Dear Family and Friends of St. Andrews,
As I write this we are half way through the summer and things are starting up for the fall. It is promising to be an active time offering opportunities for worship and fellowship. I hope that you will take note of what is happening and come and join your brothers and sisters.
The Choir has remained active during the summer under the direction of our Music Director Patrick Holming and assistant choir director Gillian Thylander. After disbanding in June members still gathered at ten on Sundays to go over the hymns and occasionally sing during communion. On Friday the 2nd of August they will again gather for regular rehearsals on Fridays at five and Sundays at ten to prepare music for Sunday Worship. If you would care to join them please show up you would be most welcome. Also Patrick is available for music coaching and questions if you would like to enhance your skills. Please see him.
We also would like to know who in the congregation plays a musical instrument? At the Family Services on the beginning of the month it has been customary in the past to enhance our services with special music. This Sunday at the Family Service we will have a Solo by one of the African members as well as a piano Solo during communion. Please let either me of the Music Director know if you are interested. In conversation it was discussed about forming a Recorder Ensemble. If anyone plays this instrument please let us know.
The music schedule for the fall is as follows and includes two piano recitals by our music director in August. These piano concerts will benifit the Music Program so please support Patrick in this venture and tell your friends. Also included below is his brief biography for those of you who don´t know him. His mother Fay sings in the Choir.
List of forthcoming concerts
17. 08 – 15.00 Piano Matinee: Patrick Holming
18. 08 – 15.00 Piano Matinee: Patrick Holming
7. 09 — 12.15 Lunchtime concert Ryan O’Reiley Band
7. 09 – 18.00 Ryan O’Reiley concert
14.09 – 16 or 18.00 Richie Ros singer and band
28.09 – 16.00 English Chamber choir (Lars Näsström)
Thank you to Gillian for providing this update.
This Sunday there will be a service at 9:30 and Family Service at eleven. See you there!
David Bruce, Chaplain
Patrick George Sonny Holming was born in Harwich/England as the first of three children. The father Hans Holming is from Finland, Mother Fay (nee Scull) from England. They settled in Sweden and came soon to Gothenburg where Patrick grew up.
When Patrick was 4 years old, his parents bought a fine old piano for 500 Swedish crowns at an auction. Patrick immediately started to play on it… Soon after, he enjoyed his first instruction at the instrument.
At twelve years of age,he bought a record with Beethoven sonatas. This became one of the peak-experiences of his life… From that moment, this music did not leave him alone…
He now wished to have a grand piano. With the aid of the saved children allowance, Patrick got a Yamaha grand piano.
Until his 14th year, the young Holming wanted actually to study natural sciences, however, after two trial weeks at a lab, he discarded the idea; From then on, he only knew one goal: To become a pianist! He sought out a Swedish pianist of repute: Ingemar Hedvall – a pupil of Paul Badura-Skoda/Vienna – and took lessons from him.
1987 Patrick Holming went to Austria, where he studied at the university for music and performing arts (Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst) in Graz: piano with Prof. Chung Lee and Prof. Annamaria Bodoky-Krause, chamber music and song-accompaniment with Prof. Georg Pammer, harpsichord and thorough-bass with Prof. Franz Zebinger.
His piano teachers (1997) and masters degrees (1998) were both awarded with distinction.
Between 1994 and 1999, he studied harpsichord, accompaniment and ancient music at the Johann-Josef-Fux-conservatory/Graz with Prof. Margret Bogner.
Patrick Holming has participated in several master classes, notably with Robert Riefling (Oslo) and Rudolf Kehrer (Vienna).
He has researched piano performance.His master’s thesis became a very important writing for pianists and piano pedagogues: “Die Psychologie der Klaviertechnik; ein Kompendium der wichtigsten grundlegenden Schriften über psychologische Aspekte der Klaviertechnik”.
In addition to his concert activity, performing as a soloist and accompanist in several countries, Patrick Holming is also a teacher: since 1989 he teaches piano, harpsichord, keyboard, accompaniment and music theory at the Landesmusikschule Mariazell in Austria.
He has also lectured various groups of piano pedagogues, e.g. EPTA (European piano Teachers Association) and together with Univ. Prof. Richard Parncutt at the university for music and performing arts (Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst) in Graz.
Other events this fall are as follows.
CHOIR PRACTICE AUTUMN TERM 2019
START: FRIDAY AUGUST 2
FAMILY SERVICE AUGUST 4 – FIRST ATTEMPT AT MORE INFORMAL SERVICE WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE CONGREGATION
HARVEST FESTIVAL – SEPTEMBER 1
REHEARSALS FOR THE COMBINED CHOIR FOR THE ECUMENICAL SERVICE ALSO START IN AUGUST ON TUESDAY EVENINGS BUT AWAITING CONTACT WITH BIRGITTA SIMONSSON
THE ECUMENICAL SERVICE IS ON OCTOBER 20
REMEMBRANCE SERVICE – SUNDAY NOVEMBER 1O
CAROL SERVICE PRACTICES START IMMEDIATELY AFTER THAT WITH HELP FROM OTHER CHOIRS – WE NEED AT LEAST 5 WEEKS. The Dates to be announced.
SAINT ANDREW’S DAY
DECEMBER 8 . PEACE AND JUSTICE SUNDAY
