Have you ever gone to a place where the music was really, REALLY LOUD, and after you left, you heard a ringing in your ears?!

According to Medical News Today:

Tinnitus can be bothersome, as the sound can make hearing difficult and interrupt daily life. Tinnitus after a concert is usually temporary and should subside within a few days.

I’m afraid it happened to me tonight at the dress rehearsal for the Oahu Choral Society’s concert tomorrow night, conducted by Esther Yoo. We rehearsed John Rutter’s Gloria, scored for choir, 4 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, side drum, suspended cymbals, glockenspiel, xylophone, crash cymbal and organ (that’s me!)

Imagine all those brass and percussion instruments in the intimate acoustics of the Lutheran Church of Honolulu, and with me pulling out nearly every stop on the Beckerath organ, with at least 50+ people in the choir—if you can believe this, it is so loud that I can barely hear myself play!

No wonder my ears were ringing!

But, oh, it will be so glorious!

The program will begin with three organ settings of “In dulci jubilo” by J. S. Bach, followed by “O come, all ye faithful.” I thought to myself, why reinvent the wheel, so I’m using the Crosier setting published by GIA. I will also be using the Crosier setting of “Hark! The herald angels sing.”

The OCS will sing carols arranged by Takeo Kudo, Donald Womack, Matthew Nielsen, Timothy Takach, Dale Grotenhuis, also the “Ave Maria” by Franz Biebl and “Silent Night” — followed by the Rutter “Gloria” and the concert will end with an audience singalong, “Hallelujah Chorus.”

Here is a performance by the choirs of St. Alban’s Cathedral of the Rutter “Gloria” to whet your appetite.

Tickets are available on the OCS website.