In the year 2000 when we performed Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, I likened it to climbing Mount Everest. With our upcoming performances of Bach’s Mass in B minor, we will have another Everest to scale. Today after church we had a Concert Committee meeting, mainly to update the members on where we are with this… Read More The ascent to Mount Everest
It’s the day before Carl’s final Bach Vespers, and guess what we’re doing? Yup, working on the printed program! This morning, Carl said to me, “I can’t believe it’s the day before and the program is not at the printers yet!” It’s not that we didn’t start it in plenty of time — Carl typed… Read More Procrastination, addiction and obsession
It’s Friday night, the beginning of a three-day weekend, and guess where the choir was tonight? At LCH, of course, where we had a dress rehearsal with orchestra for Sunday’s Bach Vespers! As I wrote in earlier posts, this is Carl’s final Bach cantata, and he made a point to thank the choir and especially… Read More Friday night Dress Rehearsal
We said ‘Aloha’ to Mike and Vicki Gorman last August when they moved to Houston where Mike got a job with the Houston Symphony as Assistant Orchestra Personnel Manager. Before moving they asked us for a recommendation on a church to join, and we suggested Christ the King Lutheran. We actually first became aware of… Read More Hello from Houston
This week, in the midst of preparing Bach organ music for the Sunday night vespers, I’ll be playing three pieces by blind organist Jean Langlais (1907-1991): Mode de ré, from the Huit Pièces Modales, op. 90; Flutes and Pasticcio from Organ Book IV. For the anthem, the choir will sing his composition, “Ubi caritas et… Read More Jean Langlais, blind organist
It’s amazing (and perhaps a little sad) to think that this Sunday’s Bach Vespers service, February 20, 2011 will be the last scheduled Bach cantata (BWV 111) that Carl Crosier will conduct during his tenure as Cantor of the Lutheran Church of Honolulu. It will mark the 93rd performance of a Bach cantata with orchestra,… Read More The Bach cantata legacy
Over the years, a number of LCH choristers have been called to ministry. I think specifically about soprano Diane Rose (who was in fact a classmate of mine at the University of Southern California in music) and tenor David Amidon who attended the University of Hawaii. They met in the LCH choir, were married the same year… Read More Called to ministry . . . out of the choir
So many people came up to me today at church to comment on our Young Organists Concert last night—both those who attended as well as those who couldn’t make it for one reason or another. I’m happy to report that we had a very good crowd — well over a hundred people — and we… Read More The learned skill of performing
We do so many things on “automatic pilot” that when you stop and think about it, what goes into a service like our upcoming Bach Vespers on February 20th takes a heap of preparation. 1. It begins usually, with Carl ordering a CD recording. Carl’s favorite group to sing the Bach cantatas is the Bach… Read More Bach Vespers: Behind the scenes
Last night was the first Thursday night choir rehearsal since New Year’s — the choir traditionally takes the month of January off from midweek rehearsals. So for the first time last night, the choir read through the music for the upcoming Bach Vespers, scheduled for Sunday, February 20th at 7:30 pm. That’s only ten days… Read More Ten days and counting . . .