— Organists and Organ Playing —

Charter members of HVAE reunite

June 20, 2016

 

Last weekend’s concert at the Mystic Rose Oratory marked the 13th annual Hawaii Masterworks Festival, and completed the 24th season of the Hawaii Vocal Arts Ensemble. You may not know that the HVAE was actually co-founded by three people: David Kayner, Carl Crosier and Tim Carney and the group made its debut with a Big Island tour.

Some time ago, Betsy McCreary sent me this photo of the original Hawaii Vocal Arts Ensemble, and I had to look high and low to find it — but here it is!

The original Hawaii Vocal Arts Ensemble, 1992
The original Hawaii Vocal Arts Ensemble, 1992

Yes! That’s me in the front row, in the red dress. I was conscripted as a singing member, even though I certainly don’t think of myself as a singer. Carl Crosier and Tim Carney are mostly hidden on the far right, back row. Other people I can identify in the back row, from left to right, are Mark Wong, David Kayner, (I don’t know the next two men), Paul Schwind, Paul Beck in the middle, Guy Merola, George MacDonald and Tod Bowermaster. In the front row, I think it’s Debbie Kelsey, Gloria Moore (now Faltstrom), myself, Vicki Gorman, Betsy McCreary, Robin ? (forgot her last name), then Ella Edwards, Nola Nahulu, and I don’t know the woman on the far right.

Ella Edwards, Betsy McCreary and Gloria Faltstrom, three charter members of HVAE.
Ella Edwards, Betsy McCreary and Gloria Faltstrom, three charter members of HVAE.

So at Sunday’s concert, when Ella Edwards was visiting from South Carolina, she, Betsy McCreary and Gloria Faltstrom took the photo shown at the left, reuniting HVAE charter members.

Here is a letter from Tim Carney, director, about this weekend’s concerts:

Thank you for a beautiful pair of concerts this weekend. What a wonderful preview of the music we will sing in Ireland in just a couple of weeks!
 
Thank you for singing to the lovely Ella Edwards, who sang and served on the HVAE board in the early years, and who was so touched by your singing of Sanoe to her.  In one of our early concerts, before we had a stage manager or any volunteers, Ella came out on stage before anyone else, and asked back to the wings “Is this Sanoe?” We teased her about it forever, right up until yesterday.
 
The concerts this weekend were a high point of our Festivals. You sang so sensitively and musically, and with a beautiful tone and sense of pitch. The three “Ireland-only” choruses were terrific on Sunday afternoon.  By observing Fauré’s markings so faithfully, we created a very special experience for everyone. It was a joy to be able to shape the performance and not worry about technical problems with the chorus, and I look forward to those kinds of performances across Ireland, where the technical issues are solved, and we can project all the beauty of the music.

I’m looking forward to performing this music again in Ireland!

The organ at Christchurch Cathedral, Dublin
The organ at Christchurch Cathedral, Dublin