From time to time I have written about the pipe organ project at All Saints Episcopal Church in Kapa’a, Kaua’i. Check out my post, “Good news for a change!” for photos of the instrument in huge crates. The instrument actually arrived on the island in October 2020, and because of the pandemic, there have been… Read More A pipe organ for Kaua’i
I guess you could call me a morning person. This morning I woke up about 4:00 am, read all my emails and practiced my Spanish, then I decided to drive to the church and play the organ. As you may recall, usually every Friday I record all the music for the Sunday in the week… Read More Like the old days
We’re still not having in-person services at my church job, Nu‘uanu Congregational Church, but since restrictions in Hawaii are loosening, I thought I’d better get the organ checked out since I last played it on the first Sunday in August. Everything seemed to be okay when I played on the Great, with the Swell manual… Read More Uninvited guests
I opened the newspaper this morning to the headlines, VACCINE ACCESS EXPANDS, with the good news that people in my age group are now eligible for the coronavirus vaccine. My doctor’s office called me in the early afternoon to schedule a vaccine appointment which will take place on Tuesday, just four days from now. Yippee!… Read More Good news!
Yesterday I was pleased to read this announcement on Facebook: ICYMI: We had some good news hiding in this month’s issue of the Chimes – Joey Fala has been named our new Director of Music Ministry! While Joey has been with us since last summer, we are thrilled that he is now a permanent part… Read More It’s official!
With a twinkle in his eye and joy in his heart… that’s how I remember Sam Hammond, the longtime carillonneur of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, who died at age 73 on Thursday. The notice of his death made the national news and was sent to me today, “Man who played Duke Chapel bells… Read More With a twinkle in his eye …
This morning I was contacted by Linda Borecki, the editor of In Tempo, the quarterly journal of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians. She asked if I might contribute an article in a new series called “Fiasco! The Worst Musical Debacles and Lessons Learned from Great Musicians.” Apparently she had found this blog and wrote:… Read More Fiasco!
Imagine my relief when I opened this morning’s newspaper to read the headline: “TIER 3 ON THURSDAY,” saying that Oahu residents will be able to have larger gatherings starting on Thursday, due to the drop in coronavirus cases. The latest 7-day average of new cases has remained below 50 for two weeks and under a… Read More Turning point
There was a complaint, today, on the American Guild of Organists Facebook page, about the extra amount of work it requires for an organist to play for a Zoom service compared to an in-person gathering. After almost a year with zoom church services, I finally realized that I am doing three times the work of… Read More Zoom organists
With all the recent news about the extreme winter weather over most of the United States, delivering heavy snowfall and icy conditions in places as far south as Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, we in Hawaii have to be grateful that we live in a place where our local weatherman calls it “the best weather on… Read More Cold hands, cold feet!