Our concert tonight was in the Musiikkitalo, also known as the Helsinki Music Centre and it was a program for choir and organ. My attention was drawn to the unusual sculpture of pipes outside of the case, and when Bill Potter asked me whether those were working pipes, I thought yes, they were. Here’s what… Read More The Helsinki Music Centre (Musiikkitalo) organ
When Bill Potter and I decided to book the tour “Highlights of Scandinavia: Sweden, Norway and Denmark,” he said that he was going to write to Hope Jahren to see if we could meet sometime during or after our tour. If her name sounds familiar, perhaps you’ve read her bestselling books, Lab Girl or The… Read More Happy times with Hope and Clint
I had set my alarm for 4:45 am in order to put my bag outside my room for pickup at 5:30, and found myself wide awake at 12:04 am! Luckily I fell back to sleep again, and woke up at 4:00, with plenty of time to spare. We left the hotel at 6:00 am for… Read More Reindeer hot dogs in Bergen
Although we really only spent a few moments in each of these churches, St. Giles’ Cathedral and Rosslyn Chapel were highlights in my day today. Here’s what’s on the St. Giles’ website: St Giles’ Cathedral, founded in 1124 by King David I, has been a working church for almost 900 years. A backdrop to Scotland’s… Read More St. Giles‘ Cathedral and Rosslyn Chapel
Last weekend was the 79th birthday of Joseph Hansen, whom you may remember was the Music Director of the Lutheran Church of Honolulu before Carl Crosier. Joe sent me a long email last August about the Beckerath organ selection process—much of which I never heard before. I knew that Carl was sent to the mainland to… Read More Another piece of the puzzle
You may remember that it was last year when I visited Eisenstadt, where composer Josef Haydn lived and is now buried in the Bergkirche, the “Hill” church. Go back and read my post, “Mission to Eisenstadt,” to refresh your memory. It was here that Haydn played the organ and premiered several of his mass settings.… Read More The miracle of Bergkirche