In the last few days, the buzz in the local media has been full of stories about the Symphony Exploratory Committee — a group of business professionals dedicated to the belief that having symphonic music in Hawaii is critical to its artistic and economic vitality. Just yesterday, it was announced that the SEC has… Read More Bach Chamber Orchestra
This coming Sunday is Palm Sunday (Sunday of the Passion), and the service begins outside in the courtyard. The choir will sing a setting of “Hosanna to the son of David,” (this year by Hutchings) and I’m always amazed at how resonant they sound outdoors. Then the whole congregation will walk around the outside of… Read More Palm Sunday Parade
Tomorrow, April 12th at 10:00 am, host Gene Schiller will have two guests in the studio: Ian Capps, host of Hawaii Public Radio’s The Early Muse, and Carl Crosier, cantor of the Lutheran Church of Honolulu, during HPR’s semi-annual fund drive. You’ll hear Carl and Ian pitching LCH’s upcoming performance of Bach’s Mass in B Minor, and they… Read More LCH and Public Radio
I can hardly believe that tomorrow is the last Sunday in Lent and next week is already Palm Sunday! During the Sundays in Lent, instead of an opening hymn accompanied by the organ, we have been using processional introits based on Gregorian melodies, interspersed with handbell peals written by Carl Crosier. LCH’s five octaves of… Read More Petit and Fritsen handbells
Carl is starting to clean out his office and came across an old letter. It was written by Lois Pemble of Winchester, Kentucky and dated December 23, 2003, a year after the Lutheran Church of Honolulu had purchased the harpsichord made by her brother, Floyd Cammack. In the letter she enclosed a note by Robbie… Read More The Cammack harpsichord
This Sunday, April 10th, the LCH Choir will be singing “Out of the deep” by English Renaissance composer, Thomas Morley (1557-1602) which will feature Carl Crosier singing an extended countertenor solo. A countertenor is a man who uses his head voice (falsetto) to sing notes in the alto range. Some men are natural baritones while… Read More The art of the countertenor
We bought a new computer last week — but for anyone who has gone through this “process,” you know that we’re in a period of transition. It’s a little like moving — first of all there’s all the sorting — determining what you don’t need anymore. Then there’s the packing into boxes, then the actual… Read More Moving right along
was the title of a piece I wrote for the church newsletter a few weeks before our performance of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion in the year 2000. At that time, I wrote: “The St. Matthew Passion performances are quite possibly the most ambitious undertaking ever planned at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu.” Presenting the Mass in… Read More It takes a congregation . . .
Today’s music — both morning and afternoon — was spiritual in so many ways. The morning was full of wrenching emotions beginning with Georgine Stark‘s unforgettable rendition of He’s got the whole world in his hands, and three spirituals marvelously sung by the choir: I’ve just come from the fountain, There is a balm in… Read More Spiritual Sunday
Tonight Carl and I attended the Crescendo! fundraiser for the Hawaii Vocal Arts Ensemble, honoring Gloria Moore Faltstrom. Gloria was Carl’s immediate predecessor as organist of the Lutheran Church of Honolulu, but then became organist of Waiokeola Congregational Church where she remained for 26 years before retiring in 2005. It was 19 years ago that… Read More Crescendo! honoring Gloria Moore Faltstrom