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All Saints' Episcopal Church All Saints' Day School Holy Child Filipino Ministries Iglesia deTodos los Santos 4201 West Washington Avenue - Las Vegas, NV 89107 (between Decatur and Valley View) 702 878-2373 - Fax: 702 878-1829 - Email the Parish Office
Mabuhay - Welcome - Bienvenido
Fr. Ed's Philippine trip Travel log Some pages on our site require "Adobe Reader�" or equivalent software - get "Adobe Reader�" through this link |
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MUSIC NOTES by Father Bede The past few weeks I spent attending church music conferences. The first was in Phoenix, June 21-16, attending the American Guild of Organists Region 9 Convention. The second was in Hollywood attending the Association of Anglican Musicians conference, June 28 � July 3. The weather in Phoenix was cooler than normal and the weather in Hollywood was perfect with cool sea breezes every afternoon. On Sunday, June 21, I flew to Phoenix and Judy Riden picked me up at the airport and drove me to the Arizona Biltimore (a Waldorf-Astoria Collection hotel), where we were met later by Dr. Paul Hesselink, Dr. Sam Lamb, Dr. Dorothy Riess, and Jan Bigler � all from the Southern Nevada Chapter. The Phoenix Rising convention opened with a recital by Peter Richard Conte (organist, Wanamaker Store, Philadelphia and music director at St. Clement�s Episcopal Church, Philadelphia) on the new four-manual Berghaus Organ. Both organ and recitalist were superb. Dr. Conte is known for eschewing the pitches above 4�, but the effect he created was perfect. Elizabeth Lenti, the assistant organist at All Saints� Pasadena (where I was assistant 1958-60), is one of the Rising Stars of the organ world. She played very well on the Casavant organ at St. Barnabas on the Desert in Paradise Valley. That evening we heard Dame Gillian Weir who is one of the finest concert artists in the world. She played on the organ at Trinity Cathedral in Phoenix and presented a program of music not often played. Workshops were presented by Dr. Paul Hesselink and Dr. Dorothy Young Riess � both members of our Southern Nevada Chapter. Paul presented his new concept of �Organ-zing from the Piano � Coupling Young Pianists to the Organ� which has had great success in Las Vegas. Dorothy did a workshop on �Performing in the Golden Years: Just Survive or Really Thrive!� She discussed the many artists who have performed into their 80�s and how this can be done. The key is practice, learn new music, and keep physically fit. The closing program was by John Scott, a prot�g� of Dame Gillian Weir, who was at St Paul�s Cathedral, London, until he was lured to be organist & master of the choristers at St Thomas Church, New York, where he has one of the finest choirs in the world. His program was among the finest playing I have had the privilege to hear. I flew home on Friday, did laundry and recuperated. On Sunday morning I drove to California, visited with my family, and checked into the Hollywood Renaissance Hotel in time to hear the opening Evensong service at All Saints�, Beverly Hills. The choir was superb and the service music included music by resident composer, Craig Phillips, Arvo P�rt, Herbert Howells (Saraband and Epilogue, beautifully played by Thomas Foster, Organist Emeritus at All Saints�) and a new Magnificat and Nunc dimittis by Sir David Willcocks. The opening Eucharist was held the next morning, at St. James, Wilshire Boulevard, with the Rt. Reverend Sergio Carranza-Gomez, Bishop Assistant of Los Angeles, celebrant, the Rev. Dr. Paul J. Kowalewski, homilist, and the staff organist, James Buonemani, assisted by Eric Plutz. There was no choir, but the attendees sang all the music, much of it in 4 parts. The liturgy was well-done and included incense, used correctly and appropriately. On Monday evening, we took the Metro to Disney Recital Hall and heard a fine recital (co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Guild of Organists) by Dr. Thomas Murray, who is professor of organ at the Yale Institute of Music. He played a transcription of the Franck Symphony in D minor that was a memorable event. Another highlight was the concert given by the resident Chamber Orchestra and Vocal Ensemble at St. Matthew�s Episcopal Church, Pacific Palisades. The level of performance was of the highest caliber and featured some fine new contemporary music (classical!). Wednesday took us to All Saints�, Pasadena, where they did a Jazz Matins by their composer in residence, Bill Cunliffe and his Bill Cunliffe Sextet. Both All Saints� choirs, the Canterbury Choir and the Coventry Choir (totaling 80 singers) sang. Jack La Van, who was in the choir when I was there as assistant organist, is still singing! Also, my good friends, Fred and Barbara Borsch attended and we had lunch afterward at McCormick & Schmick (wonderful fresh Dungeones Crab Louis). Fred is the retired Bishop of Los Angeles, and has finally retired from teaching at the end of this semester. Another mutual friend from San Francisco, David Farr (and a former music director at All Saints�, Pasadena) attended. The final event was on Friday morning when we celebrated the closing Eucharist, with Canon Geoffrey Butcher, celebrant, Bishop Eugene Sutton, preacher, and yours truly, assisting. Canon Dr. Jeffrey Smith, organist of Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, played a beautiful service. No choir, but the membership raised the roof.. The themes of these conferences, I found similar in nature. The Phoenix Rising stressed the servant hood of music in the church, and the AAM conference�s theme was �Seven Whole Days, not one in Seven, I will praise thee: Music as an Iconic Glimpse of Heaven.� What impressed me most about the Phoenix conference was the high quality of so many new organs (many of them mechanical action) and the excellence of the recitalists. The AAM conference showed the diversity in Church Music today, and the number of parishes doing truly original music at a high professional level. I came away with lots of new ideas that I hope to implement this year at All Saints�. |
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