The word “aloha” can have several meanings. In Hawaii, it’s common to use the word as a greeting, meaning either ‘hello’ or ‘goodbye.’ For example, on September 1st we said ‘Aloha’ to Miguel Felipe, our new Director of Music and Liturgy, when he joined the LCH staff. In that case, ‘aloha’ means ‘welcome.’ This coming… Read More Aloha to Allen Bauchle
This Sunday at the 10:30 am service, the LCH choir will be singing two works by Thomas Tallis (1505-1585): “Blessed be the undefiled” and “If ye love me.” You can hear this last anthem as sung by the Cambridge Singers in the video embedded below. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6RgaPTo4hE&w=420&h=315] As the choir was rehearsing “If ye love… Read More Surround-sound Tallis
At last night’s Worship and Music committee meeting, we were reviewing last Sunday’s Children’s Sabbath, and the fact that one of my organ students played most of the liturgical music plus the postlude. “Another student from the Hawaii School for Organ Playing,” Miguel Felipe joked. Even though I’ve been teaching organ since 1973, it’s only… Read More Hawaii School for Organ Playing
No — it’s not the end of my career — didn’t want to scare you just yet! Today on FaceBook, a lot of my organist friends shared a link to Frederick Swann’s encore of his farewell concert at the First Congregational Church in Los Angeles, which I have embedded here: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToAwhhEOgTc] Fred Swann (b.… Read More The end of a career
Who could have known that a set of workshops on early music could be so much fun! This afternoon at LCH, Ensemble Mirable heard local performers in a set of masterclasses on ensemble, harpsichord and baroque guitar. As Mark Russell was telling one of his students, it meant that the tables were going to be… Read More Early music sound bites
Last night I gave our choir librarian, Jerome Vasconcellos, a much-belated birthday card (his birthday is in September!) and I finally am getting around to writing about another of our Valuable Volunteers (see my earlier post about Vreni Griffith). (What is this anyway, about all our volunteers having names which start with “V”?) In talking… Read More V is for Vasconcellos
This Saturday, it seems like there is a lot going on with LCH folks, namely The Rev. Phyllis (Fifi) Hormann’s installation as a chaplain at Hawaii State Hospital and LCH’s turn to man the pledge drive phones at Hawaii Public Radio during Prairie Home Companion. But right here on campus, the Lutheran Church of Honolulu… Read More Ensemble Mirable
For the last couple of weeks we have been working on music for the next Bach Vespers, which will take place on Sunday, October 30th, at 7:30 pm, the eve of Reformation. The two major choral works include Bach Cantata Nr 9, Es ist das Heil uns kommen her (Salvation has come to us) and Heinrich… Read More Reformation Bach
This Sunday, Children’s Sabbath will be celebrated at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu. According to the Children’s Defense Fund website, the National Observance of Children’s Sabbaths Celebration is “a way for faith communities to celebrate children as sacred gifts of the Divine, and provides the opportunity for houses of worship to renew and live out… Read More Children’s Sabbath 2011
At tomorrow’s 10:30 am service, the LCH choir will be singing a “chestnut,” Ralph Vaughan Williams’ exquisite O taste and see, a beautiful motet based on Psalm 34. Apparently the piece was composed for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey in 1953. There are a number of performances on YouTube, but I… Read More O taste and see