There was an extensive interview with my former student, Joey Fala, in the current issue of the Iolani Bulletin, the publication of Iolani School where I was the Chapel Organist for twenty years and where I met Joey when he was in fifth grade. Take a look at the Tag Cloud—either in the column to… Read More Still making news!
I opened the newspaper this morning to the headlines, VACCINE ACCESS EXPANDS, with the good news that people in my age group are now eligible for the coronavirus vaccine. My doctor’s office called me in the early afternoon to schedule a vaccine appointment which will take place on Tuesday, just four days from now. Yippee!… Read More Good news!
Yesterday I was pleased to read this announcement on Facebook: ICYMI: We had some good news hiding in this month’s issue of the Chimes – Joey Fala has been named our new Director of Music Ministry! While Joey has been with us since last summer, we are thrilled that he is now a permanent part… Read More It’s official!
With a twinkle in his eye and joy in his heart… that’s how I remember Sam Hammond, the longtime carillonneur of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, who died at age 73 on Thursday. The notice of his death made the national news and was sent to me today, “Man who played Duke Chapel bells… Read More With a twinkle in his eye …
Until the year 2013, if it was the first Sunday in Advent, you could 100% count on hearing me play “Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme,” Johann Sebastian Bach’s transcription of the fourth movement of Cantata 140 for organ. It is also known as the opening piece in the collection known as the Schübler chorales.… Read More It’s Advent, already!
A couple of weeks ago I joined in a Zoom meeting of Deans in the American Guild of Organists. The Dean of the AGO Chapter is like the local president, and I am completing my second year. I think this is at least my third, and maybe even my fourth (!) stint as Dean of… Read More Just called to say ‘Hello’
Today is April 2nd, and before the coronavirus crisis was upon us, I would have been packing my suitcase and getting ready to get on an airplane to Atlanta, and then to St. Petersburg and Moscow, Russia. Now, my tour has been rescheduled to 2021, and I’m trying hard not to feel badly about spending… Read More Grounded!
Yesterday Mark Boyle, who formerly sang tenor in the Lutheran Church of Honolulu, tagged me in this photo of an altarpiece by Matthias Grunenwald: In Mark’s post, he wrote: The basic idea is to take over Facebook with art, in order to disrupt, for a moment, negative news. Anyone who likes this post will be… Read More When life gives you lemons…
Throughout this coronavirus pandemic, the true heroes have turned out to be the unlikely: grocery clerks, gas station attendants, delivery drivers and others who you wouldn’t normally consider as people saving the world. But an organist? More specifically, an organist turned carillonneur, in the person of Joey Fala, my former student? In the March 24th,… Read More Unlikely hero
The decision has been made, and I no longer have to wonder about how to manage not getting coronavirus while on a plane. Today I logged onto the website of my travel agent where I saw this message: Owing to the evolving COVID-19 situation and government travel advisories and restrictions, Trafalgar, Insight Vacations, Costsaver, Brendan… Read More Out of my hands