That’s how I felt about this afternoon’s performance of the Bach Mass in B minor by the Hawaii Vocal Arts Ensemble under the baton of Timothy Carney — it was so exhilarating to play Bach in that acoustically live and beautiful space! And the choir, orchestra and soloists certainly rose to the occasion in performing… Read More Pure exhilaration and joy!
Bravi, tutti! This was the title of an email we performers received from Scott Fikse, director of Saturday’s “Baroque France” concert, and newly-appointed President for Early Music Hawaii. We were especially encouraged by the large and enthusiastic crowd that filled the Lutheran Church of Honolulu. Scott wrote: Congratulations to all of you on a splendid… Read More Bravi, tutti!
The Early Music Hawaii concert, “Rome 1600,” is now over, and here are my thoughts: When I saw the words “Singers Circle” on the rehearsal schedule for our pre-concert warmup, I had no idea what it was, never having heard this term before. Most of us performers met in Isenberg Hall just prior to entering… Read More Singers Circle
Tonight was Early Music Hawaii’s dress rehearsal for tomorrow night’s concert: Rome 1600! The Glories of the Italian Baroque. The concert features the Early Music Hawaii Ensemble of Singers and Players, conducted by Scott Fikse. The great dramas of early Baroque Rome were the Oratorios—operatic illustrations of biblical stories, the lives of martyrs or principles… Read More Rome 1600—A grand spectacle!
I know you’ve heard that expression before! If you look it up in a dictionary (on the internet, of course!) it’s a term which expresses surprise or amazement: “Great Scott!” is an interjection of surprise, amazement, or dismay. It is a distinctive but inoffensive exclamation, popular in the second half of the 19th century and… Read More Great Scott!
And a race to the finish! That pretty much typifies the last week before a trip… but this week things seem particularly frantic. Within the past few days, along with baritone Keane Ishii and Early Music Hawaii President, Ian Capps, we gave a demonstration of early music to over 60 first graders at Pearl City… Read More A flurry of activity
You’ll never guess what I’m practicing now … a piano version of “Let it go,” from the Disney movie, “Frozen”which I’m adapting to play on the harpsichord. It’s generally not the type of music I play, but it’s all to prepare for a school presentation for Early Music Hawaii in a couple of weeks. The… Read More The fastest way to learn
This has been another “Race to the finish” week for me, with many tasks to accomplish before getting on the plane on Sunday to Seattle for a family reunion with my husband’s family. Wouldn’t you know, this is not only the week of The Polish Renaissance concert, but it also was the week that my… Read More One last push
The following is the text of Scott Fikse’s farewell address to the congregation. I was secretly thrilled that he included my name! I give thanks to God for leading me and Marcus on a path that brought us to all of you. I’ve told this story to many of you, but when Marcus graduated from… Read More Scott’s farewell
For some reason, I felt like saying this in Latin, “de profundis.” I feel like I’ve been to the abyss and back. However, it’s not because of any “sorrow or anguish” on my part. Why? On Tuesday I had my Covid booster shot and although I had been warned that some people were more deeply… Read More De profundis