Composer Peter Hallock’s earthly life came to an end, and it was fitting that I participated in a quarterly meeting of the Peter R. Hallock Institute today by videoconference. Facebook reminded me of this anniversary by posting this photo to my news feed. The photo of Peter Hallock and Carl Crosier was actually taken nine… Read More Five years ago today
So exclaimed Esther Yoo as she conducted the opening Sinfonia from Bach Cantata 4, Christ lag in Todesbanden, in the spacious Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa. As you can see by the photo above, my little organ is placed front and center and gosh! It sounds absolutely gorgeous in there. Having heard the organ in the… Read More Bach sounds FANTASTIC!
My baby organ has just left the building, on its way to the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa—where on Friday, April 26th I will be accompanying the Oahu Choral Society Chamber Choir in three works by Bach: Komm, Jesu komm; Singet dem Herrn and Cantata 4, Christ lag in Todesbanden. Esther Yoo will also conduct Herbert… Read More Have organ … will travel
Q. What is a 100%, sure fire guaranteed way to have your audience give your concert a standing ovation? A. Program the Hallelujah Chorus as the final piece. Better yet, invite the audience to sing along! Whether or not the audience did join the singing, the Oahu Choral Society concert did indeed end with a… Read More Guaranteed standing ovation!
Have you ever gone to a place where the music was really, REALLY LOUD, and after you left, you heard a ringing in your ears?! According to Medical News Today: Tinnitus can be bothersome, as the sound can make hearing difficult and interrupt daily life. Tinnitus after a concert is usually temporary and should subside within… Read More My ears are ringing!
Pure energy and exhilaration… that’s how I would describe tonight’s Oahu Choral Society’s concert with the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra. I came away breathless, my heart racing with a spring in my step! The music, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms and Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, were the perfect pair of works, each with its driving rhythms yet singable… Read More Pure energy and exhilaration!
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
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”
I’ve just come home after the “Motets and Cantatas” concert by the Oahu Choral Society Chamber Choir, and I must say that I heard some fantastic singing tonight. Tonight was the Chamber Choir’s debut, consisting of only 22 singers out of the larger OCS ensemble. The tone of the choir was light and agile, the… Read More A weekend of incredible singing
Operation Babylift. If you are as old as I am (ahem!), you probably have heard the term “Operation Babylift.” But if you’re still a spring chicken, and aren’t old enough to know what it was, I can tell you that it was the name of a mass evacuation of children at the end of the Vietnam War in… Read More Operation Babylift