I’ve just come from the Early Music Hawaii concert by Les Délices and to say it was outstanding is an understatement —it was medieval perfection! There were only four people in the ensemble but two of them played several instruments: Debra Nagy (recorders, douçaine, harp and voice); Scott Metcalfe (vielle and gothic harp); Sophie Michaux… Read More 14th Century Avant-Garde perfection
It’s a world of laughterA world of tearsIt’s a world of hopesAnd a world of fearsThere’s so much that we shareThat it’s time we’re awareIt’s a small town after all. (Sorry, I altered the words slightly for this post!) I always tell people that the city of Honolulu is really a small town, even though… Read More Small town, indeed!
From time to time, I’ve mentioned that I’m a “paper” person, meaning that I read sheet music from paper rather than from a tablet. When I took the St. Mark’s organist job, I was asked which format I preferred, and I answered, “Definitely paper.” I know I’m in the minority, here, as it seems to… Read More Drowning in paper
Honestly, I don’t know whether “The Week That Was” refers to last week, while I was on my birthday trip to California — or this week, where between October 29 and November 6, I will have played seven church services, and a Friday night choir rehearsal YOWSERS! I arrived home on Saturday night completely exhausted.… Read More The Week That Was
It’s 5:20 am and I’ve already been up and about for an hour, packing last-minute items into my suitcase. As I have done for the last few years, I am going away to be with my family for my birthday. I had made the reservation a few months ago, and of course, I didn’t think… Read More Birthday respite?!
Well, maybe it’s not entirely life-changing, but at least it’s going to change my life at leisure. I can say with certainty that my life of “retirement” is over, and it’s all because of a phone call I got last Sunday afternoon from the Rev. Paul Lillie, rector of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. You may… Read More Life-changing phone call
A few days ago, a longtime friend who is a faithful reader of this blog sent me this message: “… I haven’t read a blog from you for quite awhile. Everything ok? 🤗💕” I pointed out that I had written a post just five days prior, but apparently she hadn’t received the notice. People who… Read More Controlled (?) mayhem
Face it, what’s happening in our world is pretty depressing and grim in case you watch the daily news. Therefore it was a welcome respite to go to the Hawai’i Symphony Orchestra’s concert on Sunday afternoon — a new season, a new conductor and new concert outfits! Australian-Chinese conductor Dane Lam is the new Music… Read More Awesome season opener!
I’m not home quite yet, but I can already proclaim that my trip to Colombia was absolutely fantastic and I would go again in a heartbeat! It turns out that the reason my trip to Colombia was so cheap was that I didn’t realize that my return had a long layover in Los Angeles —23 hours—where… Read More It was a fantastic trip!
It’s my last day in Colombia, and I opted to take a private, 4-hour walking tour of the Walled City and Getsemani, but never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d see wildlife up close and personal! At 5 am, I was awakened by the squawking of four macaws right outside my hotel window.… Read More Wildlife in Cartagena!