Podcasts about ausra

Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast No. 728! It's Vidas and usually we do these conversations with Ausra but today I'm delighted to speak with a very special guest—someone whose music has brought inspiration, beauty, and calm to listeners and performers around the world.Dr. James Michael Stevens, joining us from Nashville, Tennessee, is a remarkably prolific composer, pianist, and educator. He currently serves as the Dean of the School of Music at Welch College, and his creative output is nothing short of astonishing. With thousands of published compositions, Dr. Stevens has developed a signature style that blends lyrical grace, spiritual depth, and heartfelt simplicity.Many of his works, especially his meditative piano pieces, have become favorites among church musicians, educators, and recording artists alike. His music resonates deeply with people looking for comfort, peace, and emotional honesty—and more recently, it has also found a home in the repertoires of organists.In this episode, we'll explore how James approaches composition and stays so remarkably productive. We'll discuss how he balances creative flow with discipline, what inspires the emotional tone of his music, and how sacred themes guide his writing. We'll also talk about his experiences in music education, the challenges and rewards of publishing, and what advice he would give to aspiring composers and church musicians today.Enjoy the conversation!James Michael Stevens Website:https://www.jamesmichaelstevens.com/welcome.htmlAll music at Sheet Music Plus:https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/en/category/arrangeme/?q=James+M+Stevens+Music+ASCAP?&aff_id=605733Organ Solo Music at Sheet Music Plus:https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/en/category/instruments/piano-and-keyboard/organ/organ-solo/?prefn1=artists_composers&prefv1=James+Michael+StevensSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7oMHPMTAKVFtskAXuQ4u1k?si=vk9WqmheTUWEfnAAJpUGIAJames Michael Stevens

John has over 30 years of experience taking novel solutions from conception to reality across the energy, semiconductor and supercomputer industries. Prior to founding Rondo, John served as co-founder and vice president of development for GlassPoint Solar, the leading provider of solar thermal energy for industry worldwide. He is also the former founder and president of Ausra, Inc., a pioneer in solar thermal and solar electric systems. John launched his career as the lead engineer for Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, a U.S. Department of Energy national lab, where he designed award-winning technology to support real-time fusion experiments. He is a published author of numerous technical papers and holds more than 20 patents in the U.S. and internationally. John earned a B.Sc. with Special Distinction in Computer Science from Yale University. https://www.rondo.energy/ https://nexuspmg.com/

This question was sent by Matthew, and he writes:“Hello Vidas & Ausra,Thank you for all that you are doing to encourage and coach organists!1. What is your dream for organ playing?Be able to accompany any song without losing the mood of the song. Rich bass and appropriate chords.2. What are 3 most important things that are holding you back from realizing your dream?a. Fingeringb. Unable to play soprano and alto in the right hand simultaneously (bass and tenor in the left hand simultaneously)c. Knowledge of chordsBest regards,Mathew”

Topics covered:- Common sleep issues you see in young children, and how to address them- Strategies on working with parents to develop an effective sleep training plan that meets their child'sneeds?- Advice for parents who are struggling with their child's sleep habits- Balancing the importance of healthy sleep habits with the demands of modernparenting? Produced in proud partnership with Myco.@sheleadstheway_@nickitothebedford@myco.ionickibedfordd@gmail.com FOLLOW US:@sheleadstheway_@nicki_bedfordVISIT US:sheleadstheway.comnickibedford.comCONTACT US:hello@sheleadstheway.com

John has over 30 years of experience taking novel solutions from conception to reality across the energy, semiconductor and supercomputer industries. Prior to founding Rondo, John served as co-founder and vice president of development for GlassPoint Solar, the leading provider of solar thermal energy for industry worldwide. He is also the former founder and president of Ausra, Inc., a pioneer in solar thermal and solar electric systems. John launched his career as the lead engineer for Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, a U.S. Department of Energy national lab, where he designed award-winning technology to support real-time fusion experiments. He is a published author of numerous technical papers and holds more than 20 patents in the U.S. and internationally. John earned a B.Sc. with Special Distinction in Computer Science from Yale University. https://www.rondo.energy/ https://nexuspmg.com/

For this episode, Anina and Elena have invited Ausra Ramauskaite and Jae Kook Cha, two renowned young researchers and former Osteology Research Scholars. They talk about their scholarship experience in Frankfurt and Madrid and give valuable tips on how to become a scholar. In addition, they share personal insights into what it takes to follow one's path as a young researcher and realise one's hopes and dreams.

This question was sent by Andrew, and he writes Dear Vidas, My answers to your recent questions: 1. My dream is to be able to play the organ confidently in the liturgy and perhaps in recitals occasionally. 2. The 3 most important things holding me back from this are: - Poor sense of timing and rhythm - Lack of focus and concentration in practicing - My legs are both slightly twisted outwards, which makes some pedaling uncomfortable (especially around the middle of the pedalboard; I cannot place my knees close together without great effort) Nonetheless, I am finding Total Organist a very useful resource and community. I find your daily emails especially helpful. My best wishes to you and Ausra from England, Andrew

John has over 30 years of experience taking novel solutions from conception to reality across the energy, semiconductor and supercomputer industries. Prior to founding Rondo, John served as co-founder and vice president of development for GlassPoint Solar, the leading provider of solar thermal energy for industry worldwide. He is also the former founder and president of Ausra, Inc., a pioneer in solar thermal and solar electric systems. John launched his career as the lead engineer for Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, a U.S. Department of Energy national lab, where he designed award-winning technology to support real-time fusion experiments. He is a published author of numerous technical papers and holds more than 20 patents in the U.S. and internationally. John earned a B.Sc. with Special Distinction in Computer Science from Yale University. https://www.rondo.energy/ https://nexuspmg.com/

