Last night’s Christmas concert by the St. Andrew’s Priory Choirs was a prime example of the miracle that can happen in performance — when everyone rises to the occasion and exceeds all expectations. As some of you may know, LCH’s Naomi Castro, a daughter of the congregation (I played for her parents’ wedding!) is now… Read More Rising to the occasion
It’s December 2012, and I am beginning my last month as organist of the Lutheran Church of Honolulu. A number of people have asked me how I am feeling, and quite honestly, I have answered “with mixed emotions.” You may recall that in Carl Crosier’s last month as Cantor, we started ticking off the “lasts”… Read More The last month
Last Sunday, the LCH choir sang “The Beatitudes” by Slovenian composer, Damijan Močnik (b. 1967), a new name to many of us at LCH. The piece loosely based on plainchant and somewhat reminiscent of the works of Estonian Arvo Pärt. Since it’s been a long time since I took geography, I found out that Slovenia… Read More New names, new faces
Okay, I admit it — I’m a political junkie and am always trying to catch up with the latest polls and the pundits, red states, blue states and battleground states. So yesterday I couldn’t resist taking a picture of several LCH choristers as they joined St. Andrew’s Cathedral choir in an evensong service in memory… Read More Red or blue?
Over the years, many LCH children have been involved in the Hawaii Youth Opera Chorus to further their music education. Naomi Castro, Karyn Castro, Marisa Castello, Elizabeth Pearson, and Joseph Pearson are some of the names which come to mind. Hilary Scherer (whose mom, Ulrike Scherer, sings alto in the LCH Choir) was also an… Read More Music education through performance
Thirty-five years ago today Carl Crosier and I stood before the altar at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu and pledged our love and commitment to each other. Today is our thirty-fifth wedding anniversary and it seems hardly possible that so many years have gone by, so many musical productions, so many notes! Yesterday I played… Read More 35 years of blessings
On Wednesday night, I and a few other folks from LCH attended the Spring Concert of St. Andrew’s Priory choirs conducted by our own Naomi Castro, with Carl Crosier, accompanist. Randy Castello (one of the LCH tenors) turned to me and said, “Did you see the obituary for Pat Chamberlain this week?” In the picture above,… Read More Aloha, Patricia Chamberlain (1926-2012)
Today, the Third Sunday of Advent, the LCH choir sang two motets by German Lutheran composers, “Ich bin eine Stimme eines Rufers” by Melchior Vulpius (1570-1615) and “Ich taufe mit Wasser” by Andreas Raselius (1563-1602). The first motet was sung for the Offertory and was conducted by Renson Madarang, a new voice in the tenor… Read More Young conductors
There were a bunch of people at the St. Andrew’s Priory’s choir concert last night who were beaming with pride. It was Naomi Castro’s choral directing debut in her new role as director of choral activities, a position she was hired for just two days before the school term began. For Jimmy and Olivia Castro… Read More Full circle
“I thought I wasn’t going to have to open the Poki Lot anymore!” sighed Carl Crosier as we drove into the church’s secondary parking lot last Sunday and found it locked. Peter Hallock often told us that if he had a nickel for every time he opened and closed St. Mark’s Cathedral, Seattle, he would… Read More Second fiddle