I spent the second week of Spring Break with my husband,
John, in San Francisco visiting our daughter, Carletta, and her husband,
Aaron. It was spring in San Francisco,
so we enjoyed the blossoms on the trees and the mild temperatures. Carletta graduated from Tante Marie’s Cooking
School baking course and we were invited to her graduation, during which we had
the good fortune of tasting the final projects of all 14 of the graduates!
Aaron, Carletta, John, and me with Carletta’s final puff pastry baking
project
While in San Francisco, I attended a workshop sponsored by
the San Francisco Chapter of the American Guild of Organists at St. Mark’s
Lutheran Church on Saturday morning, March 15.
Charles Rus presented “a personal perspective on how to prepare and
practice Baroque organ music for modern performance, informed by current
understanding of historical practice.”
Charles was scheduled to present a concert on Sunday evening, March 16,
on the St. Mark’s Taylor and Boody organ, Opus 37 (2006). At the workshop, Charles distributed copies
of his actual music scores for his upcoming Sunday performance with all his
fingering and notes. He then reviewed
some of that music and discussed how he approached some specifics of those
pieces, how he registered the music, and how he practices to prepare for his
concert. The workshop was very
interactive and the two hours flew by!
Unfortunately, I was not able to attend Mr. Rus’ March 16 concert,
because I was flying home to Maine that day.
With Charles Rus in front of the Taylor and Boody organ,
Opus 37, at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, San Francisco
During my recent visit to Columbus,
Ohio, I attended a concert of sacred music with my granddaughter, Lesley Reed, performed
by the Valparaiso University Chorale, conducted by Christopher Cock, at St.
Joseph Cathedral. This 45-voice choir sang works of Felix Mendelssohn,
Henry Purcell, Benjamin Britten, J.S. Bach, and Sydney Guillaume. The
music was very spiritual and I was particularly impressed that they had
memorized almost all of the music.
