York Shakespeare Festival where I was composer-in-residence to do a leading role in my rock opera, Iphigenia. She was shy, unassuming and had a lovely folk soprano voice that reflected her Texas beginnings.

For the next 3 decades we worked together on so many projects, I could not count them all. She was in my shows, musical director of my shows, arranger for my shows and slowly took over the task of all my vocal arranging. I gave it up reluctantly at first, knowing and valuing her talents and now, it’s just so easy to just call Margaret.

I’ve always said she was the most professional person I’ve ever worked with. And in over 30 years on countless productions our collaborations have always, and I mean always, had a quiet, professional grace. For this and this alone, in a business of egos and dramatic turmoil, I am eternally grateful.

I lucked out. I found Margaret Dorn and she always understood my music on a level that made it better. That was God’s gift to me – a collaboration free from the egos of this business and rooted in mutual respect.

Margaret doesn’t just work with me – hardly. Along the way she’s had the opportunity and the talent to work with the best as vocalist, vocal arranger, keyboard player and composer.

Here I have to list but a few of the people whose music she has touched. Here I quote from her bio:

“She has sung with many artists including Celine Dion, Bette Midler, Lionel Ritchie, Jennifer Lopez, Donald Fagen, Boz Scaggs, kd lang, Carly Simon, Michael McDonald, Willie Nelson, Michael Feinstein, Barry Manilow, Jessica Simpson, Koko Lee, Diana Ross, Taylor Dane, Melissa Manchester, Garth Brooks, Ronnie Spector, Lesley Gore, Roseanne Cash and The Chieftains.

Most recently she toured the US and Australia with Bette Midler. Margaret has worked with great producers (Phil Ramone, Arif Mardin, Ric Wake, Ted Templeman, Steve Tyrell) not only as a singer but also as a vocal coach, arranger and vocal producer.

A highly respected vocal arranger and contractor, Margaret’s work includes pop, rock, country, jazz, r & b, gospel, theatrical, classical and some styles that can’t be defined!

She has also arranged for Celine Dion, Lionel Ritchie, Maria Christianson and the incredible inspirational music group The Jenny Burton Experience (of which Margaret was a member and choir captain). Her songs have been recorded by Karen Carpenter, Hiromi Ota, Melba Moore and The Sweet Inspirations.”

How she ever had time for all that is beyond me, but 3 decades is a long time and when you’re hot, you’re hot. Margaret has stayed “hot” for all these years because she’s a gentle soul to work with, a total pro and supremely talented.

And now we’re starting a new project together – a project that I shall write about in future postings. We met yesterday, talked it down and generally started the juices flowing. The meeting, for me, was like falling off a log. We’ve done this so many times; we just intuit one another at this point. No worries – we just outline the work ahead and get to it.

She was here for an hour and a half, I went over the project with her, she asked a few questions, I burned her a CD, we spoke on the rest of our lives for 10 minutes and she was gone. When she had left, my wife, Julia, knowing how much ground we had to cover said, “Well, that was quick!” I answered, “That was Margaret.” Julia understood. She’s worked with her too.

Here’s a sampling of one of her talents, and also you can find some of her inspirational sheet music at Watchfire Music’s Website with more to come.

Also check out Margaret’s award-winning a capella vocal group The Accidentals on Watchfire’s site as well as The Accidental’s Website.

I love this picture of Margaret. It’s not her today, but a picture taken many years ago of the girl that I know, the partner that I love and the person who often gets me through life. She’s my nomination as Inspirational Woman of the year – or maybe of the Life.