It’s time again for another trip off the island— later this morning I will travel to Los Angeles for my grandson’s first birthday already! That means that I will miss attending the Karolers concert on Saturday, June 2 at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu, 2:00 pm. The Karolers’ Facebook page describes the event as an… Read More Missing this weekend’s concerts
It was another of those crazy weekends requiring me to shift gears quickly for the music at hand: A rehearsal with the Early Music Hawaii ladies for their dress rehearsal for “Triumph Against the Odds;” a concert with the Iolani School Chorus and Hokuloa Singers (John Alexander, director) in which I played a Mozart orchestral… Read More Three choirs in three days … and more!
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!
Hey! Don’t read this post if you are going to Sunday’s Hawaii Vocal Masterworks Festival performance of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. I wouldn’t want to spoil it for you! In case you want to know what I’m talking about, you need to first know something of the story. Here’s a quick synopsis from Naxos Records: Dido,… Read More Spoiler alert!
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
Today marked the opening service of the 289th Three Choirs Festival, and I could not help but think the Brits do it best—the pomp, the pageantry and the sheer grandeur of it all. In many ways it was like the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, with the entrance procession lasting 20 minutes! As we… Read More Who can match the Brits?
Today was our last day in Ireland, and those of us who are non-singers had a relatively free day, my first in two weeks! In the morning I went with several others to the National Museum of Ireland (with Viking artifacts the most interesting to me) and the Natural History Museum (The “Dead” Zoo!) In… Read More The view from the organ loft
It took us two hours to get to Waterford, our next stopping point. It is known for its famous Waterford crystal, but unfortunately is no longer manufactured here. We quickly retrieved our bags from underneath the bus, and piled into the small lobby at Treacys Hotel. Already my suitcase and backpack are unbearably heavy and… Read More Jet lag tone
Watch, don’t listen! That’s what I had to keep telling myself during the Hawaii Masterworks Chorus concert today at St. Fin Barre’s. You see, the choir was located in front of the chancel, and the organ console was around the corner. Basically we had our backs to each other and I could not see Tim… Read More Watch, don’t listen!
On my last night in Philadelphia, I was severely challenged to fit everything in my suitcase, and I was up until 1:30 a.m. trying to fit everything I had picked up at the OHS convention. My Honolulu friend, Sam Lam, suggested that I try to mail all the books and pamphlets home, and I wish… Read More No rest for the wicked