I never knew I had a fear of heights until tonight, when the Hawaii Masterworks Chorus had a rehearsal for tomorrow’s concert with the Dublin Symphony at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland. I was anxious to set up a few registrations, try out the organ, and see how well I would be able to… Read More Fear of heights?
“All we need to do is have someone buy this building, then take it apart, brick by brick, then move it to Honolulu. Hey, they did that to the London Bridge!” So proclaimed director Tim Carney, when he heard the sound of the Hawaii Masterworks Chorus in the magnificent acoustical space of Christchurch Cathedral, Dublin.… Read More All we need to do …
This trip to Ireland by the Hawaii Masterworks Chorus is a reunion for many people– it is a reunion with choristers who moved away from Hawaii, plus a reunion with family members. As I wrote in a previous post, we have 78 people on the trip, 56 of them who are singing, and the rest… Read More Reunion in Ireland
It took us two hours to get to Waterford, our next stopping point. It is known for its famous Waterford crystal, but unfortunately is no longer manufactured here. We quickly retrieved our bags from underneath the bus, and piled into the small lobby at Treacys Hotel. Already my suitcase and backpack are unbearably heavy and… Read More Jet lag tone
You have heard that expression, “Kissing the Blarney Stone?” Well, the Hawaii Masterworks Chorus is here in Blarney, Ireland, and we indeed visited Blarney Castle, originally built in 1210, but the current structure dates from 1446. It is the home of the famous Blarney Stone. The castle was located just a 5-minute walk from our… Read More Kissing the Blarney stone
Watch, don’t listen! That’s what I had to keep telling myself during the Hawaii Masterworks Chorus concert today at St. Fin Barre’s. You see, the choir was located in front of the chancel, and the organ console was around the corner. Basically we had our backs to each other and I could not see Tim… Read More Watch, don’t listen!
On my last night in Philadelphia, I was severely challenged to fit everything in my suitcase, and I was up until 1:30 a.m. trying to fit everything I had picked up at the OHS convention. My Honolulu friend, Sam Lam, suggested that I try to mail all the books and pamphlets home, and I wish… Read More No rest for the wicked
Today was the last day of the Organ Historical Society convention and we boarded the buses for the Atlantic City Boardwalk on the New Jersey shore. Yes, the home of the Miss America pageant and the Trump Taj Mahal is also the home of the world’s largest organ in the Boardwalk Auditorium, seven manuals, 33,112… Read More The World’s Largest Organ (the Loudest?)
After getting back to the hotel so late after the Wanamaker concert, probably the last thing I wanted to do was to go to a hymn festival. What was unique about this festival, however, was that we had been given a newly published hymnbook by the OHS, and all of the hymns were by Philadelphia… Read More A day in Delaware