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The shorter days and golden autumal light of November bring a cozy reminder to slow down and give thanks. I am grateful for my connection with you through this newsletter and for your continued support. Whether you’ve checked out a score, attended a performance, or simply read these updates, thank you for walking beside me on this journey.
Some fun things to share with you this month:
This Friday… the first Jazz Femina performance!
I say “first” because I hope it’s the first of many! I get pretty jazzed (see what I did there?) about supporting female composers. Why? Because we are still very underrepresented, especially in jazz, so I am passionate about doing what I can to balance the scales.
Come hear tunes by Dorothy Fields, Peggy Lee, Blossom Dearie, Ann Ronell, and more! Plus, the female instrumentalists in the band will perform some originals, too. All in the beautiful setting of Festive Hill Winery (West Linn, OR) with yummy food and drink.
More Upcoming Concerts
November 13, 2026
Yale/Princeton Joint Glee Club Concert
New Haven, CT
Join me in hearing the Yale Glee Club perform my piece Brave Light, which won the 2026 Yale Glee Club Emerging Composers Competition!
November 19, 2026
Live on All Classical Radio Portland 89.9fm
Sharing my Lucente Skye music on Thursdays @ Three. The show will stream live on the radio and online. Want to be in the studio audience? Tickets are FREE, but must be reserved in advance.
November 21-22, 2026
Beth Wood & Naomi LaViolette: Piano, Poetry and Song
Bend, OR & Portland, OR
I’m thrilled to team up for another lovely evening of piano, poetry, and songs with my talented friend Beth Wood at the UUFCO fellowship hall in Bend on Nov 21 and at Moreland Presbyterian Church in Portland on Nov. 22.
December 6, 12 & 13, 2026
Glory of Christmas with the Oregon Repertory Singers
First United Methodist Church, Portland, OR
PREMIERE! Please join us for a beautiful holiday concert that will include the premiere of my new jazz/gospel arrangement for SATB choir of I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day.
Thank you, choirs!
‘Tis the season for holiday concerts, and I’m always delighted when my music is included in a choir’s program and will reach new audiences. If one of these concerts is near you, I hope you’ll attend and support these choirs as they bring new music to their communities.
Night of Silence - Vox Angelis Boise State University, Boise, UT (Nov. 12)
Night of Silence & When You Sing - Portland Sage Singers, Portland, OR (Nov. 22-23)
Love is Love (The Christmas Eve Song) - Austin Gay Men’s Chorus, Austin, TX (Dec. 4-6)
Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence & Noel - Cascadian Chorale, Mercer Island & Redmond, WA (Dec. 5-6)
Winter Solstice - Musae, San Francisco & Tiburon, CA (Dec. 5-6)
Winter Solstice - Hopewell Valley Chorus, Pennington, NJ (Dec. 6)
Noel, Love is Love (The Christmas Eve Song), & I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day - Oregon Repertory Singers (Dec. 6, 12-13)
Winter Solstice - London Phoenix Choir, London, UK (Dec. 11)
Noel - TLC Community Choir, Vancouver, WA (Dec. 11)
Winter Solstice - Portland Symphonic Girlchoir, Portland, OR (Dec. 12)
Winter Solstice - Madrigalia, Rochester & Pittsford, NY (Dec. 12-13)
Yuletide Dawning (PREMIERE!) - Boston Gay Mens Chorus, Boston, MA (Dec. 18-20)
Love is Love (The Christmas Eve Song) - Chapel Choir Plymouth Congregational Church, Minneapolis, MN
Love is Love (The Christmas Eve Song) - Pacific Spirit United Church Chamber Choir, Vancouver, BC
Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence - Riverside Chorus Rogue Community College, Medford, OR
Angel in the Snow - Columbia River High School Concert Choir, Vancouver, WA
Winter Solstice - Concord Concert Choir Glencoe High School, Hillsboro, OR
Performing one of my pieces soon, and not listed here? Let me know and I will include your ensemble in the next Nay’s News!
New Lucente Skye songs
More new music with Lucente Skye, my moniker for solo piano songs! Released last month, Sahalie Falls, and coming up on November 20, Summer Thunderstorm. With gorgeous artwork by Lindsay Gilmore. Listen and pre-save:
Sahalie Falls
Summer Thunderstorm
Recent Adventures
The first consortium performances of SHE, my new piece for treble choir, began last month! I was so impressed by University of Utah’s Voci Altissime, conducted by Emily Mercado. Check out their performance:
Performing Creo by Hyo-Won Woo with the Oregon Repertory Singers last month was beyond inspiring. What a gift to take in a piece of this scale from the piano bench! Meeting Hyo-Won and sharing the stage with her made the experience even more special.
May you find joy and reflection watching the final leaves fall, turning back your clocks, welcoming winter bird migrations, marking the start of Native American Heritage Month, honoring All Saints’ Day, celebrating Samhain, remembering your loved ones on Dia de los Muertos, lighting candles, enjoying firelight, and giving your teeth an extra brushing after Halloween.
Your friend,
Naomi (Nay)