On October 1-2, 2011, the Lutheran Church of Honolulu’s first Abendmusiken Concerts of the 2011-2012 season featured the music of Mozart and the debut of our fortepiano to the Honolulu community. I posted a picture of our instrument on this blog where it caught the attention of the editor of Early Music America magazine, who… Read More Our fortepiano is famous (maybe and maybe not!)
Can you believe that this Sunday will be the Last Sunday in Advent?! and traditionally we in liturgical churches have focused on Mary, and the song she sung when she was visited by her cousin Elizabeth, and “the child leaped within her womb.” The text of the Magnificat is taken from Luke 1:46-55: My soul proclaims… Read More Magnificat, the Song of Mary
Today, the Third Sunday of Advent, the LCH choir sang two motets by German Lutheran composers, “Ich bin eine Stimme eines Rufers” by Melchior Vulpius (1570-1615) and “Ich taufe mit Wasser” by Andreas Raselius (1563-1602). The first motet was sung for the Offertory and was conducted by Renson Madarang, a new voice in the tenor… Read More Young conductors
The 5:00 pm Family Candlelight Eucharist on Christmas Eve will showcase musical performances by our youth, called F.R.O.G.S. (Families Revering Our God in Song), or FROGS. Years ago when Pastor Fritz Fritschel was an Assisting Pastor on the LCH staff, he always used frog puppets to help tell the Children’s Sermon. And oh, all those… Read More FROGS on Christmas Eve
Holidays are generally thought of as happy times for family and friends — but when you have experienced a death in the family, getting through the holidays can be painful and lonely. That was the thinking behind a candlelighting memorial service I played last night at Iolani School, with The Rev. Diane Martinson-Koyama, our Lutheran… Read More Comfort, comfort, ye my people
There were a bunch of people at the St. Andrew’s Priory’s choir concert last night who were beaming with pride. It was Naomi Castro’s choral directing debut in her new role as director of choral activities, a position she was hired for just two days before the school term began. For Jimmy and Olivia Castro… Read More Full circle
This Sunday, the Lutheran Church of Honolulu Choir will be singing two motets by the Spanish Renaissance composer, Francisco Guerrero (1528-1599), Canite tuba (Blow the trumpet in the new moon) and Rorate caeli desuper (Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above). In an earlier post, I wrote about Guerrero’s being a musical prodigy, but… Read More Musical jailbirds
Yesterday when I received the Lutheran Church of Honolulu’s E-News, I was really excited to see former Interim Pastor Steve Jensen’s photo with First Lady Michelle Obama. The story actually linked back to the Pacifica Synod’s story about the Wounded Warrior program, of which Pastor Steve has been a volunteer since February of this year.… Read More Wounded Warrior
When Carl Crosier retired as Cantor from the Lutheran Church of Honolulu after 38 years, he decided that his first Christmas out of church music would be spent with our family on the mainland — which meant that I would need to find a substitute organist for the Christmas services. Thankfully, my former organ student… Read More Zounds! the zimbelstern
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wU5CSjXgcWs] This organist is only ten years old and is playing Paul Manz’ “Toccata on Veni, redemptor gentium.” This coming Sunday, I’ll be playing Paul Manz’ “Toccata on Veni, redemptor gentium” (Come now, Savior of the heathen) as the postlude. We were first introduced to the works of Paul Manz by Dale Fisk, an organist… Read More Lutheran composer, Paul Manz