In the midst of preparations for “Celebrating the Pipe Organ in Hawaii,” there’s been another responsibility on my plate: to help publicize a special video presentation for Early Music Hawaii which begins THIS FRIDAY, March 4th and runs through March 11th, with a group called Calextone (ca-lek-sto-neh). The program is called “The Age of Bococcio’s… Read More Calextone is gorgeous!
It’s only ONE WEEK AWAY from the onslaught of our “Celebrating the Pipe Organ in Hawaii” festival, and I have just finished updating the Hawaii Chapter American Guild of Organists website with the artist programs and bios. We’ll be having an Executive Board meeting tomorrow where we’ll be putting the finishing touches on all the… Read More Help, I’m drowning!
Sometimes you just have to shut the world out. Just as I was leaving last night to play the Bach and Prayer service came the notice that Russia had invaded Ukraine. My words to myself were “Just think CALM. Focus on the music.” I hated to admit it, but my pulse was starting to race,… Read More But, but, but …
Tonight is the Bach and Prayer service, which occurs on the fourth Wednesday of the month. It only lasts a half hour, and at least half of it is the music of Bach. I’ll be playing three chorale preludes from Bach’s Leipzig collection, also called the Great Eighteen. This morning as I was on my… Read More Bach as comfort
In six days’ time, I will be playing the monthly Bach and Prayer service at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu, the fourth Wednesday of the month at 7:00 pm. All the music I have chosen comes from Bach’s collection of extended chorale preludes, The Great Eighteen or Leipzig Chorales. You might remember that in 2013… Read More Throwback to 2013
This morning organist Katelyn Emerson posted her performance of Jeanne Demessieux’s “Te Deum” on Facebook, and what I immediately zoned into were the shoes that Katelyn was wearing: stilettos! Katelyn writes: A little video on the 101st birthday of Jeanne Demessieux: her complete Te deum, a portion of which I had a privilege to record… Read More Organists in stilettos
In the last few days, this post on the Facebook Organists Association page has generated a lot of comments: Here are some of the comments: John Gouwens The best-endowed, wealthiest churches I know never came close to paying that! Sheer insanity!! Irmengard Jennings On what planet does an organist earn this much?! Walter Greenwood Of… Read More In your dreams!
Yesterday I received a phone call from Scott Fikse asking if I’d be available or interested in playing the February “Bach and Prayer” service. I really wasn’t sure what this service is all about, so this is the description I found on Facebook: Join us every 4th Wednesday of the month at 7:00pm for Bach… Read More Got Bach?
I have an upcoming concert on March 21st that I’m spending a lot of my waking hours practicing for, and naturally, the program is all-Bach since March 21st is his 337th birthday. It’s the last concert in a weeklong festival celebrating the pipe organ in Hawaii, and I just sent off the brochure to the… Read More Best thing since sliced bread!
This has been a week of reunions, a celebration of long time friendships that have lasted a lifetime. These friendships have all happened because of our common interest in the pipe organ. My current houseguest is Barbara Adler, whom I met in December 1972 on a visit to Hawai’i in anticipation of my move here.… Read More Old friends