This question was sent by Hubertus, and he writes: “Hello Vidas and Ausra, As for getting informed with your very-very good advice etc. I admire your setup, and do respond to your questions as a moral obligation. As you probably remember from the last mail exchange, I'm 75, and do know for myself, the Very high difficulty of remembering my daily study already the next day. 13 years ago I started from scratch in music and organ play. I generally get only 1 to maybe max. Sometimes 2 hrs time to practice a day, some days even less, for all kinds of reasons, concentration is a hot issue in this all. So, on the moment I'm studied in this past holiday season the BWV 721, and after 2 months now I'm able to play the piece as tempi gives, and still make usual remembrance mistakes, and in between I TRY to replay several pieces I studied recently before, with lots of difficulties in reading. Again, I still like to play and do, especially this Bach piece. So to answer your nr 1; My dream WAS, 12 years ago, to play beautiful easy pieces of baroque music etc., Nevertheless, to my feelings and due to my former remarks, this goal is not really to achieve anymore, most probably due to organ play starting age around 62, and present bad possibility to remember the study even of the day before properly, and maybe I have to study twice as much, but I cannot bring that up, sorry. Answer Nr 2, as mentioned = 1 – Concentration special in reading, 2 - Maybe not enough daily practice time, with coming wintertime I expect/hope to find more time, 3 – Impatience in having results. Very much Thanks again for your lessons in practicing setup. Hope this helps in your request. All Best regards to both of you, Hubertus”

This question was sent by Ausra, and she writes, "This week I'm struggling with sitting down on the organ bench. At first I didn't have time and now I don't have motivation to practice."

This question was sent by Nabil, and he writes, 1) My dream is to be a great concert Organist, and to be one of the most significant Organ performers in this century. Because I believe I have something new to bring. Also to be the first Organist in a Cathedral (good organs usually are in big churches), to push the people in the church with me looking towards heaven in their prayers by making great music… V: This was his dream. Number 2, it's obviously the challenge, and it is 2) * Not having Organ or even Classical Music atmosphere around me. V: He lives in Israel. Also * Planning to study Organ and Church Music in Europe (it's very hard and complicated plan) * I need support in social media to get known Love you and Ausra!!!

This question was sent by Andrei, and he writes: “Hi Vidas and Ausra! I have a question for you: If in a church there is a need for an organist, and the only two keyboardists are a professional concert pianist and a mediocre/intermediate organist, who do you think would be better to play on the organ?”

What can legitimate cannabis companies do to level the playing field, not only against others who walk the straight and narrow, but dealers still thriving on the black market?It was my pleasure to interview Ausra Deluard and Jennifer Oliver for what was an informative and even surprising podcast. It's based on their article — Clearing the Haze: State Laws and Private Plaintiffs Critical to Preserve Competition in Cannabis — which will be featured in the inaugural issue of the Journal on Emerging Issues in Litigation, which will release in January 2021.Ausra, who is an attorney with the global law firm Dentons LLP, has spent more than a decade advising clients in a range of antitrust matters including merger investigations, competitor collaborations, and pricing and distribution policies. She works closely with cannabis clients to help them navigate the rapidly evolving cannabis laws and regulations throughout the U.S.Jennifer is a partner at national antitrust boutique MoginRubin LLP, where she litigates and advises clients on competition issues.  Her work includes representing classes of plaintiffs in class actions, risk mitigation and regulatory advice in mergers and acquisitions, and other complex business litigation. Check out the MoginRubin Blog.The Journal is a collaborative project between HB and the Fastcase legal research family, which includes Full Court Press, Law Street Media, Docket Alarm and, most recently, Judicata. If you have comments or wish to participate in one our projects, or want to tell me how awesome Ausra and Jennifer are, drop me a note at Question@LitigationConferences.com.We hope you enjoy the interview.

This question was sent by Brigitte, and she writes: “Hi Vidas and Ausra, The more complicated rhythms are my favorites for sight-reading. Also I have been listening to recordings from Art of the fugue and did some research as I was wondering about the meaning of the different parts. There must be so much more that can be learned from the Art of the fugue. The variations of the Genevan Psalms are of interest to me too. Can I find them somewhere together to come back to them? Enjoy following you and learning from you. Regards, Brigitte”

This question was sent by Victoria and she writes: “Hi Vidas. I try my best on the church electric Organ as much as I can, but 30 hrs a week no way... Most I work on are hymns since we are a small church. It seems a long way to go for me, even the two part. But your advice is helpful! But I enjoy playing hymns on the Organ at church for practice, can't do service yet. Hope one day I will be ready...Thanks again for your great work! You and Ausra are blessings! Victoria” Secrets of Organ Playing: https://www.organduo.lt

This question was sent by Danielle. She writes: Dear Vidas and Ausra, I was an organ major as an undergraduate but had no background in harmony or scales. So even though I could learn organ literature, play for church services, and accompany choirs on organ, I could never improvise. Because I had no mental shortcuts (ie knowing what key the piece had modulated to, etc) the learning process was extremely arduous, and I stopped playing as soon as I could and switched to choral conducting. The stress of preparing for weekly church services was just too great. Fast forward 25 years, and now I am subbing on organ for Catholic masses, and sometimes cantoring simultaneously! Thanks to some Dalcroze training, I can now entertain the possibility of improvising. But I'm finding it to be more challenging to improvise on organ vs improvising on piano for children's music classes. So my dreams are to be able to improvise postludes and to be able to re-harmonize the final verse of congregational hymns to add a few juicy twists. I see these goals as interrelated. The three things most holding me back are a lack of understanding of harmony, a lack of handy chord progressions to lean upon, and a lack of an organized approach to tackle these tasks. Thank you so much for your daily emails! They are very encouraging. Danielle in New York

