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
Last night was only our second rehearsal for the season opening concerts of Early Music Hawai’i “(Masters of the English Reformation“), now tentatively scheduled for later in this month. If you can believe this, our last rehearsal was way back in August, on the 11th! And yesterday’s date was October 2nd, a separation of over… Read More Rehearsal by FaceTime
I am now at the gate at Kona Airport, having just finished the performance of Handel Messiah with the Kona Choral Society. I had forgotten how many notes fly by in the course of even doing the Christmas portion, plus the “Worthy is the Lamb” and “Amen” choruses. I mean, by even blinking you risk… Read More A whole lotta notes!
You wouldn’t ordinarily laugh during a classical concert, but a lot of people couldn’t help themselves last Saturday night at the “Think Outside the Bach” concert. It came during Michal Nowicki‘s reading of PDQ Bach’s biography (in his beautifully accented English), who is described by PDQ’s creator, Peter Schickele as “the son of Johann Sebastian Bach and Anna… Read More You wouldn’t ordinarily laugh …
I checked out of the Premier Inn only after indulging in an all-you-can-eat full English breakfast which was included in the price of the room. This was such a fantastic deal at 55 GBP per night—I will look forward to staying here again at the end of my trip. For people who noticed baked beans… Read More Reunion in Vienna