It took 36 hours in transit to get from Honolulu all the way to Rome, Italy (by way of San Francisco, Newark and Montreal) but I’m finally here! A few mishaps along the way — like leaving my credit card in the United Airlines kiosk when printing out my boarding pass and baggage tickets… Read More Finally in Rome!
Tributes to the organist/choirmaster John Scott, who died of a heart attack at age 59 on Wednesday, continue to pour in throughout the world. I especially liked the one by radio host Michael Barone which you can read in its entirety by clicking here. He remembers Scott’s extraordinary career and lasting legacy in this heartfelt tribute, which includes… Read More Another tragic organist story
This was an admonition to us Portland ALCM conference-goers at the final plenary session by The Rev. Paul Hoffman. He told us about the three Bs of the traditional Church, and how this order has contributed to its free fall: Belief, Behave, and Belong. In this order, a baby is baptized into the faith, but… Read More The Church is dying!
It was another full day at the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians conference here in Portland which started with a Morning Prayer service, followed by a plenary session. It’s the plenary sessions at ALCM which differentiate these conferences from AGO (American Guild of Organists) conventions. Our plenary speaker for these three days is The Rev.… Read More Day Three at ALCM Portland
One of the unique and most enjoyable activities of Association of Lutheran Church Musician (ALCM) conferences are the meaningful worship services, and this morning’s service was certainly on a par with other conference services. That meant hearing the thrilling sound of a whole congregation of organists and choirmasters singing to creative hymn playing, an inspired homily… Read More ALCM Opening Eucharist
No, silly, we didn’t hear Bach on a dinner cruise — the first day at the Region 4 conference of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians (ALCM) started with a Bach Cantata vespers at St. James Lutheran Church in downtown Portland, followed by a dinner cruise on the Willamette River. We registered at St. Michael’s… Read More Bach and a Dinner Cruise
Was it a hymn festival? Was it a concert? Last night’s presentation with the National Lutheran Choir and David Cherwien was equally both. If you have gone to a “typical” hymn festival, you know that it is usually an opportunity to hear the organist showcase his or her improvisational skills in creating interesting introductions and accompaniments to… Read More Not an ordinary hymn festival
We are home for just four days before we take off again for California and Indiana on Friday. I will be attending a convention for the American Guild of Organists (AGO) in Bakersfield, CA and the national biennial conference of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians (ALCM) in Valparaiso, IN. We had just walked in… Read More Sneak preview
A couple of days ago, I got an email from Carole Arenson, the editor of the newsletter for Region 4 of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians (ALCM), asking me to write an article for the next issue. One of the topics she suggested was “Advent/Xmas ideas — can be something which has worked in the… Read More Advent in April?
One of the projects I’m currently working on is a presentation for the next regional convention of the American Guild of Organists, June 24-26 in Bakersfield, CA. If you want to check out their website, click here. One sentence on their home page gave me a ray of hope: There are many outstanding organs in our… Read More Is it over?