— Organists and Organ Playing —

Four days to go and counting

August 17, 2011
This will be the graphic for the front cover of the bulletin. Carl has saved this picture for years in anticipation of his final service.
This will be the graphic for the front cover of the bulletin. Carl has saved this picture for years in anticipation of his final service.

There are just four days left before Carl Crosier’s final service and the countdown has begun! You’ll never guess what we’re doing? Yup, typing the final bulletin and since Friday is a holiday this week (Admissions Day in Hawaii), it means that everything has to be finished by tonight so that the church office can make the copies for Sunday. I guess we’re going to pull another all-nighter!

Over and over Carl has said to me, “I just want this to be a regular Sunday service!” yet we are doing a full-blown orchestral mass (The Lord Nelson by Haydn) and all four choirs are participating. The bulletin will be in 11×17 format, with commentary in the margins about the parts of the service. Carl has also written program notes to the music, in addition to a farewell letter to the congregation, which I will publish after it’s printed.

Just this morning Carl said, “I wish this whole thing were over, and we weren’t making such a big deal about it!” Well, Carl, it’s a little too late to change anything at this point, and we’ll just have to go through with it. As Pastor Jeff said in last Sunday’s announcements, this coming Sunday is our Cantor’s last, and things will not be brief!” But Carl did NOT ask Pastor Jeff to forego a sermon this week!

Joey Fala played a stunning concert at St. Andrew's Cathedral.
Joey Fala played a stunning concert at St. Andrew's Cathedral.

This afternoon I went to an organ recital by former student, Joey Fala, at St. Andrew’s Cathedral. Earlier in the week I had posted pictures of the PipeWorks program held at LCH in July which Joey and my other teenage organists had led. I posted them to the American Guild of Organists Region IX FaceBook page which you can view by clicking here.  I received a message from Joe Pettit, who co-led the PipeWorks program with me 8 years ago, and he and I both are just thrilled that the enthusiasm for the pipe organ has been taken up by the younger generation.