Holidays are generally thought of as happy times for family and friends — but when you have experienced a death in the family, getting through the holidays can be painful and lonely. That was the thinking behind a candlelighting memorial service I played last night at Iolani School, with The Rev. Diane Martinson-Koyama, our Lutheran… Read More Comfort, comfort, ye my people
There were a bunch of people at the St. Andrew’s Priory’s choir concert last night who were beaming with pride. It was Naomi Castro’s choral directing debut in her new role as director of choral activities, a position she was hired for just two days before the school term began. For Jimmy and Olivia Castro… Read More Full circle
This Sunday, the Lutheran Church of Honolulu Choir will be singing two motets by the Spanish Renaissance composer, Francisco Guerrero (1528-1599), Canite tuba (Blow the trumpet in the new moon) and Rorate caeli desuper (Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above). In an earlier post, I wrote about Guerrero’s being a musical prodigy, but… Read More Musical jailbirds
Yesterday when I received the Lutheran Church of Honolulu’s E-News, I was really excited to see former Interim Pastor Steve Jensen’s photo with First Lady Michelle Obama. The story actually linked back to the Pacifica Synod’s story about the Wounded Warrior program, of which Pastor Steve has been a volunteer since February of this year.… Read More Wounded Warrior
When Carl Crosier retired as Cantor from the Lutheran Church of Honolulu after 38 years, he decided that his first Christmas out of church music would be spent with our family on the mainland — which meant that I would need to find a substitute organist for the Christmas services. Thankfully, my former organ student… Read More Zounds! the zimbelstern
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wU5CSjXgcWs] This organist is only ten years old and is playing Paul Manz’ “Toccata on Veni, redemptor gentium.” This coming Sunday, I’ll be playing Paul Manz’ “Toccata on Veni, redemptor gentium” (Come now, Savior of the heathen) as the postlude. We were first introduced to the works of Paul Manz by Dale Fisk, an organist… Read More Lutheran composer, Paul Manz
For those of you who are not FaceBook users, I would like to share a couple of pictures taken by Jean Lilley at last night’s Advent Procession. (FaceBook users can view the pictures on LCH’s FaceBook page). When people came up to me after the service and asked me how I felt about it, to tell… Read More Post-Advent Procession
When Miguel Felipe was designing the postcard for tonight’s Advent Procession 2011, he asked me what organ music I was playing. “No prelude, no postlude” I said. “This is a choral service.” And this morning, Advent I, was another of those rare services in which I did not play a organ prelude. That is because… Read More Leighton’s Second Service ‘Magnificat’
Yesterday, the day after Thanksgiving, when lots of people were out shopping, I spent the day at the church, giving organ lessons and practicing. Miguel Felipe was typing the Advent Procession bulletin and asked me about my setting of “Veni Emmanuel,” which will close our Advent Procession service tomorrow night. It begins with a men’s… Read More Veni Emmanuel
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akKIRUIFCQY] Helmut Walcha, blind organist, plays the Prelude in D major by J. S. Bach Some of you may know that I have been experiencing problems with my vision, specifically my right eye. It happened suddenly about three weeks ago when I woke up one morning and perceived everything was at a 45 degree… Read More Blind organists