My friend and dissertation di­rector Frank Cooper, known to me and many others simply as “Cooper,” instigated The Project by suggesting that I offer to create a new score of Christus for the American Liszt Society 2005 Festival, which was held at the University of Nebraska. It seemed like a fine enough idea at the time. And, given my ignorance as to what exactly is involved in pre­paring a major (fourteen movement) oratorio for large orchestra, six soloists, chorus and boy choir, I eagerly dived in. After several months, and se­ve­ral tens of thousands of Dean Hipp’s dollars, I casually inquired of Cooper if, when he proposed The Project, had he had any idea as to how much time and money would be involved. Cooper blithe­ly replied, “Of course not. I never did any­thing like this before.”

    In the intervening years, Cooper has been an entertaining dinner companion, a reliable source of useful information, an inveterate writer of letters of reference, and a good friend. Thanks to him The Project survived my dark hours of doubt and indecision; thanks to him I slept two-three hours nightly for weeks on end; and thanks to him I have a much better understanding of the history of music and its relation to the other arts. Between Cooper and my late teacher Albert Fuller, I imagine most everything there was to know about the arts could be found between them. Bravo, Cooper!

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William Hipp, Dean-emeritus of the Uni­ver­sity of Miami Frost School of Music in­ves­ted significantly in The Project with the in­struc­tions to “Get it done.” According to all who would be quoted, such patronage (and it was patronage) was un­pre­ce­den­ted in the history of the school. Because of Dean Hipp’s support I was able to travel to Europe several times, order countless photographs and slides of manuscripts and 19th-century scores; I hired a swarm of undergraduate students to help input and proof the massive score (more than 400 printed pages, not including the piano reduction or parts).

    Moreover, when my coursework suffered due to the demands of The Project, Dean Hipp ran interference with the parties involved and de­flected not an inconsiderable amount of heat from my direction. He was (and still is) unfailingly polite; gracious in spirit; always willing to help; and an exceedingly kind man. It is not an over­statement to say that without Dean Hipp The Project would have never achieved fruition and the musical world be deprived of Franz Liszt’s masterpiece Christus. A thousand thanks to you Dean Hipp.

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My choral con­ducti­ng professor, Dr. Jo-Michael Scheibe was a great resource for my understanding of how choral tech­nique influenced my editorial work on Christus. Under his tutelage I learned how to distinguish between different styles of German pro­nun­ci­ation (sometimes with the aid of his dear mother), which ultimately affected the score materially. The IPA transliteration resulted directly from the understanding I gained from working with Dr. Scheibe.

    As Director of Choral Studies at the University of Miami (Prof. Scheibe is now Chair, Department of Choral and Sacred Music and Professor of Choral Music at the Un­iver­sity of Southern Ca­li­for­nia), Dr. Scheibe made numerous allowances for me due to extended trips to Europe, the cra­zy-making deadlines I had to achieve and the im­possible amount of work The Project entailed. His review of the vocal score was particularly helpful, given his experienced eye and vast knowledge of choral music. Moreover, his work as a choral editor brought a deeper level of understanding and guidance to the work I undertook. Thank you, Dr. Scheibe for all you have done on my behalf.

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Prof. Thomas Sleeper was my or­ches­tral con­ducting teacher while I pursued my second DMA from the University of Miami. Normally Prof. Sleeper didn't take non-orchestral ma­jors as conducting students, but he kind­ly made an exception in my case. Happily for The Project, Prof. Sleeper's insights into or­ches­tral writing—a honored and prolific composer in his own right—made huge impacts on how I laid out the orchestral score. He patiently answered my questions about the minutiae of notation and gave wise counsel to me in my typesetting.

    Moreover, Prof. Sleeper was an invaluable reader of the Preface. His knowledge of the his­tory of conducting as well as his wide un­der­standing of or­ches­tral instruments brought a much-needed practical eye to The Project. With­out his sage advice I fear many more mistakes would have found their way into my writing. His tireless support of me and my project during an unbelievably stressful time earned him my un­end­ing respect and thanks. As as result of my work with Prof. Sleeper, I am a better composer, arranger and musician. Thanks Thom!!