When I was 17 and away in Paris, France to study with virtuoso, Marcel Dupré, I had only one focus—playing the organ. I quickly found a place to practice, L’Eglise Étranger, which gave me virtually unlimited practice time to learn the works of Bach, Dupré and Franck, which was what I was studying in those… Read More Like the old days
I left Los Angeles on the Fourth of July, just missing the first of two earthquakes by less than an hour! My shuttle picked me up at 5:45 am, and my flight took off at 9:00 am from LAX—and the first earthquake struck at 9:36 am. I understand from Fred Merchant that there was pandemonium… Read More Out in the nick of time!
This has already been a fantastic convention but the Steering Committee of the 2019 AGO West Region Convention absolutely saved the best for last with the closing night performance by Paul Jacobs, one of the youngest department chairs appointed to the famed Juilliard School of Music and the only organist with a Grammy. This is… Read More Saving the best for last, Paul Jacobs!
To be truthful, by this time in my trip I am getting a little antsy. After all, I left home on June 8 and today is July 3, meaning that I’ve been on the road for 26 days now. And I’m not just sitting in the hotel or lying by the pool—I’m on the go… Read More Validation
The Hawai’i Chapter of the American Guild of Organists is pleased to sponsor Joseph Fala in his recital at the AGO 2019 West Region Convention. From the time he was in Elementary School, the Hawai’i Chapter has encouraged, supported, and loved him into being the musician he is today; and wish him every success for… Read More Standing ovation for Joey Fala!
Exterior of Christ Cathedral After I attended a morning workshop session on service improvisation, the entire convention boarded buses to the site of the former Crystal Cathedral, renamed Christ Cathedral after the purchase of the buildings and grounds by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange County. The renovation cost $77 million. John Romeri, director of… Read More A day at Christ Cathedral
Tonight was the opening event of the 2019 American Guild of Organists West Region Convention in Irvine, CA. It was billed as the Opening Service in the convention program, but as a concert in the app. [Things have certainly gone high tech at AGO conventions!] This being a worship service, we were admonished not to… Read More Concert or service?
I had nearly a whole day to kill in Boston so I decided to seek out the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, a place I had heard much about since my husband Carl’s sabbatical in 1992. You see it was here that Carl participated and experienced the sound of women’s chant in the atrium. A former… Read More Filled with beautiful things …
I have just arrived back in Boston with a stopover in Rome and even though it’s now 12:30 am back in Greece, I feel I have to stay up since I will be flying to California tomorrow afternoon. In looking through my several hundred photos of Greece, I thought this home in Oia had an… Read More A musical wall and more
Today we checked out of our hotel in Fira and traveled to Oia (pronounced “ee-ya,” the “o” is silent), where we visited the most photographed location which has become an icon for Greece. We next walked through the town of Megalochori, where we saw typical homes of people who live here year-round, rather than tourists.… Read More Picture postcard Greece