As I was driving home from the airport this afternoon, having taught organ lessons on Kauai, the traffic was absolutely wretched. I had decided to take Dillingham Boulevard (surface streets) instead of staying on the freeway, which I immediately found out was a bad decision! There are lanes closed off due to the ongoing construction… Read More In love with Requiems
Tonight the people of Honolulu celebrated the 10th anniversary of the passing of John McCreary with a special memorial Evensong. A publicity flyer described him like this: John McCreary was a musical force of nature. During his five decades in Hawai‘i, he served as Organist/Choirmaster and Canon Emeritus at St. Andrew’s Cathedral, taught music at ‘Iolani School… Read More Rubber Ducky Evensong?
Tributes are pouring in for our dear friend, Dr. Frederick Swann, who passed away last night. Here’s what was posted on the American Guild of Organists Facebook page: From the Diocese of Orange, California and Christ Cathedral: GARDEN GROVE, Calif. (Nov. 14, 2022) — It is with great sadness that the Diocese of Orange and Christ… Read More RIP Fred Swann
In the last couple of days, I have learned of the death of two organists, one well-known and the other, perhaps not so well known, but both loved by colleagues and others in their communities. I will write about the second person in a separate post. Joyce Jones had a most distinguished career, and you… Read More Well done, good and faithful servant
“The passing of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is another chapter of bereavement in our nation’s farewell to a generation of outstanding South Africans who have bequeathed us a liberated South Africa,” President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement early Sunday. When I read the news about Desmond Tutu, anti-apartheid leader and voice of justice, dead at… Read More Desmond Tutu memories
The following is reprinted from the current issue of In Tempo, the quarterly magazine of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians. I actually wrote the article months ago, but it was not published until now. Fiasco!The worst musical debacles and lessons learned “Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer… Read More Fiasco! Lessons in Laughter
John McCreary, former longtime organist and choir director of St. Andrew’s Cathedral and Iolani School, was legendary in the annals of Honolulu church music history. Here’s one description of his career as found on the cathedral website: John McCreary, conductor, composer, arranger, singer. and organ builder, had a brilliant 35 year career at St. Andrew’s… Read More The McCreary connection
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!
We’re still not having in-person services at my church job, Nu‘uanu Congregational Church, but since restrictions in Hawaii are loosening, I thought I’d better get the organ checked out since I last played it on the first Sunday in August. Everything seemed to be okay when I played on the Great, with the Swell manual… Read More Uninvited guests
When I first heard the term “flunking retirement,” I thought it was a phrase made up by Betsy McCreary to describe her husband, the late (and great!) organist-choirmaster of St. Andrew’s Cathedral and my predecessor as Chapel Organist at Iolani School, John McCreary. That is because after a long and illustrious career at St. Andrew’s… Read More Flunking retirement