HONOLULU – Gov. David Ige announced that the state is ending the travel quarantine and the Safe Travels Hawaiʻi program after the current emergency period ends on Mar. 25. Beginning at 12:01 am, Mar. 26, passengers arriving from domestic points of origin will not have to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or a pre-travel… Read More Mask on, mask off
It’s only ONE WEEK AWAY from the onslaught of our “Celebrating the Pipe Organ in Hawaii” festival, and I have just finished updating the Hawaii Chapter American Guild of Organists website with the artist programs and bios. We’ll be having an Executive Board meeting tomorrow where we’ll be putting the finishing touches on all the… Read More Help, I’m drowning!
I have an upcoming concert on March 21st that I’m spending a lot of my waking hours practicing for, and naturally, the program is all-Bach since March 21st is his 337th birthday. It’s the last concert in a weeklong festival celebrating the pipe organ in Hawaii, and I just sent off the brochure to the… Read More Best thing since sliced bread!
For several weeks now, I’ve been working on preparing the scores for my next concert, March 21, 2022, Bach’s 337th birthday. I always seem to make things hard on myself, because I simply can’t buy the music from a music store or find the sheet music online—in many instances, I am pretty sure it’s just… Read More Paper engineering
This photo which I posted on Facebook yesterday has already gotten over a hundred likes! The Hawaii Chapter AGO will be presenting a Mini Organ Festival from March 12-21, 2022. Featured will be Alcée Chriss and Katelyn Emerson playing the Rosales Organ at All Saints Kapa’a and the Aeolian-Skinner Organ at Central Union Church. In… Read More Mini Organ Festival
This morning Jieun Newland and I got up early in order to drive to her church job at Peace Lutheran Church in Las Cruces, New Mexico, some 50 miles away. Because of the pandemic, I guessed that there were only about 40 people in attendance, even though the service is live-streamed as well. People who… Read More Reformation at Peace
This morning Ben and Jieun Newland took me to see Organ Mountains, near Las Cruces, New Mexico, declared a national Park only in 2014. Also called La Sierra de los Órganos, the rugged mountain range was so named because someone thought that the jagged peaks looked like organ pipes??? To us organists we couldn’t see… Read More Organ Mountains?
“My heart is full…There is no greater experience than making music with other musicians.” (Jieun Kim Newland) So wrote Jieun Kim Newland on her Facebook page after last night’s faculty recital at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). Soprano Diana Esparza and countertenor/baritone Phillip Hill presented a joint recital in three parts. The… Read More “My heart is full…”
Now I know why my mother, after she retired at age 83, bought a second grand piano. To play duets! Being a pianist or organist can be somewhat lonely, as you really don’t need other people to create music. However when you have the opportunity to make music with others, it’s SOOOO much fun! Hence,… Read More Four hands, four feet
Last Sunday I celebrated my birthday with my family in California. This is the second row in a year that I’ve decided to indulge myself for my birthday, so I flew to San Francisco a week ago on my way to the Burbank airport, which is only 15 minutes away from my son’s home. Alas,… Read More Indulgences