By Dr. Carol Williams | Civic Organist News
Shall I play the Spreckels Organ tonight?
She doth call me in her silenced pavilion
The weather is much fair and it is still light
Her pipes are quiet and she sleepeth like a civilian
When the gigantic door doth open
This lion speaketh a roar for all
And every being is awoken
And I at the keyboards, am King of All
Her music doth glide over the valleys
She singeth in every place
Her sound doth glide into the galleys
She singeth for every grace
As long as we can hear and see
The Spreckels Organ is a gift to thee
—“Spreckels Singeth,” a sonnet written by Dr. Carol Williams for “Celebrity Sonnet Presentations” at The Old Globe, Oct. 12, 2015
I had the pleasure of presenting this at the Old Globe Theatre here in San Diego. I grew up with Shakespeare and always struggled with him — great guy but for me, and most of my classmates, we would have rather read something else.
As one looks back, gosh as we get older, we view things in a different light. Anyway, for the Celebrity Sonnets Evening I ended on a sonnet my husband had chosen — No. 62 about egos and stuff. So I decided to write a sonnet for our beloved Spreckels organ. As we say here in the USA, “enjoy!”
As the nights grow darker and with hopefully a spot of rain — hey we can always dream — the month of November is a great month of anticipation and there will be much festive music at the organ pavilion.
On Sunday Nov. 29, I will have the youth Thanksgiving concert at the organ pavilion. Joining me on stage will be the three young winners of the Spreckels Organ Scholarships. These young artists are amazing and you will be wowed by them. Do come along if you can and support them.
This year has certainly passed quickly and I thank you readers for reading this column. See you in December. Dr. Carol
—Civic Organist Carol Williams is proud to serve as an ambassador of San Diego’s arts and culture arena. Through her concert performances at home and abroad, Carol offers a fresh take on the classical organ concert. She is committed to illuminating San Diego’s colorful romance with the “King of Instruments,” always seeking to bring the organ to new audiences. For more information visit sosorgan.com.
