One of the most thrilling emotions an organist can experience is playing on full organ — that is, playing with the loud stops drawn. You can be a very small person and can make a big sound with little effort, simply by pulling out the stops, playing a chord and holding on for dear life. There is… Read More The most powerful organ sounds
A couple of days ago, I met a new organ student at a location I had never been before: the chapel of Hawai‘i Baptist Academy’s elementary school. It turns out the organ was built by Felix Schoenstein, the same builder as the organ at Sacred Hearts Academy. What was amazing was that I was not… Read More A sister organ
Last night was the first meeting of this season’s Hawaii Chapter of the American Guild of Organists—it was the debut of our Orgelkids pipe organ kit. To refresh your memory on what Orgelkids is, I refer you to my previous post: Orgelkids coming to Hawaii! The members of the board decided that we should try to… Read More How many organists does it take to …?
Lately my Sunday morning routine is to do my usual 2 mile walk, and then return home to watch a livestream of Evensong from Duke University Chapel where former student Joey Fala is the Organ Scholar.Today’s anthem was Benjamin Britten’s “Rejoice in the Lamb,” considered one of the “warhorses” of the choral repertoire and one with… Read More The Lamb “warhorse”
It is only now that I feel like I am emerging from a cocoon—all weekend I have been at my computer working on the concert program for a series of concerts celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. The Lutheran Church of Honolulu Choir is presenting two concerts, called “Echoes and Refrains” with the Canadian early… Read More Behind the scenes
When the late Carl Crosier programmed Bach’s monumental St. Matthew Passion in the year 2000, he wanted to present the work as it was originally conceived for the Thomaskirche in Leipzig: for two separate orchestras, two choirs, and two sets of soloists. It meant we also needed two pipe organs, which meant purchasing a continuo… Read More Organ duets
One of the most challenging aspect of teaching organ students is finding a place for them to practice. I wrote about this some time ago (See: “On my soapbox“) when some churches turned out to be very unfriendly places to seek organ practice time. And how do they expect anyone will learn how to play… Read More More is more!
I am now in Sacramento, California, where I have been with my siblings and nieces to celebrate the marriage of my niece, Nancy Au to Matthew LePage. It was an outdoor wedding where the weather could not have been more perfect. Not too hot and not too cool. So it was some excitement that during… Read More Wow! Small world!
By far the question that people ask me most is, “Where are you going next?” Why, thank you for asking. Tomorrow I’ll be taking a quick trip to Sacramento, California, where I’ll be attending a niece’s wedding. Luckily I have no responsibilities except to show up and enjoy the festivities. But I’ll be home by… Read More Where to next?
Last Sunday, I was privileged to be a guest in the home of Mark Russell, owner and builder of what my late husband used to call “the finest harpsichord in Honolulu.” It was a chance to show off the instrument to Jieun and Ben Newland, newcomers to Hawaii. You may remember that she was the… Read More Insane harpsichord madness!