You’ve heard the expression, “A friend in need is a friend indeed”? There are two meanings to this proverb: A true friend is one who helps you when you are in need. If one of your friends is in need (of help), be a good friend to them and help them. At the end of… Read More A friend in need
Last night I received a phone call from the organist of Kilohana United Methodist Church, where I will be the guest organist in a couple weeks. I asked her if the organ had multiple memory levels so that I could set up my own combinations. I was glad when she said I could have any level… Read More Old tricks vs. something new
We’re home for just a short nine days before taking off again across the pond. And on our “to-do” list is a performance of Gabriel Fauré’s beloved Requiem for the memorial service of our long-time friend, choral conductor Dale Noble who died on March 22. Go back and read my post “Aloha, Dale” for information about Dale’s… Read More Upcoming Fauré Requiem
Are organists the only musicians who never know what to expect when they have to perform on their instruments? I can’t tell you the number of times I have come to the church and found something not working on the organ. There was the time I was scheduled to play Jeremiah Clarke’s Trumpet Voluntary in… Read More Handicapped!
I asked my Iolani School colleague, John Alexander, if he wouldn’t mind sharing his brilliant eulogy for John McCreary, and he was happy to oblige. So here it is in its entirety: HENH!!! That’s one of the things I’m going to miss most about John: that quirky way he had of greeting those he knew… Read More Sesquipedalian circumlocution
If a bomb had struck at St. Andrew’s Cathedral April 27th at 11:00 am, there would be no more church music in Honolulu! That is because every church musician in town was there to celebrate the life of Canon Organist Emeritus John McCreary. People were already starting to gather when I arrived at St. Andrew’s… Read More Celebration John McCreary
Today we laid Canon Organist Emeritus John McCreary to rest. The other day when I brought dinner to Betsy, his widow, she invited our houseguest, John Graham, and Carl and myself to the viewing and burial. (John was buried with a martini glass and an organ pipe!) John Graham, who is here to attend McCreary’s… Read More Pie Jesu