If you live in Hawaii, maybe you’ve attended concerts at the  Doris Duke Theater at the Honolulu Museum of Art. Or perhaps you’ve visited Shangri-La, Doris Duke’s home in Hawaii which is now a museum of Islamic art. Check out Wikipedia to read:

“Doris Duke (November 22, 1912 – October 28, 1993) was an American heiress, socialite, horticulturalist, art collector, and philanthropist. The daughter of a wealthy tobacco tycoon, Duke was able to fund a life of global travel and wide-ranging interests. These extended across journalism, competition surfing, jazz piano, wildlife conservation, Oriental art and Hare Krishna.

“Duke was born in New York City, the only child of tobacco and hydroelectric power tycoon James Buchanan Duke and his second wife, Nanaline Holt Inman.”

4,766 miles away from Honolulu is Durham, NC, where there is a private university which in 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James Buchanan Duke established The Duke Endowment, at which time the institution changed its name to honor his deceased father, Washington Duke… yes, that’s Duke University.

Now there will be another Duke-Hawaii connection. Guess who has been appointed Organ Scholar at Duke University—(drum roll, please): Joey Fala, my former organ student who already has a national reputation!

The Organ Scholar program at Duke was begun in 2015: “Duke Chapel has begun a new Organ Scholars program that will train organ students in sacred music. The two-year program includes instruction for two students on playing during church services and choral accompaniment. The chapel is launching the program along with a new weekly worship service, Choral Evensong, which will take place at 4 p.m. Sundays in the Divinity School’s Goodson Chapel. The two organ scholars will play at the Evensong service and be joined by the Evensong Singers, a new auditioned choir at Duke Chapel. Chapel organist Christopher Jacobson will oversee the instruction of the scholars and conduct the choir during the Evensong services.

“In adopting this proven model of training organists, the chapel is not only contributing to the future of sacred music in America,” Jacobson said, “but it is also joining in the great tradition of cathedrals and chapels around the world offering daily prayer and praise to God.”

Check out the website for information about Duke University Chapel’s organs:

Duke University Chapel is unique in having three outstanding pipe organs, each in a different style, which are used for worship services, recitals, and the study of organ performance. They are the Flentrop (Benjamin N. Duke Memorial Organ) located in the nave, the Aeolian (Kathleen McClendon Organ) located in the chancel, and the Brombaugh organ found in the Memorial Chapel. In addition, the Chapel owns a portative organ, used for accompanying small groups.

You’re right, I’m already planning a visit to North Carolina next year to visit Joey!