I am terrible at math but I think I calculated that it has taken me 38 hours to get from Honolulu to Budapest. On Saturday afternoon at 1:00 pm, Joey Fala’s parents were gracious enough to take me to the airport and in exchange, I gave them the keys to my life: my condo, my… Read More It’s a l-o-o-o-n-g way to Budapest!
The last few days I have been preparing for my month-long sojourn in Europe which begins on Saturday, and in fact, I started packing and re-packing my suitcase about a week ago. I’m trying to take as little as possible, bearing in mind that I’ll be away from home and a washing machine for 30 days.… Read More Five countries, five currencies!
All week long, director Tim Carney was encouraging the choristers to invite their friends to the Hawaii Vocal Masterworks Festival concert on Sunday. “We lost our graphic designer which means no postcards were sent out.” I did see a number of Facebook posts about the June 25th concert from the soloists, Jennifer Lane, Naomi Castro and… Read More Sellout for Dido and Aeneas!
There will be one moment in tomorrow’s Thirteenth Annual Hawaii Vocal Masterworks Festival concert where I’ll get a chance to “shine” (either that, or be a flop!), and that is in the Benedictus movement of Haydn’s Missa brevis Sancti Joannis de Deo, nicknamed “The Little Organ Mass.” The work was written about 1775 for the Convent Church… Read More The Haydn little organ
Hey! Don’t read this post if you are going to Sunday’s Hawaii Vocal Masterworks Festival performance of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. I wouldn’t want to spoil it for you! In case you want to know what I’m talking about, you need to first know something of the story. Here’s a quick synopsis from Naxos Records: Dido,… Read More Spoiler alert!
Yesterday I thought I was drowning in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas—I was completely overwhelmed! You see, after flying home on Saturday night after 12 days in California to meet my first grandchild, I went to a choral rehearsal the very next day, where I picked up the music for next Sunday’s Hawaii Vocal Masterworks Festival… Read More Drowning in Purcell
I make no bones about it—I am not a pianist by any stretch of the imagination. You may remember that I quit taking piano lessons in eighth grade to take up the organ and I’ve never looked back. I know I’m in good company when I call myself a “washed up pianist” as I know… Read More Washed up pianist
If you happen to be in the Holyoke area of Massachusetts this weekend (an hour and a half west of Boston), perhaps you can catch Joey Fala’s concert at the United Church, Sunday, June 18 at 2:00 pm. It is the first concert he is playing post-Yale, having graduated with a Master of Music degree… Read More Destination NC via MA and HI
Wha-at?! The sound coming from the next room was unmistakably Mozart, but where it was coming from was my son’s living room, the most unlikely of places! Indeed, my daughter-in-law had researched the influence of the music of Mozart upon babies, and my son told me that my first grandson had “heard” the Mozart recordings… Read More Baby Mozart
This afternoon, I will be playing for the St. Andrew’s Priory Class of 2017 Commencement ceremony at St. Andrew’s Cathedral. I remember that it was always one of Carl Crosier’s favorite events of the year—he says it always filled him with such pride and joy. Even though he did not ever actually have a daughter… Read More Tears of happiness