This coming Saturday night is the final concert of the season for Early Music Hawaii, May 19 at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu, 7:30 pm. I thought I was going to be “off the hook” for this concert, but as it turns out, I’ll be playing for the opera by Francesca Caccini—the first known opera… Read More Triumph Against the Odds 2
It must be Spring Concert Season! [DISCLAIMER] I am only personally involved in three of these concerts and this is by no means a comprehensive list of concerts in Hawaii! For example, it does not include the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra concerts even though I have season tickets and will most probably be in the audience,… Read More If it’s May …
In the last four days, I have attended three concerts and gotten my chance to be an audience member. I used to remember Carl Crosier saying that as performers it was our job to make it Christmas for everyone else—now I’ve had my chance to hear someone else’s hard work. On Sunday, I was at the… Read More ‘Tis the season, part 2
Last night, I went to the first of the two-concert series, Echoes and Refrains, and of course, I recognized a lot of people from my life before—when I was the organist at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu for 35 years. Of course, I go to the church four days a week to teach organ lessons… Read More Ear candy
Fantastic Early Music Hawaii concert at LCH tonight! Congratulations and thank you to Scott Fikse for leading the charge, Katherine Crosier and the orchestra for great music and the singers, notably Naomi Castro, Keane Ishii, Karol Nowicki, Sarah Lambert Connelly, Mitchell Moriwaki, Bowe Souza, Taylor Rei Ishida, and Georgine Duncan Stark for a wonderful performance!… Read More Standing ovation for Perfect Purcell
Tonight was our dress rehearsal for tomorrow night’s all-Purcell Early Music Hawaii concert at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu. It was the first and last time all the players and singers came together to rehearse this glorious music before the concert. Contrary to dress rehearsals for play and opera productions, the singers and players do not wear… Read More Double duty
Enough of this jet lag! Just yesterday, I figured that I’d better start working on the music for next weekend’s Early Music Hawaii concert, especially since I was to attend my first rehearsal last night. The concert features Scott Fikse conducting the Early Music Hawaii Singers and Players and will take place at the Lutheran… Read More Prepping for Purcell
All week long, director Tim Carney was encouraging the choristers to invite their friends to the Hawaii Vocal Masterworks Festival concert on Sunday. “We lost our graphic designer which means no postcards were sent out.” I did see a number of Facebook posts about the June 25th concert from the soloists, Jennifer Lane, Naomi Castro and… Read More Sellout for Dido and Aeneas!
Yesterday I thought I was drowning in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas—I was completely overwhelmed! You see, after flying home on Saturday night after 12 days in California to meet my first grandchild, I went to a choral rehearsal the very next day, where I picked up the music for next Sunday’s Hawaii Vocal Masterworks Festival… Read More Drowning in Purcell
One hundred fifty years ago on Ascension Day, 1867, Queen Emma Kaleleonālani, wife of King Kamehameha IV, founded St. Andrew’s Priory School for Girls. Today’s Ascension Day service combined orchestra, band, choir, organ and congregation to celebrate the school’s founding—and the decibel level in St. Andrew’s Cathedral was so loud that when I played full… Read More How loud is loud?