We all know that death and taxes are inevitable, but when we hear of the sudden deaths of celebrities or of people we know, it seems all the more shocking. This morning when I checked my Facebook notifications, I was taken aback by the news of organist Jane Parker-Smith. From her website, her bio reads:… Read More Sudden death
There was a time when the initials WMD meant “Weapons of Mass Destruction.” Those three initials were in the minds of those who lived during the Gulf War with Iraq, March 20, 2003 – December 18, 2011. The United States was at war because officials believed Saddam Hussein was developing Weapons of Mass Destruction or… Read More WMD
When I was in college, I had “socially distant” organ lessons with my teacher, although of course, that term was completely unknown in 1968. It was at the University of Southern California in the “prehistoric” days when my lessons took place in Bovard Auditorium and the organ console was down in front of the stage.… Read More Socially distant organ lessons
The last I heard from Daniel J. Werning, former organist/choirmaster of St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church, was that after the death of his wife, Terry, he met a woman in Thailand and moved there to retire. Here is a picture of them on his Facebook page: According to his Facebook page, Dan has master’s degrees in… Read More A retirement project
A few days ago, I got really excited when I was working the daily crossword puzzle in our local newspaper. The clue was a 9-letter word for “Choir accompanists.” Easy! Yet, in addition to being merely “Choir accompanists,” organists can also be teachers or recitalists, or chamber musicians who play with other instrumentalists or vocalists.… Read More The organist as commentator
Te amo, tutu! (I love you, grandma) I asked my grandson to call me “tutu” which is “grandma” in Hawaiian. These were his last words in yesterday’s telephone call. Two and a half years ago, if I heard these words, I wouldn’t have had a clue what they meant. It was then that I decided… Read More Te amo, tutu!
I am always in awe of people who can creatively put words together to express profound ideas, especially those who can write hymn texts with a rhyming scheme. One of those persons is Carolyn Winfrey Gillette, an ordained Presbyterian minister who happened to attend Princeton Theological Seminary at the same time as my good friend,… Read More We grieve 100,000
Today Daryl Akamichi, a former organ student of mine, tagged me in some old programs he saved from the 1980s. He said he turned pages for me, and remembered attending the rehearsals and services for this performance. Looking at all of these brings to mind two words: Ancient History! Look at all the names of… Read More Ancient history
The subject of churches reopening and permitting in-person worship services has been all over the news in the last couple of days, and in Hawaii, Mayor Kirk Caldwell has said that May 23rd is the day that services may resume. In-person spiritual services will once again be allowed starting Saturday, as long as worshippers follow… Read More Churches reopening, but …
Last night I got notice that my former organ student, Christopher Lindsay, graduated magna cum laude from the University of Southern California (my alma mater)! Here’s the message from his mom, Holly: Thank you for your incredible support, wise advice, and faith that enabled Christopher to graduate today from USC. He graduated magna cum laude… Read More Where did the time go?