This question was sent by Neil. He writes: Wow—it is so kind of you and Ausra to reply! I'm honored. My biggest challenges over the last six months have been pedal playing (which I basically have not done, except for harmonic pedal-point use) and registration. My wife and I keep looking for suitable organ shoes, but my feet are wide and I don't know what to buy. So far I play in my left sock for pedal-points. Or I'll play Bach's "Jesu, Joy..." with a G pedal point, and then reach down for a low C and D for the cadence back to G (may J.S. not strike me down with a lightning bolt!). But my church only seats about 200, so the pedals don't seem to be necessary. As far as registration, I have a 2 manual Allen electronic organ, and I'm getting pretty good at finding the colors that I want, but I am not able to change colors between verses of hymns, which I would like very much to do. I think you can use the piston-buttons for that, perhaps, but I haven't figured them out yet. You see, I don't have much time at all to practice on the church's organ. I work many different jobs to support my wife and children, mainly as a librarian, and I wish I had a small practice pedal with organ to play at home. I love your phrase "the miracle of practicing"—it's so true! By the way, my grandfather, who's mother was Lithuanian, lived to 103 years old. He loved America, but he used to say "America is a business country, but Poland and Lithuania were religious countries". He was a very devout and forgiving man, and when a Polish priest told him, after the war, that his brother Peter, back in Poland, was shot on the firing squad by the Nazis for being a spy, he just said "You have to forgive them". Makes me weep just to tell that story. Grandpa's name was Hendryk Kapowicz. Great guy. Thanks Vidas! Neil

This question was sent by Anders and he wrote: Hi Vidas and Ausra! I´m following the information you give with great interest. I have been playing the piano for a while but I´m not very good at it, though I really love it and listening to great music, Classic as well as Jazz and Ragtime. In the last period I have started to think much about playing the organ and I've asked the local organist to give me lessons (lessons are free in the Swedish Church) and I hope lessons will start this autumn. I bought an old Electronic organ but am extremely disappointed since the sound is outright awful. It´s not what is called a Church organ, they´re much more expensive. I will throw my Electronic organ and buy some good instrument with a really good sound. The short answer to the questions are: 1.) My Dream is to be able to play "well enough" on the organ some of my favorite music on a good pipe organ. This I wish to do in a Church where I can enjoy the fantastic and mysterious sound of the different voices of the pipes. 2.) What is stopping me is really nothing except: A.) The feeling that I have no time (I do have long working days and other commitments) B.) The feeling that my wife really doesn't enjoy listening to me repeating the difficult parts over and over again. Though she doesn't complain. C.) The lack of a good instrument. And these three things shouldn't stop me. I know and I´m working on it... Now I´ll explain what I mean by playing "well enough": It´s not at all necessary for me to dream of reaching a level of high professionalism, though I fully understand and wish to play with correctness and musicality. For me it´s better to listen to an amateur playing a simple piece very well instead of some half-professional doing a sloppy job on too complicated pieces. I think that for me it will be much more realistic to find, or even better, to be able to arrange the music so it will be simple but still beautiful and retaining the real spirit and essence of the pieces. For that I obviously will have to learn about music theory and learn to play chords and their inversions etc. Maybe not so impossible. For instance i have maybe 5-6 different versions of some piece of music ranging from the very simple to the very difficult. And it´s far from always the fastest version with most notes and difficult fingering that catches the essentials! Thank god for that. I have some rather simple pieces that are really beautiful if you perform them correct and with real spirit. My taste includes classical pieces such as "Poem" by Fibich, pieces by Grieg and Delius and some very nice pieces by Eric Satie. Some jazz pieces I wish to play are maybe not very well known but some are jazz standards. I especially point out some outstanding jazz recordings made by Fats Waller in 1927 on a Church pipe organ (Estey). There has not been any recordings of jazz organ to compare with before or after these few musical pearls, so rich in harmony and feeling. Of course I will never be able to play like Waller did, far from. But maybe be able to play some simplified and still beautiful version in a not too fast tempo. In my opinion speed is not often very important, many pieces win on being played slower but correctly giving time to listen to the music. As a rounding off I wish to say that I fully appreciate and try to apply the principles of slow playing in practice, repeating until I play without faults and learning a piece step by step. Actually I was smiling with remembrance when I read through your "Organ practice is a privilege". The reason is that I already knew about the principles since my last wife was a really good piano teacher (from St Petersburg). And she applied these rules. Before she died 6 years ago I was lucky to learn the importance of these rules, though I was never a very good pupil. And it was maybe not so easy to have the wife as a teacher (she was really serious). Best of Wishes, Anders from Sweden

This question was sent by Carsten and he wrote: "f I may be so keen to ask for an amount of your valuable time, I would be very interested in your professional listener's perspective feedback and honest criticism on these five specific pieces, which I consider to be some sort of personal milestones in my improvisation": * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHGg5MNR_pU&index=10&list=PLYdkxyPei724Y0j84venfoRvc5gwsm8Xu * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrXpVSn7Rck&index=6&list=PLYdkxyPei727ElPM5TWHznueOrcgfRl8a * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRmukobxviM&list=PLYdkxyPei727ElPM5TWHznueOrcgfRl8a&index=7 * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Df1tLEjszZU&list=PLYdkxyPei7275-UNgjQs3RHe0zx4g3BbB&index=5 * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKUoHi8QtuA&index=14&list=PLYdkxyPei7275-UNgjQs3RHe0zx4g3BbB Vidas and/or Ausra, THANK YOU SO MUCH for your patient reading... I guess I could go on for hours of writing, but I think I should leave the rest for further emails... ;-) Have a great time and God Bless, Carsten

