Dear Friends,

Hope this winter finds you well.

Here at long last are stories of my musical travels from last year.

** Carol Williams and Spreckels Organ

In June 08, I visited San Diego to see an old friend and also meet Dr.
Carol Williams and the Spreckels Organ! The last time I was in San
Diego must have been over 10 years ago, back when I was just starting
my organ studies. On the lovely June day, Carol kindly demonstrated
the organ, gave me a tour (helped by the curator Lyle Blackinton) of
the innards, and let me play. Afterwards Carol and I enjoyed a
fantastic lunch in a nearby cafe, right in beautiful Balboa Park. I
got to see the action, inside the air chamber that felt like a ride in
an airplane due to a difference in pressure, the drums and cymbals,
and much history of this fascinating outdoor organ. I also learned
that it has a sort of "garage door", corrugated metal, that descends
to protect the pipes and also to give an organist a private practice
space. And I now know that it takes the entire Fugue #1 from Die Kunst
der Fuge for the door to descend completely (see the photo of me in
the process, in the link below). Here are the photos and a short
video I took from inside the chamber while Carol played above.
http://picasaweb.google.com/organaut/SpreckelsOrganCarolWilliamsJune2008

Carol's new video of her performance at West Point Cadet Chapel can be
seen here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHZvMAJUN5g

Please visit
http://www.melcot.com and http://www.sosorgan.com
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** Summer at Eastman: Harpsichord Improvisation Course

Lately I have fallen in love with the harpsichord, and I inherited a
very basic Zuckermann "Z-box" from someone who built it from a kit
back in the '60s. I have been teaching myself on it, and got an
understanding of how to get a nice sound out of the instrument (thanks
to the organ background). So when the postcard from Eastman School of
Music arrived, I jumped on the opportunity to spend a whole week
living and breathing harpsichords! The course, led by William Porter,
was an amazing, eye opening and validating experience. Most students
in the 13-person class were actually organists, which made for lively
discussion and lunch clicques that formed quickly. It was a hot summer
and I lived in the Music School dorm (tiny room with no A/C),
furthering the notion that I was there to learn, learn and learn.
Eastman has a number of fantastic harpsichords, as well as several
pipe organs right in the building. I would highly recommend this
program.

Photos here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/organaut/SummerAtEastmanHarpsichordImprovisationCour\
seJuly2008

In other harpsichord news, I am currently learning early pieces of
J.S. Bach (including the Capriccio on the Departure of Beloved Brother
and Lute pieces) and preparing a concert program of Purcell and
Monteverdi on the harpsichord with my good friend and organist Liya
Petrides (DMA in organ, Juilliard), who has a beautiful singing voice.
I am also going to upgrade the Z-box strings and jacks with new ones
that should improve its sound and responsiveness by a great deal.
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** Member News:

Jared Lamenzo will play a recital on the historic Erben organ at Old
St. Patrick's Church, NYC, on Sunday February 8, at 4 pm. The recital
will celebrate recent work done on the instrument by the esteemed
Sebastian Gluck Orgelbau. I will be the registrant for this event.
==========================================

** OrganFocus Site News:

For fans of Anton Heiller, I have posted the entire "Heiller at
Harvard" CD booklet online in PDF format. This, together with student
memories, can be downloaded here:
http://www.organfocus.com/music/heilleratharvard.php3

Thanks to David Moran for providing the materials for publication.
==========================================

** Book Review:

I have finished reading "Organ-isms: Anecdotes from the world of the
King of Instruments" by Jenny Setchell of http://www.nzorgan.com .
Wow. This was as enjoyable as having a nice dinner with seasoned
veterans of the organ world, where fun stories flow as freely as the
libations. I am ready for volume two! Kudos to Jenny and to all who
shared the hilarious stories.
http://books.cafepress.com/item/organisms/348246869
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Have a great week-end!

Lana