How sweet the sound . . . Of course, you know that phrase as a quote from the hymn, “Amazing Grace,” written by the Anglican priest, John Newton (1725-1807). But it is also the title of an upcoming concert featuring soprano Georgine Stark, with her husband, violinist Darel Stark, pianist Sachi Hirakouji and the Lutheran Church… Read More How sweet the sound
Here’s a live Facebook video of Stanford’s Magnificat. I wasn’t even looking over in the direction of the choir, but as soon as she opened her mouth, I knew that voice. It was Sophia Stark, super-talented daughter of Georgine and Darel Stark, themselves super-talented parents! The piece was Charles Villiers Stanford’s Magnificat, and it was performed at… Read More Already a star!
Monday night was Dana Marsh‘s first rehearsal conducting the Early Music Hawaii choir for its upcoming concert, “Spain & The New World,” which will take place on Saturday, September 24th at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu, at 7:30 pm. Poor Dana—he had been awake almost 24 hours in flying from New York to Hawaii, yet he still had the… Read More Toe-tapping music
Okay, I haven’t yet recovered from jet lag, but it’s now time to switch gears. From French music and organs, now I have to think “Spanish,” for the upcoming Early Music Hawaii concert, Saturday, September 24th. It’s a concert called Spain and the New World, and will feature the Early Music Hawaii choir and orchestra… Read More Switching gears
I just found a fascinating article called “Is Musical Talent Rooted in Genes?” in which author Jillian Rose Lim challenges the conventional wisdom by writing: Practice doesn’t always make perfect when it comes to becoming the next Mozart, a new study suggests. Researchers compared pairs of identical twins, and found that no matter how hard… Read More The music gene
I am a hopeless political junkie and we are once again in one of my favorite news cycles —a presidential campaign. I just love the debates, the polls, and the talk shows. And of course there’s a lot of talk about blue states and red states, liberals and conservatives, progressives and establishment. But this weekend, blue and red will… Read More Blue and red
Was worth driving over hundred miles to hear an exquisite musical event. The interweaving voices and exceptional blend in a carpeted church was an experience of aural beauty. I’m still in awe of what you accomplished. I’m especially happy I didn’t have to get on a plane and go to Honolulu. (Bonnie C. Burke) Great concert! (Susan… Read More Early Music in Kona
We were just about ready to go on stage last night when Jeremy Wong took this picture of the Early Music Hawaii Chamber Singers. We were talking about next weekend when we will all travel to Kona on the Big Island to repeat our concert, Bridging the Centuries 2, and were comparing our arrival times. However, Ian Capps,… Read More Hilarity behind the scenes
Tonight was the dress rehearsal for tomorrow’s Early Music Hawaii concert called “Bridging the Centuries 2” which will be the debut of the Early Music Hawaii Chamber Singers. I must say that EMH has picked the cream of the crop of choral singers in Honolulu — every singer is a soloist in his or her… Read More The EMH Chamber Singers debut
In a recent post, I wrote about the constant deadlines of a musician — well, this musician, anyway, where there was always a service or concert to practice for. Even when I retired from my church job and no longer had the constant obligation to play organ voluntaries, hymns and to accompany choral music every… Read More Music is fun?