Rhonda Edgington
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Atomic City and You (too)
At Easter dinner last spring, my brother-in-law Benson said, “If you could hear one band live before they stopped playing, who would it be?” I answered first, without even thinking – U2. I’ve been listening to their music since I was a teenager. Rattle and Hum, their 1988 album, was my first, and soon after…
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Tis’ the Season to be busy…
For many musicians, but especially church musician, this is the season to be extra busy! There are more concerts, more church services, everywhere more music. I always play an organ concert at Hope Church the first Sunday of Advent, featuring mostly hymns and music of Advent. So that occupies most of my November, especially if…
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Boston: City of Pipe Organs
After this past weekend, I have visited Boston twice within two and a half months, to play three concerts on four different organs.Sometimes non-musicians will ask me how I get these out-of-town opportunities. While once in awhile, an unexpected email arrives in my inbox, inviting me to play somewhere I didn’t have on my radar,…
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Don’t Take them for Granted
[Holland Sentinel Title: Get out and enjoy your favorite music] You know the saying, familiarity breeds contempt? Some long-time Hollanders definitely feel that way about Tulip Time. Not me, though, at least not yet. Twelve years living downtown, and I still think it’s charming to have tour busses driving down our street, tourists taking pictures…
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Pipe Organs & Organists: Hipper than you thought?
[Holland Sentinel Title: Organ Playing not just for the Elderly] People often assume that only older people like and play the organ. In my 20’s, people regularly acted astonished that someone “so young” was an organist. They don’t seem to say that as much to me anymore (hmm, what might that mean?) But it is…
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Musicians who Play well with Others
Recently, a former piano professor posted this on Facebook about a concert he’d just heard, featuring a famous pianist and an equally famous soprano, performing duo literature together: “Evgeny Kissin plays well with others.” He went on to extol how amazing the concert was, especially the wonderful collaboration between these two giants in their fields.…
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Hitting the Road, but I can’t bring my Instrument with me
[Holland Sentinel Title: Sweet Sounds of Music Give me Wonderful Opportunities] My April was filled with two adventures: both chances to see and play notable instruments, collaborate with fellow musicians, and check out interesting parts of the country. First, I headed to Detroit to play in a gorgeous historic church, built in 1926 – Jefferson…
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Notes from at Home : a professional musician who likes to write, about music
Living on 12th street near Kollen Park, we often hear music from the bandstand, as we eat outside on summer evenings. We’ve half-heard American Legion Band concerts for years as background music, but a combination of summer-induced laziness, and preconceived musician assumptions meant I’d never actually attended a concert in the over ten years we’ve…
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Pipe Organs have a rich history that is Music to our Ears
One of the most unique concerts I played 2022 took place at the Lake Leelenau RV Park in northern Michigan. The owner of this park, a kindly widower in his 80’s, is a lover of pipe organs and organ music, as well as being very handy with electronics and general building. So it happened that…
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Music can be a Glorious Vocation, but…
Part of my life as a professional musician involves leaving my home, family, and regular jobs and traveling to different locations around the country to play concerts. Classical organ concerts don’t involve tour buses, groupies, or wild after-parties (except with mostly folks over 60 and then the gatherings are decidedly tame events!) But I do…