This question was sent by Carsten. ​ Dear Vidas and Ausra, I'm glad to hear from you and I'm happy as well that my donation is so highly appreciated. Please take it as my personal way to say "Thank you!" to both of you for all of your great inspiring and continuous advice, newsletters and videos, which always helped me out when I got stuck on my way to further dive into playing the organ. Apropos getting stuck: My current job of being a software developer was very demanding over the past months -- and still is, with still no time to relax within visible reach. This had a big impact on my schedule, so my hobby of organ playing suffered a lot since I did not feel like sitting down on the bench every day. Of course, I had a bad conscience about this because I remembered all of your articles about time management, being consistent in practice, taking the daily 15 minutes and so on... But in the end, to my very surprise, I was even able to improvise on some symphonic pieces for about 2.5 hours on a big IV+P cathedral organ during public opening hours -- without having played a single note for about four or five weeks before. Sometimes it seems like energy cells have to recharge for a while and it also seems that a bit of distance isn't a always a bad idea. Of course, I do not feel to have reached "concert level" yet -- but to be honest, this is nothing that I personally NEED to achieve (yeah, I take the relaxed way and do that for my personal fun and the joy of others). Also, "concert level" could mean a wide variety of things and may not mean anything to the listeners who do or even do not enjoy the music at a certain moment. What mattered in my opinion was that (a) I was present there on that wonderful organ, (b) had no fear or performance anxiety, as you called it, even with numerous visitors walking through the huge building, (c) seized the moment despite of people talking, making their phone calls (what the ?!?!?) and children screaming, (d) let a number of friends, relatives and random visitors have a good time with my music and finally (d) was able to conduct the first surround recording of my impros. If I made you curious about the result, I'd happily invite you to watch my "Dom Momente Live" playlist, which you can find on my YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/WoodyofmC . In case you'd like to keep an eye on my progress: During the past years, I recorded a number of pieces and performances for my family and friends (CDs are a great gift for any occasion...) and I'm currently in the process of creating a discography page in case one of them would like to order additional copies as a gift for his or her own friends. At http://en.wpoa.de , you may keep track of how my hobby is evolving -- last but not least, thanks to your highly appreciated mentoring! :-)

This question was sent by David. And he writes: Dear Vidas and Ausra. It seems to me that there are basically 5 types of music that the organist has to be ready to play in church other than accompanying hymns and choir anthems. They are: Preludes, Postludes, offertories, introits, and interludes. Perhaps interludes aren't so common in most churches now. What are the important aspects to know about each of those in order for the organist to select or improvise an appropriate piece of music for each? Are Preludes usually longer, more meditative? Of course we know that Postludes must be played as loud as possible to prevent idle and rude chatter while the organ is playing (I'm joking, of course). But what makes a piece more suited for a Prelude, and another piece more suited for postlude. Do offertories have special characteristics? When a church uses them, what is appropriate for an introit? Are there any special guidelines that generally can be applied? Obviously every church and denomination is different, and differing themes and seasons will affect this, but I'm looking for general principals for the average service or Mass. Thank you, David

Today, Ausra and I are going to talk a little bit about our recent trip to London, to play at St. Pauls Cathedral.

This question was sent by Heidi, and she writes: Dear Vidas and Ausra, I am enjoying very much browsing your Course Materials and making downloads. My situation involves the fact that my children are grown, and my grandchildren are grown, the youngest is 14 years. For so many years having children and grandchildren blessed me with much to look forward to on a daily basis and kept me very busy. I am less busy with them now, and so I think God put Vidas in my life to give me the courage to embrace what I love so much, having the confidence again that someone with a special gift for teaching, and one who is qualified on every level is there to guide me. Thank you doesn't even come close to expressing my gratitude! When downloading the materials, there is one aspect that I am having trouble with. How can I save/download your YouTube videos? Much of your training materials are presented on video, which is great, but I can't figure out how to get the video onto my computer. Is there a special way I need to login to YouTube to download your training videos?? Will I learn as quickly as your other students??…perhaps not. But for me that is not the point. I will be doing what I feel I was called to do. Here is my all-time favorite quote. I have it printed and sitting on my Johannus Organ at home. I think of it every Sunday as I sit on the organ bench at church. Here it is: “If you are called upon to play a church service, it is a greater honor than if you were to play a concert on the finest organ in the world — thank God each time when you are privileged to sit before the organ console and assist in the worship of the Almighty.” Albert Schweitzer I humbly thank you for helping me become all I can be in service. Hope you both are having a great weekend! Your friend, Heidi PS In one of the videos with both of you, I think you are sitting in the living area of your home? Anyway, the room looks so cozy! I too have many treasured pieces from my parents born in Germany. Vidas, it touched me to see what I believe were a few of the wonderful paintings by your Father which are hanging on the wall? We keep those we love alive through these treasures, right? A very warm and love-filled home environment!

