After last night’s Dueling Bach concert for two organs was over, the videographer, Glenn Yoshida, said to me, “People kept turning their heads from side to side—I thought the audience was watching a tennis match!” Yes, the music bounced from one organ to another, just like a tennis ball (and just as fast)!

We placed the continuo organ right up against the bottom of the steps near the Board Room, so that Jieun Kim Newland and I were effectively about 60’ away from each other. I played the little organ on the first half of the program while Jieun was on the big organ, then we switched places at the interval.

If you would like to see a PDF of the program, you can click here.

How did you stay together?
People marveled at our rhythmic precision despite being so physically far apart, but the truth is, when we started working on this concert almost a year ago, I asked music director, Scott Fikse, if we could move the continuo organ from its original position near the Board Room to the other side of the room near the big organ—while we took many months to learn the music, rehearsing every one to two weeks, then every single day in the last week.

As time moved on, and as we became more and more comfortable with the music, we gradually moved the little organ farther and farther away for our practice sessions.

In the last week of practice, Jieun and I did several days of s-l-o-w practice, almost half the normal tempo. She and I felt really good about these sessions, in that they allowed us to listen to the smallest articulations and hear subtleties in the music which we hadn’t heard before. But when we played the music up to tempo, I can’t tell you how many times I “fell apart,” and had to stop! I was really beginning to worry whether the performance would be up to my standards.

This week was anything but simple, given that the original arrangements I had made for housing the two organbuilders from Germany, Hans-Ulrich Erbslöh and Bernd Becker, fell through and I had to find alternative housing and transportation. Luckily, the mother of a former student agreed to take Hans, who borrowed a car from a parishioner at St. Christopher’s; and I hosted Bernd. It still meant some chauffeuring on my part, though.

This also was the week that the little organ from my condo got shipped to Maui to its new owner.

And, like most weeks immediately before a concert, I was plagued with insomnia. However I actually think it helped to put me on edge and forced me to concentrate.

You know what saved me? The day before the concert, I got an earworm stuck in my head, the peaceful and serene music of the Largo from the “Concerto in D minor, BWV 1043” which was the second piece on our program. That really calmed me down and I was able to play the concert with confidence, and about 99% accuracy.

We decided to speak to the audience, so I did the welcome, introduced ourselves, and told everyone where to find the restrooms, and the obligatory “no flash photography and please silence your electronic devices” schtick— because I’m afraid that Bach didn’t plan on having your ringtone as part of his music! (Jieun says I should put that on a T-Shirt!) I also explained that the offering would benefit the American Guild of Organists.

Jieun had agreed to do some closing remarks, some of which were a complete surprise to me, as you will read below:

“We have just one more piece for you this evening, but before we get to it I’d like to take a moment to say thank you.

Thank you first to all of you for coming for tonight’s concert and supporting live, classical, and organ music here on our island home.

Second, thank you to the AGO for its work in promoting, sustaining, and promoting organ music and organists now and in the future. I’ll remind you that there is a donation basket at the back of the room for your offerings to continue the work of the AGO.

Finally, thank you to my dear friend Kathy Crosier. When my husband and I arrived here almost three years ago now, Kathy picked me up from our hotel before I’d been on the ground 24 hours and showed me all around the organs and churches of Oahu. She even found me a place to play that very first Sunday in this very church. She’s been a constant friend and partner in music and this concert is an expression of that. 

Again, thank you for coming! Don’t forget to leave your donations and pick up a small bag of Dueling Bach M&Ms after the concert. And, if you can stay to help us rearrange the chairs, we would appreciate it” 

We greeted people in the courtyard afterwards and received many words of congratulations, as well as these written emails.

It was such a treat. Loved the interplay between the organs (just the pedals from Big Organ at times was fabulous), and the wonderful sound texture. We were all marveling at how in the world you stayed together so incredibly well. And even the zimbelstern.  It was really incredibly enjoyable, and so impressive. I have no idea how anyone can play a four-part fugue and never will understand that particular talent.  And your outfits were perfect, gold shoes included! Hope you get some downtime at some point to enjoy your latest success! (A.M.)

Thanks for the lovely, lovely evening.  The music was elegant, and beautifully, sensitively played.  The organs sounded better than ever!  I read in the program that you even brought the v.Beck. guys from Germany to give them a fresh lift.  I hope you got the quality of recording you were after.  Might you produce a CD for release? and, m&m’s too.  Sadly, I just ate the last one.a really memorable concert.  Thanks, again. (C.L.)

And did you know that a 5-month-old baby was in the audience? Nope, I never heard her but saw her after the concert. She must have been mesmerized by Bach!