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
In this post, I want to give you some updates to the latest happenings in Honolulu in the organ world. It was way back in 2015 (Six years ago!) that I wrote posts called “A pipe organ in peril” and “A friend in need,” about the Aeolian-Skinner organ at St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Honolulu. At… Read More Aeolian-Skinner update
Last night was the official debut of the Estonia piano at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu, which culminated in a Facebook Live event featuring Maika’i Nash and Mark Wong. They performed music for two pianos in a concert called Taevamuusika, which is Estonian for “music of the heavens.” You can refresh your memory on the… Read More Taevamuusika
It happened last week, when Mark Wong came to play the service for the Lutheran Church of Honolulu, and there seemed to be a cipher (a note which sounds without being pushed down). A further investigation by Roy Helms, a member of the choir who once worked with organbuilder Paul Fritts, resulted in the discovery… Read More EEK! I smell a rat!
For the last two weeks, I’ve been working on getting “my ducks in a row,” that is, taking care of my duties and responsibilities, and organizing my affairs… just in case. From the Grammarist: Get one’s ducks in a row and have one’s ducks in a row are American idioms, the origin of these phrases is murky. One… Read More Getting one’s ducks in a row
When I retired from my position as organist at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu at the end of 2012, I thought that for the first time since I was 15 (!) that I would have my Thursday nights back. You see, it was our good friend and business partner, Peter Hallock, who said, “God made… Read More A new generation
I’m going to be playing in the next First Mondays concert, March 2, at 7:00 pm at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu, titled “The Court of Weissenfels,” which will feature music of the composers who worked there: Bach, Handel and Johann Philip Krieger (1649-1725). As you can see, the concert has an all-Star cast: I’m… Read More A day in Weissenfels
Last night I was at the inaugural concert of the Chamber Concert series at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu—and one of the most important aspects of this new concert series are the refreshments offered at 6:30 pm before the concert begins. This was a great opportunity to visit with long-time friends and parishioners in the… Read More First Monday concerts debut
I may have mentioned once or twice (!) that I come from a musical family. My mother won a piano in a music competition when she was in high school and had to make the hard decision to choose between music or going to medical school (she became a pediatrician but went back to playing… Read More Music runs in families
Last night Central Union Church and the Hawaii Chapter American Guild of Organists honored Nyle Hallman on the occasion of her 90th birthday. Ten organists performed, including the birthday girl herself, who was rewarded with a sustained standing ovation. All three of her children were in attendance, plus Nyle’s sister and other family members who… Read More Nyle’s night