Summer Begins

Now that the spring semester is finished, I have the luxury of practicing the organ more.  I am learning about how to practice more efficiently and avoid “mindless practice.”

I found this article very helpful. 

http://www.bulletproofmusician.com/how-many-hours-a-day-should-you-practice/

It was shared with me by my friend and mentor, Dr. Carlton Russell.  This article was written by Dr. Noa Kageyama, who is a performance psychologist and Julliard alumnus and faculty member.  He teaches musicians how to play their best under pressure and writes a blog about this.

I have been learning Easter Hymns and playing the organ more at St. Teresa’s Church.  I played half the service on April 27 and May 4.  I learned to play the Glory to God from the Paul Taylor St. Francis Mass, so I was able to play all the hymns and acclamations for the May 25 Mass at St. Teresa’s.  On May 25 Kevin Birch cantored and my nephew, William Walker (who was visiting from Sloansville, New York for the Memorial Day weekend), joined us to sing in the small choir.

I visited my son, Karl, his wife, Janie, and my three grandchildren, in Cardington, Ohio the weekend of May 16-19. 

With my grandchildren in Cardington, Ohio:  Lesley, Heidi, and Keian

Cardington is close to Columbus, Ohio.  Dr. Paul Thornock, the Director of Music for the St. Joseph Cathedral, generously invited me to play the Fritts, Opus 25, pipe organ at St. Joseph Cathedral for a few hours on the afternoon of May 19 before I caught my flight back to Bangor.

Paul Fritts and Company, Opus 25 (2006), St. Joseph Cathedral, Columbus, Ohio

(3 manuals, 66 stops)

This is a magnificent organ that is very responsive with a wide range of voices.  Here is a link to the organ specifications.

http://cathedralmusic.org/fritts.html

This organ is tuned in Kellner unequal temperament. 

On May 22, I attended a concert by the Pitches with Attitude, the a cappella group from Salve Regina College in Rhode Island.  This concert was held in Orono at the Church of the Universal Fellowship.  The twelve ladies who sing in this group had beautiful voices and they performed a wide range of music.

On June 1, at 4 pm, at the Orono United Methodist Church, the Bangor Chapter of the American Guild of Organists (AGO) will present their member recital.  This year, the recital is focused on Johann Sebastian Bach and his contemporaries.  All the music for this recital was composed by J. S. Bach or someone who was living during the time that Bach lived (1685-1750).  I will be playing Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in E Minor (“The “Cathedral”), BWV 533, on the historic and restored Emmons Howard pipe organ (1891).

1891 Emmons Howard/1978 Berkshire rebuild

(2 manuals, 29 ranks)

at the Orono United Methodist Church

My husband, John, is very supportive of all my musical interests.  With the more leisurely summer pace, we are enjoying each other and more time together.