John McCreary, former longtime organist and choir director of St. Andrew’s Cathedral and Iolani School, was legendary in the annals of Honolulu church music history. Here’s one description of his career as found on the cathedral website: John McCreary, conductor, composer, arranger, singer. and organ builder, had a brilliant 35 year career at St. Andrew’s… Read More The McCreary connection
Yesterday I was getting ready to go practice at the church when I received an email from Mairi Manley, the Administrative Coordinator from Nu‘uanu Congregational Church: Hello Everyone-The medical team and Diaconate met last night. Due to the concern of the active Covid cases, hospitalizations, hospitals at or near maximum capacity, they have decided to… Read More Back to virtual reality
I have been so glued to my computer the last few days that today I feel like I’m coming up for air, finally a chance to breathe. Last night, I really knew I was overwhelmed with work when I realized it was 9:00 pm and I realize that I haven’t yet read the morning newspaper,… Read More Coming up for air
Most people who know me probably don’t think of me as a troublemaker, but others only know too well that I can certainly make a fuss if I think something is not fair or is just plain wrong. My latest controversy has happened at my church job, which I took over from my friend, Jieun… Read More Troublemaker
Yesterday was my 11th trip to the island of Kaua’i to teach an organ lesson. We had eight lessons before the pandemic then had to stop for more than a year because of the quarantine restrictions for inter-island travel. However, since June, you no longer need to take a Covid test or prove your vaccination… Read More “Yes, I speak organ”
It was my former student, Joey Fala, who first texted me this morning about the death of Edith Ho. “I just saw Edith Ho passed away.” He apparently had received the news from Walden Moore, (whom I met when I visited Joey at Yale) who wrote: So very sorry to hear of the passing of… Read More Tributes to Edith
Edith Ho, 1932-2021. We brought a lei for Edith as she was honored in 2007 at her retirement from the Church of the Advent, Boston. Luckily she had a blouse to match! Edith Ho wasn’t more than five feet tall yet she was a giant in the field of church music. In one of the… Read More A giant in church music
(My new companion, C.P.E. Bach!) Since the pandemic, my daily life has started with a 2-1/2 mile walk (during which I listened to Spanish podcasts), 45 minutes of Spanish practice with Duolingo, a one-hour online Spanish class “Cada Dia Spanish”, a 45-minute Zoom conversation in Spanish with Vreni Griffith and/or Cindy Scheinert, two local friends,… Read More My life changed … with one phone call
Yesterday I watched with pride, my former organ student, Joey Fala, give a tour and recital on the carillon at Duke University. It was part of a series of events for RSCM America—that stands for Royal School of Church Music. Luckily the video is available on YouTube so you can watch it too. (the whole… Read More Organists as carillonneurs
I mostly associate the term “Christmas in July” as a retail event, when stores advertise Christmas merchandise in an effort to boost lagging sales. There’s even a Wikipedia entry for this: Christmas in July or Christmas in Summer is a second Christmas celebration held around the summer season, mainly during July. It is centered around Christmas-themed activities and entertainment,… Read More Christmas in July