As I was driving home from the airport this afternoon, having taught organ lessons on Kauai, the traffic was absolutely wretched. I had decided to take Dillingham Boulevard (surface streets) instead of staying on the freeway, which I immediately found out was a bad decision! There are lanes closed off due to the ongoing construction… Read More In love with Requiems
Tonight the people of Honolulu celebrated the 10th anniversary of the passing of John McCreary with a special memorial Evensong. A publicity flyer described him like this: John McCreary was a musical force of nature. During his five decades in Hawai‘i, he served as Organist/Choirmaster and Canon Emeritus at St. Andrew’s Cathedral, taught music at ‘Iolani School… Read More Rubber Ducky Evensong?
I am now at the gate at Kona Airport, having just finished the performance of Handel Messiah with the Kona Choral Society. I had forgotten how many notes fly by in the course of even doing the Christmas portion, plus the “Worthy is the Lamb” and “Amen” choruses. I mean, by even blinking you risk… Read More A whole lotta notes!
Yesterday, my long-time friend from the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians, Bruce Bengtson, his sister and brother-in-law and I had lunch at the Ono Steak and Shrimp restaurant in Waimanalo. I had never been there before and relied on my phone’s GPS to find the restaurant. The parking lot was filled to capacity which should… Read More Are you organists?
Already when the Kona Choral Society concert did not start until 4:06, and especially, when it was not until 4:45 when Susan McCreary Duprey gave the downbeat of Handel Messiah, I was worried about getting to the airport for my 6:53 pm flight, knowing that the airport was a half hour drive away. Getting out… Read More Whew! Just made it!
Sunday’s concert by the Windward Choral Society marked the tenth anniversary of this choir, and it was on all accounts, a total triumph! This, in spite of the fact that “90% of the people don’t read music” according to director Susan McCreary Duprey. Here’s the letter that she wrote to the singers, ringers and orchestra: Mahalo… Read More Windward Choral Society triumph
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 …
I have been home scarcely two days and jet lag has hit me hard—as it always does. There’s no problem going east in spite of having no sleep on the plane, but coming home is a different story! I arrived in Honolulu about 3:30 pm on Tuesday, with a 3 hour stop in San Francisco… Read More John Alexander’s Requiem
This past weekend I was on the Big Island of Hawai’i with the Kona Choral Society. In past years, I had complained that the audience clapped after every movement in the Handel Messiah, and I was wondering whether they would do the same this year. Lo and behold, I turned to this page in the… Read More They read the program! (mostly)
I only spent one year in Princeton, NJ, attending graduate school at Westminster Choir College where I obtained my Master of Music degree in Organ Performance, but I daresay it had more influence on me as a musician than did five years of organ lessons in high school, a summer studying with French virtuoso Marcel… Read More A sad day