“A previous commitment …”

That’s what our former business partner, Peter Hallock used to call Thursday night choir rehearsals. “if you are invited to a dinner, or a party on a Thursday night, tell them you have a previous commitment.”

For years, in fact, for decades, my Thursday nights were committed to rehearsing with the church choir. (In high school, Wednesdays were choir nights, but that changed to Thursdays in college.)

However, since I “retired” at the end of 2012 my Thursday nights have been gloriously free.

So, tonight was really a big deal. I was back at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu, rehearsing with the choir for Scott Fikse‘s last service on July 31st before he leaves Hawaii to go to graduate school at the University of Washington.

I can’t believe that it’s been almost ten years since I played a Thursday night choir rehearsal here (!) but I feel honored to have been asked to play this important service.

Bach Cantata 187, Es wartet alles auf dich (Everything waits for You), will be the heart of the service, plus several a cappella anthems, a psalm setting by Peter Hallock, and of course, settings of the liturgy. I’m pleased that Scott decided to use several of my hymn harmonizations for the service, which will be played by the orchestra. I’ll also be playing “Festival Voluntary” by Flor Peeters for the postlude.

It honestly felt good to be playing Bach again, and on the Beckerath organ.

And luckily … as I told the choir tonight, I’m pretty sure I haven’t lost it yet! The big difference between my experience tonight as compared to ten years ago is that I would have to say that over half of the choir read their music from their tablets rather than from paper.