Every Tuesday, Carl Crosier walks to a downtown sandwich shop and orders the same tuna salad sandwich every week. But this week when he went to pay, they told him, “You’re a celebrity!” and refused to take any money! They apparently had seen the article in the newspaper. about Carl’s retirement concert.

The next day he went to a funeral and met someone who had been in the audience at one of the Bach “Mass in B Minor” concerts. He said that the beautiful music was very comforting in this time of bereavement.

One of our sopranos, Vreni Griffith, took Pastor Ray Kringel and his wife back to their hotel in Waikiki on the first night. Pastor Ray raved about the fantastic, pure tone of the sopranos, not knowing that Vreni was part of the section. When she offered to drive them the following night, they at first thought she was just someone in the audience. “You are going to go again tomorrow night?” they asked. “Well, I’d better — I’m singing in the chorus!” she answered.

 

 

 

Olivia Castro, another long-time choir member, had given out postcards to her co-workers. But it was Noe Tanigawa’s radio interview which convinced them to attend. “Wow, I didn’t know that a church choir could sound like that!”

These were some of the stories that were shared at last night’s choir rehearsal. We had given a Bach postcard to our resident manager, thinking he might be interested in what Carl was up to.  He turned around and enlarged it, and put it in the elevator lobby for everyone to see! We were then very happy to learn that several people from our building had attended the concert, maybe because they had seen the poster. In the seven years that we have lived there, this was the first time a poster of an outside event was displayed in the lobby!

We are continuing to receive notes of thanks for the B-Minor Mass:

What a spectacular performance of the Bach B minor Mass!!!  I enjoyed every darned note of it! Bravo!! (J.A.)

The Bach was tremendous, and such a tribute to the ministry of the Crosiers! (D. C.)

I wanted to thank you for the incredible pleasure I had in hearing your wonderful presentation of the B-Minor Mass. I haven’t had that depth of enjoyment from a  musical experience in many years. It was just sheer beauty from first chord to last. What a wonderful composition that is, and what a joy it was to hear it in such a fine performance. (H.R.)

You and Carl gave a great performance! (L.F.)

I want you to know how much I enjoyed the experience of being able to sing in the B Minor Mass! I gushed about the whole experience to all of my co workers and friends and plastered the youtube videos out there all over my facebook and blogs. Such an amazing weekend…I’ll never forget it. (M.T.)

Carl took his bows at the end of the concert, but gave the biggest tribute to Bach when he raised his conductor’s score, as noticed by this concertgoer:

Mahalo to YOU, Carl, and to Kathy, the marvelous chorus, and the congregation members who provided an unsurpassed dessert buffet. Your manner the entire evening was perfect, to the final raising of the score! Mahalo! (N. T.)