As mentioned earlier, non-profit organizations like the Windward Choral Society run on two things: donations and volunteers. When it comes to making our machine run, donations are the gas and our cheerful volunteers are the engine. At the heart of it all is our Board of Directors. So what does our Board do, exactly? If […]
“The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.” – Mark Twain There are few ironclad guarantees in the world of the Windward Choral Society. I can’t tell you what language(s) you’ll be singing, how many strange noises you’ll make during warm-ups, or what goes through the mind of a tenor (if […]
Just a quick note because I got a quick note from Heather Spencer at Mission Positive Films in Kaneohe. She’s an independent filmmaker whose award-winning project/passion/mission, “C – A Celebration of Life“, is going to be shown on OC16 on Sunday September 6th at 7:00pm (with no commercials…sweet). The scoop: “Meet 12 cancer survivors who […]
All right, the open house is tomorrow, the season is begun and you new kids need to learn the rules around here. Pay attention, take notes, get a tattoo of the important ones. Rule #1 – Don’t be on time.* Rule #2 – Follow Susie’s directions during the warm-up. No, she hasn’t lost her mind, […]
The last time I pounded aimlessly on the keyboard I talked about some of the silliness and fun that’s gone on over the years and today I wanted to take some time to remember some of the musical magic. There’s nothing in the world that sounds quite like a choir. Add a composition of brilliance […]
Incoming…we’re just a few weeks away from the start of the fall semester, bring on the Windward Choral Society’s seventh annual holiday concert. Yeah, seventh. Wow. If you’re new to our merry band, welcome! You’ll like it here. We’re all friendly, welcoming, filled with the joy of music and juuuuust a little bit nuts. Don’t […]
Pretty much every one of the Windward Choral Society’s concerts has included at least one piece accompanied by the ukulele. Hey, it’s Hawaii. Isn’t there an ongoing argument in the legislature about proclaiming it as the official state instrument (wait…an argument…in politics…say it ain’t so)? These days many (most) know that it was actually brought […]
One of Singapore’s major attractions is the Night Safari, a “nocturnal zoo”. Unlike other zoos I’ve been to, this one doesn’t open until it’s good and dark and the different habitats are then lit to make them visible. News flash: it’s hot in the jungle during the day, meaning lots of animals are really active […]
“And then…all the noise! All the noise, noise, noise, noise! If there’s one thing I hate…all the noise, noise, noise, noise!” – The Grinch Okay, so this is going to go to some strange places, but stay with me. Have no fear; I’d never lead you astray…well…not terribly far anyway. I’ve written before about the way […]
We’ve all seen the old period piece movies where the burly, sweaty, hairy-chested blacksmith (why are they always so dang shaggy?) is cranking up the coals in the forge by heaving up and down on a huge bellows. Sparks fly and coals glow and metal gets all malleable and he manages to pound it into […]