It’s New Year’s day! 1/1/11! And the Crosiers are down to the wire again on the worship booklet for tomorrow’s German Vespers. No copy shops are open today, so I think we’re going to have to find an alternative place to make the copies. And wouldn’t you know it, all this time the copy machine in the LCH church office has been broken!

I’m glad, though, that Carl decided to schedule the German Vespers on January 2nd instead of following the tradition of scheduling it on New Year’s Day itself. Remember the year that the University of Hawaii football team played in the Sugar Bowl? We had to re-schedule the German Vespers so as not to conflict with game time.

 

 

You may have noticed that we are having a guest organist, Jonathan Dimmock, for the German Vespers. We first met Jonathan through our friend, Peter Hallock, at an Association for Anglican Musicians conference in Seattle in 1992. We invited Jonathan to play a recital on the Abendmusiken series in 2006, and one of the pieces he played was Maurice Duruflé’s Missa Cum Jubilo with the Compline Choir. I remember Jonathan used about 20 memory levels on the organ (!) but he absolutely made the Beckerath organ sound French!

Here’s some information about Jonathan from his website: A graduate of Oberlin Conservatory, Yale School of Music and Yale Divinity School, he became the first American ever to hold the prestigious position of Organ Scholar of Westminster Abbey. He then went on to serve two American cathedrals, St. John the Divine in New York City, and St. Mark’s in Minneapolis. Jonathan now resides in California, serving as Organist of St. Ignatius Church (San Francisco), Organist of Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church, Organist of Congregation Sherith Israel (San Francisco), and Organist for the San Francisco Symphony. With the San Francisco Symphony he participated in the Grammy award-winning CD recording of Mahler’s Eighth Symphony (Classical Album of the year for 2009).

At the German Vespers, I will play continuo organ for the two major choral pieces, but Jonathan will play the organ for the prelude and postlude (Bach’s Dorian Toccata), in addition to playing harpsichord for the Kuhnau Magnificat and Bach Cantata No. 28. We will do another Quempas (round robin, with four soloists in the four corners of the room, accompanied alternatively by two harpsichords and two organs.) 

I’m trusting we will get the programs done in time for tomorrow’s 4:00 German Vespers!