In my last post, I told you that I was the new Membership Chair of the Hawaii Chapter American Guild of Organists, and that I was working on the membership directory. I am happy to report that our chapter will have gained several new members as a result of the post.
One of our new members is Jieun Kim Newland, an organist who graduated from Yale University with a master’s degree in organ performance in 2005. It just so happens her unusual name happened to pop up in my Facebook feed and I friended her. Her application listed a Colorado address, but also indicated that she was a dual member with the Hawaii Chapter.
Here’s what I found out about her online (at the time she was living in the Seattle area. Later she moved to Colorado.)
Jieun Kim Newland, a native of the Republic of Korea, earned her Master’s degree in organ performance from Yale University Institute Sacred of Music. She studied organ with Thomas Murray, organ improvisation with Jeffrey Brillhart, and harpsichord with Richard Rephann. Jieun served Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral in Kansas City, MO as an organ scholar and assisted Canon John Schaefer. She served as choirmaster and organist at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church during her years in Yale. In July 2007, Jieun’s husband Ben accepted a call to serve as Rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Puyallup. Ben and Jieun moved to Pacific Northwest after Jieun’s graduation. She is currently serving as Director of Music Ministries/Organist at Mercer Island Presbyterian Church. Ben and Jieun both enjoy their life in Pacific Northwest. They are owned by two feline agitators, Buxtehude & Widor.
Well, she and her husband Ben, moved to Honolulu as of yesterday (without pets) and today I took her around to several churches to see their organs, a mini-organ crawl you might call it. Tomorrow we’ll visit even more churches to see their organs. She and her husband will be housesitting for me while I am in Italy for the next two weeks. Ben will be serving as Episcopal Chaplain at Fort Shafter during their time in Hawaii.
And guess what, Jieun will be substituting at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu for the next two Sundays! That’s what happens when a new organist moves to town—she is immediately put to work!
Welcome, Jieun and Ben!
Aloha Kathy. I just wanted to tell you that you are a great ambassador for the AGO Hawaii Chapter. Kudos and Mahalo to you.
Thank you, Gary!
[…] Last Sunday, I was privileged to be a guest in the home of Mark Russell, owner and builder of what my late husband used to call “the finest harpsichord in Honolulu.” It was a chance to show off the instrument to Jieun and Ben Newland, newcomers to Hawaii. You may remember that she was the harpsichordist who played in last weekend’s Purcell concert, and that I wrote a post about her called “A new organist in town!” […]