Merry Christmas 2009 from Pullman

2009, Pianist Paul Henning thrilled Bishop Place audience in Pullman

With his grandfather and parents proudly looking on from the front row, pianist Paul Henning entertained and thrilled the audience filling the Bishop Place Independent Living Social Room on Dec. 22, 2009, during “An Evening of Music.”

The grandson of Greg Neill, Bishop Place resident, his parents are Carolee and William Armfield of Pullman

Henning grew up in Pullman and is an alum of Washington State University and Pullman High School. He also studied at USC.

He lives in Los Angeles scoring orchestrations for films, working on orchestral arrangements, playing the piano and violin and more.

For his biographical information, visit here.

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Story from Dec. 26, 2015, below about Paul Henning. Although it says he was born in Pullman, that's not the case. He was born in Spokane. Grew up in Pullman. Link to his bio info here:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0377418/bio

Pullman-born musician helped score new Star Wars 

Staff of three kept digital record updated as John Williams created, revised

By Associated Press, Dec 26, 2015

PULLMAN — A Pullman native and Washington State University grad helped create the new Star Wars score with Academy Award-winning composer-conductor John Williams.

Paul Henning tells The Moscow-Pullman Daily News that working with Williams to create the musical score for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” was a long but gratifying experience.

It was hard to keep up with Williams, 83, who still works daily, said Henning.

Henning, who now lives in Los Angeles, was one of three people entering each handwritten note and musician’s performance direction into a laptop computer using electronic keyboards.

Williams is considered by most the best modern composer of film scores. Along with the Star Wars films, he also created the music for “Jaws,” “Superman,” “E.T.: The Extraterrestrial” and all of the Indiana Jones films.

Hearing those scores had a major influence on Henning.

“He’s a genius,” said Henning, 39. Williams is “a perfectionist and very exacting. He revises extensively.”

Williams’ initial pencil sketches of each composition undergo revisions using red ink, then in green ink. Later revisions have pieces of paper containing new material taped on older sketches.

“It’s comforting to see someone, even at his level, know that he could do better,” Henning said.

The seventh episode of Star Wars required about a year of musical work. Williams wrote more than 150 pieces of music for the movie, about half of which were used, Henning said.

After the score was worked and reworked, heavy re-editing of the film required the music to be revised to fit visual sequences. 

Director J.J. Abrams is also known as a perfectionist, Henning said.

Final work on the music was completed by Thanksgiving.

“I couldn’t tell people what I was doing in connection to the film until it was done,” he said. “Everything related to it was shrouded in secrecy.”

Henning was able to watch the pieces performed by an orchestra in Los Angeles. Williams also did much of the conducting.

He’ll be working again with Williams on scoring the upcoming film “The BFG,” which stands for Big Friendly Giant.

Henning started playing the piano at age 9 and took up the violin during his teens. He is also a composer-arranger, violinist and concertmaster for the Golden State Pops Orchestra. He continued performing as a violinist during the time he was working on Star Wars.

He returned to Pullman to visit relatives during the holidays. His first solo album, “Breaking Through,” is expected to be released next year.

 

Bishop Place at WSU Cougar Basketball

“And Leave the Driving to Us” was a slogan used by Greyhound Bus Lines. It applicable to Bishop Place’s bus, too.

During Washington State University men’s and women’s home basketball seasons, the Bishop bus treks from southeast Klemgard Street, up Stadium Way to WSU Beasley Performing Arts Coliseum so Bishop Place residents can watch and cheer on the Cougar basketball teams playing on Friel Court.

Why drive? Through all kinds of weather, the Bishop bus takes you from home at Bishop Place, has a great next to the Colsieum parking place, and takes you home after the game.

Here are photos from one of those trips -- afternoon of Dec. 13, 2009 -- when Bill Dolph drove the bus. Jack Dorman, Warren Wayenberg and his son, Rick Wayenberg, and photographer Tim Marsh were the riders. They cheered on the Cougar women’s team in a game versus the University of Portland.

No matter whether the WSU basketball teams win or lose, their fans are loyal. As Bill Dolph says, “Go, Cougs!”

River of Palouse in Pullman, December 2009

Palouse River in downtown Pullman, Wash. Partly frozen, 11 December 2009. Not partly frozen, 2 December 2009.

River of Palouse in Pullman in December 2009

Palouse River in downtown Pullman, Wash. Left: Partly frozen, 11 December 2009. Right: Not partly frozen, 2 December 2009. Hmmm, does this remind you of a song?