One hundred fifty years ago on Ascension Day, 1867, Queen Emma Kaleleonālani, wife of King Kamehameha IV, founded St. Andrew’s Priory School for Girls. Today’s Ascension Day service combined orchestra, band, choir, organ and congregation to celebrate the school’s founding—and the decibel level in St. Andrew’s Cathedral was so loud that when I played full… Read More How loud is loud?
From time to time, I get calls from people wanting to sell their home organs and are looking to place them in good homes—I feel like I’m finding a home for a puppy! Or they are retiring and have a lot of organ music to give away. This week, I found both situations when I met… Read More A visit with Dr. Tabrah
Perhaps no church music program had a greater influence on the late Carl Crosier than that of St. Mark’s Cathedral in Seattle, Washington. As a student at the University of Washington, he attended the weekly Compline service in the mid-60s —that was when only about 50-60 people attended, not like the hundreds of young people… Read More Living stones
Always practice in your recital outfit! I always tell my students to practice at least once in their recital outfit so they can find out whether it will impede them in any way. I wish I had taken my own advice! I learned this the hard way today when I played on the Rededication Concert… Read More I should take my own advice!
It was bound to happen on a day like today—I had six appointments scheduled in six different locations (!) and I thought I was prepared. My day was supposed to start with an early morning board meeting of Early Music Hawaii when my cell phone rang. When I saw the phone number on my caller… Read More Too many balls!
Four concerts in one weekend? Is that a little bit much or what? Two of the concerts I’m attending are by choral groups led by musical colleagues, another is one in which two of my students are performing, and the last is one in which I’ll be playing. Friday night, I’ll be attending the Spring concert of… Read More A four-concert weekend
My long-time friend, Edith Ho, formerly of the Church of the Advent in Boston, passed along this video of the recently-rebuilt organ at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in the world of organs and organists. Although the video is narrated in French by… Read More The organ of Notre Dame Cathedral
Last Sunday night I attended the “Cantate” concert by the Lutheran Church of Honolulu Choir and Men’s Schola; Wednesday I went to hear the St. Andrew’s Priory girls’ concert; tomorrow night I’ll be playing in the Iolani School Chorus concert; and Saturday night I’ll be at the Hawai’i Symphony concert! ‘Tis the season! Scott Fikse… Read More Spring concert season
If you are an early music fan, surely you’ve heard of the international baroque orchestra, Apollo’s Fire, based in Cleveland, OH. From their website, you can read: 25 years ago, Jeannette Sorrell had an obsession and a dream. The obsession was baroque music, as it was meant to be done – alive and full of… Read More The USA’s hottest baroque band
Organists these days are undergoing an identity crisis. If the slashing of church music budgets wasn’t enough to cause consternation among the ranks, the worldwide shortage of organists, the fact that fewer and fewer people study the organ, and the American Guild of Organists’ membership is dropping, it’s the old adage that whenever two or three… Read More Identity crisis