From time to time I have written about the pipe organ project at All Saints Episcopal Church in Kapa’a, Kaua’i. Check out my post, “Good news for a change!” for photos of the instrument in huge crates. The instrument actually arrived on the island in October 2020, and because of the pandemic, there have been the inevitable delays. I’m happy now to report that the organ is becoming more and more a reality, with the dedication concert with Adam Pajan tentatively scheduled for May 2021. Shane Morris Wise is the organ consultant.

This coming Monday, March 15 at 6:00 pm HST, there will be a Zoom presentation with organbuilder Manuel Rosales, under the sponsorship of the Kauai Chorale. It is the first in the Mele Masters Series—for those of you who don’t know Hawaiian, a mele is a chant, song, or poem. The Mele Masters Series is an online series of presentations and performances featuring professional musicians and educators. The series will debut on March 15, 2021. All events are free to the public, suitable for all audiences, and will be available online via Zoom. Registration is required and you must register for each session you wish to attend. 

Here is a description of the presentation: Manuel Rosales, the co-founder of Rosales Pipe Organ Services, is an expert in the restoration of historic organs. He oversaw the recent transformation of the organ at All Saints Episcopal Church, the only pipe organ on Kaua’i and a gift from Mrs. S. W. Wilcox in 1925. This exceptional instrument has been reimagined and refitted to include unique features such as both Hawaiian and English nomenclature, and Hawaiian sounds such as conch shell and ukulele. Tune in to learn more about the beauty and significance of this special instrument and about the artistry of organ restoration. 

Wow—talk about unique! “Hawaiian sounds such as conch shell and ukulele” on an organ?! Hawaiian nomenclature on the stop knobs?

If you wish to join the Zoom presentation on Monday, March 15 at 6:00 pm HST, please register here. In case you are not available at that time, I believe that the session will be recorded and archived, and I’ll pass along that information as it becomes available.

FUN FACT: It was Manuel Rosales who took my photo along with the world-class organist, Catharine Crozier, in Portland, OR. When I married Carl Crosier in 1977, I knew there was bound to be some confusion between us, but believe me, I am in NO WAY in her league of exceptional organists, with her many fine recordings and concerts. She was married to her teacher, Harold Gleason, author of the organists’ “Bible”: Method of Organ Playing. When finally I met her in person in Portland, OR where she had gone to retire, Manuel Rosales was gracious enough to take our picture. I was telling her that people would come to my concerts saying, “I’ve heard your recordings,” or “I heard you play on the radio,” when of course, it was SHE, the famous Catharine Crozier whom they heard. When we met, she was exceptionally gracious to me, and told me that people had come to her concerts, thinking it was ME!

Catharine Crozier died on September 19, 2003, only a couple months after this photo was taken.