AI has so permeated our lives that even before I start to read an email, AI gives me a summary of its contents. And look what I got when I typed, “excuses for being too busy!” Effective, professional, and believable excuses for being super busy include stating you are “swamped,” “tied up in meetings,” or… Read More Help! I’m buried in work!
A well crafted program that was executed masterfully. A priceless performance. As the first concert of this season, this was probably the best concert that was presented in years. The program and quality of singers have vastly improved with depth and richness not heard in years. I believe that this is a good sign for… Read More Dedicated to Ian …
I eagerly thumbed through the latest issue of The American Organist, which contained a comprehensive review of the National Convention of the American Guild of Organists I attended, held in San Francisco this past summer. Here’s what I was looking for: In case you’re reading this on your phone, here’s what the review says: Joey… Read More So very proud!
One of the best programs of the convention so far…Powerful performance …Strong sense of driving rhythm …My favorite concert of the convention! These were some of the comments I heard from audience members after former student Joey Fala’s performance at the First Church of Christ Scientist in Berkeley today. And all day, people from the… Read More Joey’s Day!
Well, you’ll never guess where I am again—my home away from home, Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu! This time I will take a very quick trip to California to celebrate my grandson’s 7th birthday. People at my two churches won’t even know that I’ll be gone—I’ll be back for Thursday choir rehearsal! At… Read More Land of Fire and Ice
You probably have heard this quote which has been attributed to Christa McAuliffe, the teacher who perished in the 1986 Challenger Space Shuttle accident. She may not have originated the expression, but she did bring a T-shirt with this imprinted on it, and she certainly popularized it, according to a Wikipedia article I read. So,… Read More I touch the future, I teach
It’s not often that there are organ recitals in Hawaii. The Hawaii Chapter of the American Guild of Organists sponsors one recitalist per year, and that person plays a concert in Honolulu and another concert on a neighbor island. But this week, there will be TWO organ recitals on Oahu! Tomorrow night, the new organist… Read More Organ concerts galore
The latest bulletin board in the courtyard of the Lutheran Church of Honolulu focuses on the history of the music program with special focus on the Rudolf von Beckerath organ and organ concerts which have been held at the church since 1975. You may or may not know that Carol Langner, whom I call the… Read More Queen of the Bulletin Boards
This has been a week of reunions, a celebration of long time friendships that have lasted a lifetime. These friendships have all happened because of our common interest in the pipe organ. My current houseguest is Barbara Adler, whom I met in December 1972 on a visit to Hawai’i in anticipation of my move here.… Read More Old friends
The following is a story which was published on December 14, 2021, in the Duke Chronicle, a publication of Duke University in Durham, NC. Joey Fala is my former organ student, and now University Carillonneur. ‘The voice of the University’: Unearthing the history and tradition of Duke’s Chapel bells Joseph Fala leans into the music… Read More The voice of the university