Last night was Naomi Castro‘s final concert as the choral director of St. Andrew’s Priory, a position she has held for the last seven years before she goes off to grad school at the University of Oregon. It was actually my late husband, Carl Crosier, who recommended her for the job—her first proclaimed “big girl”… Read More Naomi lovefest
In my last posting about Jeremy Wong, Naomi Castro, Karol Nowicki, Michal Nowicki and Keane Ishii leaving Hawaii, I didn’t include several other key people in the choral music community who are also moving away. I certainly knew about these other people and the omission certainly wasn’t deliberate on my part —but it’s simply not… Read More More goodbyes
If someone flies the coop, they leave the situation that they are in, often because they want to have more freedom or want to do something different—so says the dictionary. It just happens that in the Honolulu musical community, we have a number of key people “flying the coop” — leaving Hawaii for greener pastures… Read More Flying the coop
It was another of those crazy weekends requiring me to shift gears quickly for the music at hand: A rehearsal with the Early Music Hawaii ladies for their dress rehearsal for “Triumph Against the Odds;” a concert with the Iolani School Chorus and Hokuloa Singers (John Alexander, director) in which I played a Mozart orchestral… Read More Three choirs in three days … and more!
The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be broadcast in Hawaii beginning at 1:00 am tonight, and although I stayed up to watch the live broadcasts of the weddings of Prince Charles and Diana Spencer, and Prince William and Kate Middleton, tonight I’ve decided just to program my DVR. There is so much… Read More Royal Weddings
This coming Saturday night is the final concert of the season for Early Music Hawaii, May 19 at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu, 7:30 pm. I thought I was going to be “off the hook” for this concert, but as it turns out, I’ll be playing for the opera by Francesca Caccini—the first known opera… Read More Triumph Against the Odds 2
Yesterday I attended the memorial service for Dr. Edward R. Shipwright, who was a piano professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa for 30 years. I got to know Ed when I was hired to teach organ at UHM way back in 1974, and I joined the other members of the keyboard faculty every… Read More RIP Edward Shipwright
Sunday’s concert by the Windward Choral Society marked the tenth anniversary of this choir, and it was on all accounts, a total triumph! This, in spite of the fact that “90% of the people don’t read music” according to director Susan McCreary Duprey. Here’s the letter that she wrote to the singers, ringers and orchestra: Mahalo… Read More Windward Choral Society triumph
My absolute favorite moment of Fritz Fritschel’s memorial service came when we sang the Hymn of the Day, the tune BRYN CALFARIA, sung to Fritz’s text. The hymn is a Welsh tune written by William Owen and was supposedly written by Owen on a piece of slate while on his way to work at the… Read More Bryn Calfaria and Deep River
Guiding Spirit, comfort us who grieve the death of Fritz. As he remains fresh in our love and memories, assure us that he lives, and will continue, in the heart and mind of God. Fritz’s devotions were many: to the earth and all its creatures, to the poor and vulnerable, to the arts and good… Read More A full house for Fritz