On Friday night, the Iolani Chorus held their spring concert at St. Andrew’s Cathedral and I was at the organ console, tucked behind all those choir risers and acres of school kids. I played Pie Jesu by Andrew Lloyd Webber, John Rutter’s Requiem, and John Ireland’s Greater love hath no man  In such a position, people ask, how do you see the conductor? Traditionally, the use of mirrors has been helpful, and there is a huge one on the left side of the organ console.

But I am also grateful that the school sets up a closed circuit television screen on the other side of the console. So my view of John Alexander is pretty clear.

I have to say that I was blown over by the absolutely gorgeous tone of the Iolani Chorus in the Rutter Requiem, (and those soaring sopranos!) and it has been a pesky ear worm all weekend. I wish I had done a little better job playing the piano primo part of The Rhythm of Life (from Sweet Charity) but I am sure that people were shocked to see my name in the program as playing the piano!

Thanks to a few LCH folks who were in the audience on Friday night and for coming to hear me play.

But as for watching the conductor, I would like to share the poster which has floated around Facebook lately:

I am now here in Seattle, enjoying a few minutes of downtime in a jam-packed weekend of activities for honoring the legacy of Peter Hallock and Carl Crosier. After my Friday night concert, I did not get a chance to go back to my condo, but walked directly back to my apartment garage where my neighbor was waiting to take me to the airport. And so I in my concert clothes, including my organ shoes (!) traveled first to LAX where I met up with my son Stephen and daughter-in-law Jessica. In my next posts, I’ll tell you about my Seattle journey.