I survived my “triple header” weekend with the Dueling Bach concert on Saturday night, the 9:00 am service at Waiokeola Congregational Church, and the 10:30 am service at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu! I was hoping that when I accepted gigs at THREE churches in the month of January, I could play the same music… Read More I survived the weekend!
After last night’s Dueling Bach concert for two organs was over, the videographer, Glenn Yoshida, said to me, “People kept turning their heads from side to side—I thought the audience was watching a tennis match!” Yes, the music bounced from one organ to another, just like a tennis ball (and just as fast)! We placed… Read More Bach tennis match?!
When you walk into the Lutheran Church of Honolulu on Saturday night, January 18th, for our Dueling Bach concert, you may notice that the chairs are in a slightly different configuration. With the main Beckerath organ on one end of the church, and the Beckerath continuo organ on the other, the chairs have been arranged… Read More The best seat in the house
People often inquire about my eyesight, given the knowledge that I was diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in both eyes nearly 7 years ago: wet AMD in my right eye and dry AMD in my left. Over the past seven years I have been receiving monthly injections in my right eye, which has not… Read More As blind as a bat
Our upcoming “Dueling Bach” concert is now only a week away and only today did I send off an order for gold organ shoes! You remember that this past summer I bought silver organ shoes to wear for Joey Fala’s wedding and I had them shipped directly to North Carolina, not willing to risk any… Read More The quest for gold … shoes!
Let’s see how good your memory is … (or how quickly you can search the blog!) Do you remember when, in 2013, I played the complete Great Eighteen chorales of Bach, what was given out after the concert? The dates of the concerts were August 18 and 25, 2013, which may give you a clue… Read More Sweet memories
Yesterday Jieun Kim Newland and I conducted a dry run of our Dueling Bach concert scheduled for Saturday, January 18. What is a “dry run?” Here’s one definition I found: Most believe that dry run was first used in the 1940s, referring to firearm training in the military. Before a gun is fired, the recruits… Read More Dry run
Because of the upcoming Dueling Bach concert, I planned not to take any other “gigs,” so that I could concentrate on practicing. Knowing how busy my December was, with all the music I had to learn for the six concerts I ended up playing (on three different islands), along with all the usual Christmas decorating,… Read More Desperately. Seeking. Organists!
It’s the Fifth Day of Christmas and my playtime is just about over. I am still in California with my family but will return home to Hawaii tomorrow… back to practicing for our organ duet concert on January 18, playing as an organ substitute for churches on Sundays, and teaching organ lessons. I have been… Read More Organ music on the piano, YIKES!
Yesterday I atttended the annual Iolani Christmas concert with the orchestra and chorus, an event to which the “Retirees” are special guests, with a luncheon following. I “retired” after twenty years as Chapel Organist at the school, but even now, continue to accompany the Iolani Chorus and Hokuloa Singers for their winter and spring concerts,… Read More I’m a Retiree, really?!