Here’s my last-minute “to do” list before I leave today for Mexico to spend the Christmas and New Year’s holidays in Querétaro—this is where my daughter-in-law’s family lives and where my grandson, Andrés, will be baptized on December 30th. I am looking forward to taking in as much of the Mexican culture and Christmas traditions… Read More ¡Feliz Navidad! Voy a ir a México
In the last four days, I have attended three concerts and gotten my chance to be an audience member. I used to remember Carl Crosier saying that as performers it was our job to make it Christmas for everyone else—now I’ve had my chance to hear someone else’s hard work. On Sunday, I was at the… Read More ‘Tis the season, part 2
I was telling someone recently that in the “old days,” my husband and I could count on one hand the number of nights we were home during the month of December. In fact, sometimes two whole weeks went by when we were out every single night, with either a concert, a rehearsal, a service or… Read More ‘Tis the season
Karen Sender shared this article from the Oakland Tribune about our colleague and friend, John Renke, bringing Blue Christmas to Oakland. We surely do miss John! Blue Christmas aims to soothe those hurting during the holidays John Renke, Pastoral Associate for Divine Workshop & Operations for the Oakland Diocese, stands inside Oakland’s Cathedral of Christ the… Read More People send me news …
When I got the program of the Oahu Choral Society concert two days ago, I noted that the “Hallelujah Chorus” by Georg Frideric Handel was scheduled, and I wondered why I wasn’t asked to accompany it. Well, guess what, yesterday I got an email from Dana Harrison, the Executive Director, that I am to play… Read More Standing for the “Hallelujah Chorus”?
Tidings of Comfort & Joy: Christmas with OCS is the title of the Oahu Choral Society’s annual Christmas concert this coming Saturday, December 9, 2017 at 7:30 pm at St. Andrew’s Cathedral. I was actually contracted for this concert way back in October and did not know until today (4 days before the concert) what I was going… Read More Tidings of Comfort & Joy
This past weekend I was on the Big Island of Hawai’i with the Kona Choral Society. In past years, I had complained that the audience clapped after every movement in the Handel Messiah, and I was wondering whether they would do the same this year. Lo and behold, I turned to this page in the… Read More They read the program! (mostly)
Tomorrow I’m off to Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii for the Kona Choral Society’s annual performance of Handel Messiah. This will be my fifth year in a row that I’ve been in Kona for this annual event and I’m honored to be asked back year after year. For the last two years, during the… Read More Upcoming weekend in Kona
To follow up on the post I wrote about musical prodigy Alma Deutscher, the person in the 60 Minutes segment was indeed my former student, Robert (Bob) Gjerdingen, who is now a music professor at Northwestern University. It was only a matter of hours that he responded to my post with the comment, “Dear Katherine,… Read More Organ connections
Perhaps you saw the recent 60 Minutes segment about Alma Deutscher, the 12-year old musical prodigy, who was just bursting with music in her head. Just this afternoon, I decided to take a break from folding 300 napkins for my condo’s upcoming Christmas party, and turned on my Apple TV. I’m used to watching 60 Minutes… Read More How can music be so beautiful?