One Lucky Boy: Growing Up & Growing Old, One Marvelous, Magical, Musical Life - A Memoir

5 Star Review

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Editorial Book Review:

By JP Klingsmann

One Lucky Boy: Growing Up & Growing Old, One Marvelous, Magical, Musical Life by Joe Fitzmartin is a heartfelt celebration of a life lived in full harmony—with passion, purpose, and profound devotion to the transformative power of music. With generosity and clarity, Fitzmartin opens the curtain on decades of work as a composer, educator, and choir director, inviting readers into the joys, trials, and triumphs that shaped both his career and his character.

Fitzmartin's writing style is conversational, eloquent, and warm. The narrative is characterized by a natural rhythm that is indicative of the cadences of his musical background. His remarkable journey is brought to life through the vivid storytelling and sharply observed moments that depict the settings, people, and performances. He consistently maintains the reader's emotional stability and engagement by striking a masterful balance between sentiment and substance, humor and insight.

The memoir centers on how music shapes identity, builds community, and uplifts the human spirit. It explores the significance of relationships formed through shared artistic endeavors, as well as themes of perseverance, mentorship, and leadership. Through his experiences with the Philadelphia Boys Choir & Chorale and beyond, Fitzmartin shows that creative expression is not just a personal passion but a service to society that transcends cultures, generations, and borders.

The emotional resonance of the book is lasting. Readers are left with a sense of hope, deep respect, and renewed inspiration. Fitzmartin's candid and vulnerable reflections offer a distinctive perspective on the emotional depth of a life dedicated to the arts. His perspective is both compelling and authentic, whether he is describing a personal turning point or a transformative performance.

This memoir is significant in that it emphasizes the extraordinary potential that arises when passion and dedication are united, and when an individual elects to construct something that transcends their own life. One Lucky Boy is not merely a compilation of accomplishments; it is a testament to the pursuit of purpose in one's life. Fitzmartin's narrative will be profoundly inspiring and touching to those who appreciate the enduring influence of music, memory, and purpose.

About the Author

Joe Fitzmartin

Founder of The Commonwealth Youthchoirs, Joe Fitzmartin has served since 2001 as Music Director (and now Director Emeritus) of The Keystone State Boychoir & The Pennsylvania Girlchoir, and with them has toured and concertized on all seven continents over 36 years.

A distinguished composer, he has written and arranged extensively for choirs and orchestras, including A Fantasy of Carols, performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra & The Philadelphia Boys Choir and Chorale, first performance at the Philadelphia Academy of Music.

Additionally, Mr. Fitzmartin’s Concert Mass, a major work for symphony orchestra and choir, made its world premiere at Carnegie Hall and has since been performed at the Sydney Opera House in Australia, in Russia by the Nizhny Novgorod Symphony and Choir, and recently by KSB and The Philadelphia Sinfonia in Marion Anderson Hall at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia.

He also won an international composition competition to write a major work for choir & concert band, based on the poetry of Hanns Dieter Hüsch, for the Kanabenkantorei Basel.