This question was sent by Steven and he writes: It would be an extremely interesting subject some time for a podcast, if you and Ausra might consider discussing what the elements of a good free theme and a good fugue theme are, as regards development. All the best, Steven

This question was sent by Bruce. He writes: Hi Vidas and Ausra, I am working on BWV 615 (In dir ist Freude) from the Orgelbüchlein, and I have a question about possibly moving a measure or two written for the pedals and taking them in the left hand instead. In measure 8 (and later, equivalently in measure 24, and also possibly 4 bars from the end), it seems to me that the quasi-Alberti figure in the pedals could (and possibly should) be taken by the left hand. In terms of registration this also makes sense to me (allowing the pedals to have a 32 foot stop, and individuating the left hand from the pedal with a 16 foot stop in the left hand). Also, by doing this, the pedal part that is established in the wonderful figure in the first measure (and found throughout the piece), can be given it's own character. Besides, to be honest, my pedal technique still isn't quite up to a full measure of 8th notes yet ... A few quick questions then: 1) Is it a common and acceptable practice for an organist to essentially move parts between manuals, and between manuals and pedals? I feel somewhat uncomfortable doing this (after all, who am I to alter Bach's written score?!). 2) I'd like to hear your suggestions on registration for this work, if you would care to share them. 3) As I am new to pedal work, can you suggest appropriate pedal footwork for the predominant figure in the pedals in this piece? (And yes, I am working on my pedal technique, it's coming along, thanks to your pedal power course ... slow and steady ... it's a miracle.) Cheers, -Bruce

This question was sent by Francher. My Dear Vidas… Thank you so much for your response and inquiry! Although it is unlikely that I'll ever perform, I do practice “very well”…and, for at least 2 hours every day. I start my day with an hour to an hour and a half practice, and end my day with another hour (with several shorter sessions, as time permits, throughout the day). I knew I wanted to be an Organist when I was about 10 years old…I also knew I wanted to be an Architect then too. As a profession, Architecture “won”. So, I spent my “productive” years doing the Architecture thing. Although I “piddled” with the organ for many years, I didn't start serious music study until I retired at age 72. I found a wonderful teacher, who convinced me that I would learn more quickly if I knew some theory. So, I went back to college (at 74) and studied Music Theory for a year. Then, after studying with her for four years, she abruptly gave up all her students and quit teaching. That's when I discovered “Total Organist” and, I've been studying with you ever since. I am so grateful for your teaching efforts. Based upon your reorganized material, I would place myself in the “Early-Intermediate” stage of development. At 80, I learn much more slowly than in my youth… Now, I say, I'm 8 years into, what will be for me, a 20 year program. So, as long as I am able, we'll be working together far into the future. Thanks, again, for all that you and Ausra do for Organists and the Organ. Francher

This question was sent by David. He writes: So...I keep hearing you and Ausra saying to improvise for service music during communion etc. How often do you improvise for a service? Every week? Once a month? That certainly seems much more doable than learning 27 pieces a month in the beginning... Though once the hymns are all learned, it would reduce to 11 per month to not repeat for 1 year.

This question was sent by Ron. He writes: Hi Vidas and Ausra, Thank you guys! What a wonderful response to my email note to you. You've got me right, and I feel you understand my level of playing (yes, at home, and lucky that I have an organ for that reason.) I am paying attention to this, and I am going to try this ha-ha-no-longer-secret model. Yes, and I love Cesar Franck, too. What is very nice about your blog-podcast is that Ausra and Vidas are like a Socratic dialogue, and by bouncing things off of each other, so much more information comes out and is expressed. Your comments contain a wealth of information and understanding. I really appreciate this, it is very inspiring, and will keep us moving forward. Cheers, Ron

Would you like to play a beautiful and charming Andante in D Major, MWV W 32 by Felix Mendelssohn? It's a theme and variations on a very sweet melody. You will love it! 110 percent guaranteed! It's Ausra's favorite work by Mendelssohn. In fact, she first heard it play on our Vilnius University St John's church organ back in 2007 by the great Swiss organist Guy Bovet. We both fell in love with this piece at first glance. And last year she played this piece during our Fantasia Chromatica recital. But days before it, we came into the church to practice and I secretly recorded Ausra's performance from up close so that the hands were clearly visible. She wasn't very happy about it when she found out I made a recording because my filming interfered with page turning (I held the camera with one hand and with the other turned pages). And I think I missed one or two page turns... But now she is no longer upset because this recording allowed Jeremy Owens transcribe the fingering and pedaling and produce a nice score for you. This score is free for Total Organist students: http://www.organduo.lt/total-organist

This question was sent by Michael. He writes: Hi Vidas, I had private lessons with Michael Schneider in the 70s and 80s for 13 years - I am very satisfied with my playing technique and don't have serious difficulties with the literature. I had a 30 years break - settling in my job and having a family with 2 kids. In 2010 I discovered the Hauptwerk software and bought a three manual console and several sample sets. I took up practicing again and brushed up most of my repertoire. A few pieces are still open: JSB Toccata in F, P&F in E flat and in E minor, Dupré op. 7 - but this is only a question of time, not of difficulties. At present I am studying Carillon de Westminster - it is almost finished. My challenge is to keep all these pieces warm, so that I can play them without too much preparation time. If you are interested in my performances, go to contrebombarde.com and search for bartfloete, my musical nickname. All the best for you and Ausra and thanks again. Best regards Michael

This question was sent by Ron. He wrote: Hi Vidas and Ausra, Thank you for the nice comments on the post. The improvement I'm feeling may not be apparent, but I have pushed through several things in my contest attempts. I'm starting to learn and mentally catalogue groups of note fingerings. Speed is still a problem, but I know that comes with time. Keeping to the correct notes is becoming second nature, and I'm starting to get a kind of grip on forms I can re-use. The recent lessons you posted, like the 9 day Bach style improv is one of those things, and helps to make sense out of a sort of chaos—when you first start out you think you have to do everything, when in fact.. it seems that just to get one or two things down well is an actual accomplishment. I'm also learning how to record the entries better, so's not to make people have to listen with difficulty, while not making my early attempts too long, either (in hopes I don't drive people away!) I do hope the others continue to send in contest recordings. This is too good of an idea, and I know that there are a lot more people out there far more advanced than I who could really add to this and make it a great teaching tool, where we learn from others. You two put in a lot of hard, careful, and considerate work. Cheers, Ron

