The night before last, I attended “Sophia’s Symphonic Send-off,” a fundraiser for the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, featuring Sophia Stark, the daughter of Darel and Georgine Stark, shortly before she travels to Tennessee for the national Miss Teen Volunteer American Pageant. In the fall, Sophia will also be attending Manhattan School of Music in New York… Read More Sophia’s night
For months now, the marquee on the Hawaii Theatre Center has read: You get the vaccine… you get the concerts! And so, after 20 months of no live concerts, the Hawai’i Symphony Orchestra held its first concert since the pandemic! Oh, it meant that everyone in the audience had to show their vaccination cards at… Read More Live music returns!
We know that the pandemic has changed our lifestyles in many ways, but none so more as in our ways of worship and entertainment. Church services have gone virtual, as have all concerts, it seems. What made me sit up and take notice, though, was this recent Washington Post headline which read: “The pandemic forced… Read More Gamechanger
A couple of weeks ago I received an email message from the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra with the enticing title: Offer of work with the Hawaii Symphony Alas, it was an invitation to play the organ part of the Albinoni “Adagio” at their concert at The Hawai’i Theatre. Most unfortunately, I would have to turn it… Read More Albinoni on a theatre organ?
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!
Yesterday’s concert with the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra was one of those times when you leave the hall with a lighter spring in your step, and the adrenaline is rushing through your veins. Much of that was due to the exciting conducting of Rei Hotoda, who made her HSO debut yesterday. What I found so mesmerizing… Read More Dynamo guest-conducts HSO
In my last post, “A leap of faith,” I wrote about the beginnings of our Annual Organ Concert series, and how it all started with the concert with Paul Jacobs in 2006. Since then we have hosted twelve more annual organ concerts of “rising stars” — you can see a list of the artists here.… Read More Meet Adam Pajan
Today I was scheduled to play the Walker organ and conduct the choir at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Kailua, on the windward side of the island. My music bag was packed with my organ music and shoes and I put on a long-sleeved blouse, a full-length jacket and dress slacks. As I got dressed,… Read More Armed for battle
This weekend the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra is presenting organist Cameron Carpenter in two performances of the Poulenc “Concerto for Organ, Timpani & Strings” and the Saint-Säens “Symphony No. 3 ‘Organ.’” To my knowledge, it is the first time ever that the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra (or its predecessor, The Honolulu Symphony) has ever contracted an organist… Read More He ASKED for us!
Last month when I published the newsletter for my condo association, I listed the following checklist before going on vacation: Filling out a Resident Vacation Form to let the office know how long you’ll be gone. Putting your mail on hold. Putting a vacation stop to the daily newspaper. Unplugging electronics. Getting someone to water… Read More Vacation checklist