Last night, I was in the town of Laie, 32 miles from Honolulu, and nearly the farthest point away from my home in Honolulu. I was with a group of singers who will be performing this coming Saturday night, in a concert called “Cantus Germanicus: The Melting Pot of Reform and Counter-Reform” for Early Music Hawaii. Our rehearsal was in the choir room of Brigham Young University, where Dr. Erica Glenn is Director of Choral Activities. She’s the woman doing the “shaka” with the long brown hair.

If you look carefully, you can see a laptop computer on the piano. That’s where our fearless leader, Scott Fikse, was listening and FaceTiming from Seattle. Here’s another view, from my vantage point:

Joining the Early Music Hawaii Singers will be Dr. Melissa Glenn from her new post at Utah Tech University. She will be featured in the stunningly beautiful Ave rosa sine spinis by Swiss composer Ludwig Senfl, rounding out a diverse program that traces the evolution of Renaissance and Baroque polyphony in German speaking lands.

We will also welcome Clara Kim, renowned violinist, who brings fresh energy and world-class expertise to our ensemble.

Adventure and collaboration are at the heart of violinist Clara Kim’s dynamic career as a performer, chamber musician, and educator. As a performer, Clara loves connecting with audiences, people, and communities around the globe. Her significant engagements include performances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Hall, Jordan Hall, and Het Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. A passionate chamber musician, Clara was a founding member and longtime executive director of Argus for its initial decade and currently performs and leads in ensembles such as A Far Cry, Talea Ensemble, and American Composers Orchestra.

Clara holds degrees from Tufts University (English Literature), New England Conservatory, the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague, The Juilliard School, and a doctorate from the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music.

Tickets for the concert may be purchased HERE or on the Early Music Hawaii website.

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Last week was the 125th anniversary of the Lutheran Church of Honolulu, and the congregation celebrated in grand style throughout the whole week. After all, as John McCreary and Carl Crosier used to say, “Anything worth doing is worth OVERDOING!”

Monday night was a concert by the Royal Hawaiian Band, whose first bandmaster, Henry Berger, was the Lutheran Church of Honolulu’s first organist and a charter member.

I attended the Friday night debut showing of Dan Dennison’s video, “Legacies and Blessings: People, Places, and Stories.” You can see the half-hour video below, which includes excerpts of extensive interviews conducted with members, lay leaders, pastors, and music directors. Mirroring LCH’s own emphasis on music, the video is interspersed with multiple musical events, services, and celebrations, including the 50th anniversary of the church’s newly refurbished Beckerath organ. It also includes a tribute to Pastor Jeff Lilley and is dedicated to Pastor Jeff and Jean Lilley.

Sandra Wagner-Wright, retired history professor from the University of Hawaii and a former LCH chorister, wrote a book for the 100th anniversary of the church, called “For Beer and the Bible,” beginning with German businessmen arriving on the Islands, to the ups and downs of establishing of communities, the impact of the World Wars and anti-German sentiments, architecture and so much more. She spoke of the ugly and the harsh realities the sweet, the miracles, the serendipity. She gave a most interesting lecture of the church’s history, including a slide presentation. One of the slides even had my name in it, in a list of selected organists. (By the way, I was the one who typeset the 100th Anniversary book!)

I also was happy to see Pastor David and Karen Barber from the years 2000-2007. We used to celebrate my husband Carl’s birthday on September 11 and David’s a few days later.

I was also happy to see Pauline Hörmann Jacroux, granddaughter of The Rev. Arthur Hörmann, come to the event. She was my son’s first grade teacher at Aikahi Elementary School—that was 37 years ago!

You may also recall that I spent WEEKS working on the layout of the 125th anniversary publication, “Legacies and Blessings,” which is described on the church’s website as:

The 90-page book, Legacies and Blessings: Celebrating the 125th Anniversary of the Lutheran Church of Honolulu begins where For Beer and The Bible ended, the year 2000. It focuses on the people and the community of faith that is so vital to the fabric of LCH. The book is full of stories about servant leaders of our congregation and the God-given gifts they brought and shared with this community and the greater community. It illustrates how their gifts blessed others and contributed to God’s mission and ministry.

Digital copies in PDF (for viewing on your computer) or EPUB (for many e-readers) formats may be downloaded from the LCH website at www.lchwelcome.org/anniversary-book/ 

On Saturday night, there was a grand banquet, which I attended AFTER playing the Vigil Mass at St. Mark’s. Over 170 people were in attendance, which featured Nicholas Hörmann, grandson of The Rev. Arthur Hörmann, regaling us with stories from the past.

(Photos by Linda Muller)

What’s REALLY scary is that I was not only part of the 100th Anniversary at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu, I also attended the Anniversary Luau for the 75th Anniversary!

That makes me a geezer!