This question was sent by Ron. He writes: Hi Vidas, I signed up for Steemit 15 days ago; they verified my email but haven't sent me a password yet, so I couldn't get into the contest site to upload on Dsound. Anyway, for what it's worth, here is my recording. It is very simple, but I learned a lot, having forced myself to stick within the FGAC theme. A very interesting exercise. I actually did another one, for 6 minutes, and made no note mistakes (!) but didn't want to force anyone to listen to something that long. What I tried to do with this one was 1) stick to the notes 2) keep fair time 3) allow myself to play with resolution and not 4) allow my fingers to play fairly disciplined, and then more-or-less spasmodically—which gave me a feel for that “other” side of playing and what we fear to do… Anyway, you don't have to listen to this or upload it—but you can if you would like; the site won't let me yet. I do intend to enter these contests, I haven't “forced” myself to do anything quite like this an a long time! I especially wanted to let you know that I did a recording, and that it was a big step forward for me. I appreciate what you are doing! You and Ausra are going to have WAY too much to do in your 100s, heh, heh. Cheers, Ron

This question was sent by Kae, who is helping us to transcribe some of the podcasts into text and make them into blog posts. So, she wrote a question: Labas Vidai ir Aušra! She knows a little Lithuanian. So this means, “Hi Vidas and Ausra!” She continues: I was inspired by AVA192 to make a video of my newest creation--a lyric song, which meant I would have to sing (*shudder*)--and post it on YouTube for the whole world to see! I had a couple thoughts about it that I'll share with you: I try to make my lyrics as non-specific as possible, probably for 2 reasons. 1) I want them to be universally accessible. But 2) I think I also try to hide my personal life, even though songwriting involves putting it on display for the whole world--so I make lyrics that don't give away specific details. It's a weird balance I have to find, isn't it? ...Or do I? Another thing I was thinking about is: I want to encourage people to use and change and improve any music I create. I don't believe in copyrighting the kind of stuff I create, which is mostly keyboard music. What do you think about that? (I arrived at this conclusion after I discovered a beautiful piano concerto by Władysław Żeleński, and the library in Poland that is sitting on the sheet music wouldn't let me even borrow it for my school's concerto competition. Only one or two people have ever recorded it, and I suspect only those people have ever been granted access to copies of the music. How do they expect to honor Żeleński, their own country, or music itself, if they treat it like it's not music and leave it to gather dust behind red tape? No wonder this composer is so obscure! I would be so mad if a library hoarded up my copyrighted music after my death and refused to share it.) And she gives the video link, which you can also click and view: https://youtu.be/x8W8njPFT7Y And she writes further: Thank you for everything you do. The world is really a better place, with people like you. I can't wait to meet you in person this summer! Love, Kae

Prelude and Fugue in Eb Major, BWV 552 (Ausra Motuzaite-Pinkeviciene) by Vidas Pinkevicius

This work is dedicated to Simon Johnson, the Organist and Assistant Director of Music of St Paul's Cathedral in London. I decided to dedicate this piece to him because of Ausra's and my upcoming concert at St Paul's. This composition is based on the Ad te levavi Gregorian chant Introit for the 1st Sunday in Advent. It has 10 sections - each section for one chorale phrase. Basically, it's a series of multiple canons in augmentation, double augmentation and quadruple augmentation. The registration is done for at least a two-manual organ in mind. The fast sixteenth-note episode alternates with the slower quarter-note motion. Advanced level. Here is the score if you want to play it: https://secrets-of-organ-playing.myshopify.com/products/ad-te-levavi-op-41-2018

Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast #128! Today's special guest is John Higgins, who is the organist at St Andrew's Presbyterian church in Morwell, Victoria, Australia. John has been a guest a while ago on our podcast. We talked when he was living in another state of Southern Australia, in a small town called Whyalla. He has a tradition of playing Christmas concerts for his former congregation at Victor Harbor. John has been our loyal subscriber since the very beginning of this blog in the early 2012 and has since resurrected his passion for music and specifically for organ. He's an engineer by profession but through these years of organ practice, he's grown so much that now he has the skill to play for liturgy as well as recitals. Currently John is living in Traralgon, Victoria where he has moved with his family and I'm very excited to be able to talk to him about his recent Christmas concert that he played at Victor Harbor. Make sure you listen to the very end because you will get a lot of inspiration from John for the New Year. By the way, John will be coming to Lithuania! Yes, it's NOT a typo. He's scheduled to play a recital at Vilnius University St John's church this April. Ausra and I are very excited about being able to welcome him in Vilnius. ​Listen to the conversation ​And don't forget to help spread the word about the SOP Podcast by sharing it with your organist friends.

Tis question was sent by Bruce. He has a challenge with finger substitution to improve line. He writes: As a pianist, I'm rather used to the sostenuto pedal, to the extent that I probably overuse it and it can be a bit of a crutch. Nothing like this pedal on the organ, of course, so I expect it's all about finger substitution, learning how to do this in a natural way. I expect there are exercises for me to pursue, and could use recommendations and support on this. On my own, for starters, I have been looking at BWV 639, as you and Ausra suggested in podcast #85. I am looking forward to looking at Ausra's analysis of this piece. I am also working on BWV 578 (g minor fugue) and BWV 659 (Nun komm der Heiden Heiland). And I have fooled around with Contrapunctus 1 from the Art of the Fugue a bit. And sight-reading some of the easier pieces from the Orgelbuchlein, without being too hard on myself over my current pathetic pedal ability. In the short term, it would be nice to see your first week of pedal work (from your pedal virtuoso master course) - or something you think would be more appropriate for a novice - and to download your fingerings for 578 and 659, and to look at Ausra's analysis of 639. Thanks again, and I'm eager to get started, in earnest, after the beginning of the new year. And look at the above items while I am able during December. Thanks! Cheers, -Bruce

Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast #126! Today is Christmas Eve! Merry Christmas, Blessed Season Greetings to our every listener and subscriber! I'm so happy that we've been doing for a while these podcasts and we're continuing our Secrets of Organ Playing journey for 6 years now and Ausra and I hope to help you grow as an organist for many years to come. And today a special guest is visiting Vilnius University St John's church. This is an English organist James Spanner. James recently contacted me ahead of time that he and his wife will be visiting our country and enjoying pre-Christmas season and I let him play the largest pipe organ in Lithuania. Our conversation was recorded just minutes after Jame's practice on this organ. He played a few pieces and finished with BWV 566. This is Bach's E major Toccata transposed down to C major and it sounds very sweet on this organ because of Kirnberger III temperament. In this conversation James is sharing his organ playing experiences. At the end he emphasized the need for the organist to reveal the meaning of the text to the listener, among many other things. I hope you'll be inspired by James thoughts. And don't forget to help spread the word about the SOP Podcast by sharing it with your organist friends.

Today's question was sent by Barbara, and she writes: Dear Vidas and Ausra, You are very welcome. Your emails have already answered many questions -- some I didn't even know I had -- everything from why some of your fingerings are so different to how to hear inner voices to how to deal with injuries. Thank you! And thank you very much for the Boellmann toccata. I actually learned it many years ago when I was still taking organ lessons (I started lessons 18 years ago at age 48). I played it for a Halloween postlude one year at my church, and they brought the Sunday school in to listen, so I really pulled out all the stops at the end. But I'm very glad to have your fingering. I've been on retirement "vacation" for many months because of numbness in my hands, so I've been trying new fingerings as I ease back into things (long story, but I think I've been using too much piano technique on the organ all these years and it's taken its toll, especially as my muscles and joints age). Thinking of a question for you is a little like having to choose one wish for a fairy godmother. But here goes. One of my current struggles is being a better listener at concerts and recitals where the music is unfamiliar. I've learned a lot about baroque/classical/romantic music, but I don't know how to fully appreciate early music, especially music written before tempering. Do you have any suggestions for how to approach this? Recommendations for good listening collections of music using specific modes or styles? I this will also help me to better appreciate organ improvisations and modern music. Many, many thanks again for all you do. Best wishes to you both, Barbara http://www.organduo.lt

Today's question was sent by Daniel. He writes: “Hi Vidas. In my church in Watertown, SD, I have 2 organists, whom I don't think ever got trained to be church organists. I can tell that very easily, because their way of playing hymns sound tired and funeral-like. They have been with my church for a long time, longer than me. I got really tired of listening to them playing hymns. So, what I do is sometimes I go to another church as a guest musician to play music there. And sometimes when that church has no need for me, I attend the contemporary service. In order to understand what I am saying, you and Ausra may need to sometime come to my church and listen to those organists. They also don't play background music during prayer time, which as a result the prayer time sounds empty and meaningless. There were several people, including me, who complained about one of the organists. Have you and Ausra encountered such organists in your area?” Get more organ playing advice and inspiration when you subscribe at http://www.organduo.lt

oday's question was sent by Peter, and he writes, “Dear Vidas and Ausra, I recently learned a new and ugly concept: Convenience rubato. Meaning slowing down, when it gets difficult. It hit me by my heart, because it is, what I do during rehearsal. But how do I avoid it during a performance e.g. a service (especially during preludes or postludes, since the hymns normally stick to the the tempo)? Thanks for your continuous work teaching and inspiring me. Regards, Peter.' http://www.organduo.lt

Alan writes: Hello Vidas and Ausra, This is a very interesting problem that Vince describes, and one I can empathise with. In my case, I seem to be somewhat dyslexic between my feet and my left hand. Which is to say, when I make a mistake, I often find that I have confused the left hand (tenor) and pedal (bass) lines. Somehow I am reading the bass line but the instructions are being carried out by my left hand instead of my feet (and visa versa)! I have to stop, recognise what is happening, and mentally reassociate parts with hands and feet in order to continue. It is frustrating, but I do believe that the right sort of exercises/training could improve independence of motion, and strengthen the linkage between parts and hands/feet. I have tried to develop a few such exercises myself, but I haven't had very much success in eradicating the problem yet. I continue to enjoy and benefit from your daily postings. Thanks and keep up the good work! Regards, Alan Peterson (Sydney, Australia) http://www.organduo.lt

Today's question was sent by Matt, and he writes,: “Vidas and Ausra, I have enjoyed your posts and appreciate all the work you put in. My goal is to be a better church organist.” http://www.organduo.lt

Today's question was sent by Matt, and he writes that his challenge is with registration flow and marking: “How to use pistons and stops, to flow through pieces and mark them well in the score.” So as I understand, Ausra, this is a question about practicing registration changes and basically how you mark registration changes! Oh! That's very simple. Secrets of Organ Playing: http://www.organduo.lt

This question was sent by Patti, and she writes, “Dear Vidas and Ausra, here is a question that you might be interested in addressing in your podcast. It is about learning to cope with differences in resonance and delay when you play the organ. The church where I normally play has a very “flat” acoustic -- no resonance -- and the organ sounds immediately, with no delay. So when I play a note, I immediately hear that note, and that's what I'm used to. If I try to play somewhere that has a quite noticeable delay, or a lot of echo, I can manage simple or medium-difficult pieces, but if I try to play something that requires difficult coordination (a Bach fugue with a very active pedal part, for example) the delayed feedback is confusing and I can't keep myself in sync. How do you manage this? Do you play more slowly, or more detached? Is there a way to learn not to listen to yourself, for example by practicing silently? Thanks for any tips on this, and thanks for all your advice and encouragement to us organ students, best wishes, Patti.” Get more organ playing advice and inspiration when you subscribe at http://www.organduo.lt

