Mass Cancellations

On Monday & Tuesday, 4 & 5 May, both Masses have been cancelled and Confessions will not be heard due to the annual Clergy Conference at which all of our Clergy will be attending.

Organ Project Update

As we noted in the last Organ Project update, we are now in the three-year phase of the refurbishment and completion of the St. Thomas Memorial Organ itself. Refurbishing and completing the St. Thomas Memorial Organ has been a goal of our Parish for more than twenty years. We are excited that, with your help and support, this monumental project has finally begun.

Indeed, the fruits of your generosity and dedication were displayed by the premiere at the Christmas Eve Mass of the refurbished west chamber division (Swell Organ). This division features the main components from the original 1930's St. Thomas organ and the many memorial gifts to that organ from 1930-1985. In combining the refurbished west chamber division with the "interim" organ, the bulk of the entire organ is effectively active and playing. Instead of deactivating the next sections of work and removing them to be refurbished, the Church has opted to keep the full organ generally active and maintained and do refurbishing more "from scratch". With this there will also be less disruption to the appearance of the church. Moreover, at the Easter Vigil Mass, the "32' Trompette" was added in the pedal section of the organ.

Additional work that Mr. Weston Harris has been performing these last few months includes:

• The build and installation of new premium "tour" access ladders and walkways in the west chamber. These access ways are larger and more "user-friendly" that those typically provided just for organ maintenance. These new access ways will allow for public touring inside of the organ.
• The addition of donated pipe sets into the west chamber division, including the "Cymbale". These are high-pitched pipes which produce a cymbal-like sheen of tone.
• Continued work on the organ blower room. It will progress further with the installation of the room's outside access door.

The next section of work is the large wooden bass pipes in the west transept. The pipes are being rearranged and their operating systems updated. A set of donated 32' pitch pipes are being added to the set. These pipes are a rare historic set built in 1912. (These are donated by the organ builder in the name of Gary Maahs who was a long-time member of the church in the 80'-90's. After the 1994 earthquake, Gary meticulously suspended himself above and around the organ pipes in the chambers to make repairs to the chamber walls and ceiling - and repainted without disturbing any of the pipes.) The new pipe arrangement in the west transept will feature an oval wood "frame" at its center appropriate for placing chapel artwork.

If you have any questions regarding the Organ Renovation Project, please see the Project liaison, former Rector's Warden, Randy Oglesby. Time permitting, Mr. Harris has also generously offered to give tours of the St. Thomas Organ to parishioners and to personally answer questions about the Organ Renovation Project. If you are interested, please also see Randy Oglesby.
 

"Let's Talk About"

On 17 May, the "Let's Talk About Series" continues. This month's subject "Anglican Hymns: Traditions and Backgrounds of our Music" will be led by Organist Choirmaster Jeffrey Parola following the High Mass. 

Jeffrey Parola is an American composer of numerous orchestral, chamber, and choral/vocal works. His music is varied and eclectic, reflecting a wide range of musical influences. Jeffrey's recent major professional commissions include Concerto for Clarinet and Chamber Orchestra, written for clarinetist Paul Green and the Atlantic Classical Orchestra and conductor Stewart Robertson, which premiered to critical acclaim in Florida in March 2014. this view of life, a piece for chorus and string quartet, was written for Choral Chameleon, directed by Vince Peterson, which premiered in New York City in May 2013. Commissioned by the Los Angeles-based Pacific Serenades, Three Divertimenti for bassoon and string quartet received its premiere performances on 21 & 25 June 2014. Upcoming commissions include a piece for 2 pianos for Hocket in 2015, and a piece for the BluePrint New Music Ensemble, to be premiered in Spring 2016 with Nicole Paiement conducting.

Jeffrey is the recipient of numerous notable honors. In 2009, he was awarded the Jim Highsmith Orchestral Composition Prize for his large orchestral work, The Long Valley, which led to a public performance of the piece by the San Francisco Conservatory Orchestra, led by Maestro Andrew Mogrelia. Jeffrey received an honorable mention for the 2009 European American Musical Alliance (EAMA) Prize for his work, Sempiterna, a 25-minute pseudo-requiem for a cappella chorus, and three years later, Jeffrey was awarded the 2012 EAMA Prize for The Long Valley. In 2013, Jeffrey was selected by a committee of philanthropists and musicians to receive the Rappaport Prize for Music Composition, which culminated in a commission to write his Concerto for Clarinet and Chamber Orchestra for the Atlantic Classical Orchestra. In 2014, his 5 Short Pieces for solo piano was awarded the Peter David Faith Endowed Memorial Award in Composition at the University of Southern California. Also in 2014, Jeffrey was chosen to be the recipient of the 2016 Hoefer Prize, the highest award granted to distinguished alumni composers from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. The Prize involves the commissioning of a new work and a week-long residency at the Conservatory in the spring of 2016, which includes lectures and student mentorship.

A committed educator, Jeffrey serves as an instructor on the faculty at the University of Southern California, where he teaches Aural Skills and Theory. He is a recurring composition faculty member for the Choral Chameleon Summer Institute, which is a New York City-based summer program for composers and conductors, designed to immerse composers and conductors of choral music in real-world, practical learning experiences.

Also an active performer, Jeffrey is an organist, conductor, and vocalist. He is presently the organist and choirmaster at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Hollywood, and he has sung professionally with several highly acclaimed ensembles, including the San Francisco Symphony Chorus and Schola Cantorum San Francisco.

Jeffrey is currently finishing doctoral studies in composition at the University of Southern California, where he studied composition with Frank Ticheli and Donald Crockett and orchestration with Stephen Hartke. He earned his master's degree in 2005 from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he studied with David Conte. Jeffrey earned his bachelor's degree from UCLA in 2002 after studying with Mark Carlson, David Lefkowitz, and Ian Krouse.

St. Thomas Concert Series

On 30 May at 8pm, the stunning, acclaimed soprano, Christina Borgioli, comes to St. Thomas to offer an evening of sacred song. The varied repertoire on this program features music by Bach, Mozart, Schubert, Wolf, Strauss, Boulanger, and Rorem, and includes the world premiere of a new sacred song by St. Thomas the Apostle's Organist/Choirmaster, Jeffrey Parola. Free admission!