This question was sent by Minori, and he writes that he is having difficulty in adjusting his organ playing to the individuality of every organ he meets. He writes: “Every organ is unique with its own touch of the keyboards and pedal. It often happens that I can play well on my practice organ but not on other organs, especially when I play on them for the first time. I am a Roman catholic (a religious minority in Japan as a Buddhist country), an ex-amateur pianist (intermediate level), now a small parish church organist with only four years of experience of organ playing. So many challenges to tackle ahead, but I am enjoying and improving gradually. I am learning a lot from your Secrets of Organ Playing. When I practice, miracles do happen. Thank you, Vidas and Ausra. Minori “ Get more organ playing advice and inspiration at http://www.organduo.lt

Today's question was sent by David, and he writes, “Hello Vidas and Ausra. In the podcast with Paulius Grigonis, the book by George Ritchie was discussed. Would you recommend this book for a beginner? If you do, how about I use this book as part of my daily practice? My daily practice now consists entirely of learning a single piece. Thank you for your help.” http://www.organduo.lt

Hi Vidas and Ausra, you are the best teachers. The pedal training is really helping me to integrate my entire body into organ playing. It is a slow process, but well worth it. As you learn to slow down and get things right--which doesn't happen overnight, especially since the learning process is very biological and physiological—it is as if you are learning to keep your feet underneath you, metaphorically. Practice goes one step at a time, and life goes one step at a time. I have a question, rather questions. When playing on the pedals, for instance, E flat then D, then C sharp then D, the D sounds different in each sequence. There is a sort of shift of frequency in the mind—the D sounds higher in the first as compared to the second of the sequences. However, if you start on the D and go to E flat, then D to C sharp, the D sounds just fine, the same frequency. I realize it is psychological. It reminds me of the phenomenon of comparative colors, where one color seems shifted a bit depending on which other color it is next to. Is there any explanation for that? Does it affect ear training? Is there an exercise to practice discerning notes like that? The most interesting part about learning the organ can be these small things. Thank you for your great programs! Ron More organ playing advice at Secrets of Organ Playing: http://www.organduo.lt

Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast #105! Today's guest is Arnoldas Leleika. He is our student from Vilnius University majoring in Chemistry but hopes to transfer to Medicine next year. He's just finished his freshman year and right away started playing the organ at our Unda Maris studio from last September and currently has chosen 3 pieces for the upcoming competition for young organists. ​Arnoldas is very hardworking and motivated organ student and Ausra and I are very delighted that he came and found us in the organ studio. He substituted for me a number of graduation ceremonies and recently performed at Unda Maris organ studio concert. You can read his thought about these experiences here: http://www.organduo.lt/home/the-most-memorable-day-in-my-musical-life http://www.organduo.lt/home/how-important-is-organ-playing-to-you In this conversation Arnoldas shares his insights about finding more practice time, choosing your organ repertoire wisely and expanding your musical horizons. ​Enjoy and share your comments below. ​And don't forget to help spread the word about the SOP Podcast by sharing it with your organist friends. And if you like it, please go over to iTunes and leave a rating and review. This helps to get this podcast in front of more organists who would find it helpful. Thanks for caring. Relevant links: Arnoldas Leleika on Facebook and YouTube: https://www.facebook.com/arnoldas.leleika.5 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8jyPksa1_Hx0sDeJScmLCg

Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast #104! http://www.organduo.lt/podcast Today's guest is my friend and colleague Paulius Grigonis. Currently he is the main organist of St. Joseph church here in Vilnius, member of the Board of National Association of Organists in Lithuania and member of the European Chapter of American Guild of Organists. ​ He started his musical journey in 1989 at Kaunas boys choir school "Varpelis" where he studied until 1997. In 2004 he graduated from Vilnius University with the Master of Law degree. In 2006 he began studying the organ with me privately and in 2007 became the organist at the Holy Cross church in Vilnius. In the summer of 2007 together with me and Ausra, Paulius founded National Association of Organists in Lithuania and was appointed vice-president of this organization. In 2008 he won the 3rd prize at the 2nd Jonas Žukas Organist Competition. In 2007-2010 Paulius led educational organ demonstrations "Meet the King of Instruments" in many Lithuanian churches, participated in masterclasses by Prof. Lorenzo Ghielmi (2013, Vilnius), Prof. Sophie-Véronique Cauchefer-Choplin (2014, Paris), Prof. Maris Sirmais (2015, Kaunas), and Juan Carlos Asensio (2016, Marijampolė) for organists and church musicians. Since 2014 Paulius leads the musical life at St. Joseph church in Vilnius and directs two vocal ensembles of the parish. Since 2017 he is the member of the Board of National Association of Organists in Lithuania and treasurer as well as the member of the European Chapter of American Guild of Organists and is preparing for his Service Playing Certificate test. In about 3 days, Paulius will play a recital at Vilnius Cathedral and in this conversation he shares his insights about his practice procedures and obstacles he has to overcome in order to become a better organist - finding time for practice, setting himself a challenge and discovering as many organs as he can. Enjoy and share your comments below. ​And don't forget to help spread the word about the SOP Podcast by sharing it with your organist friends. Thanks for caring. Relevant link: ​http://www.vargonai.lt/grigonis.htm