Duet for organ and canine

I try to make it down to the Spreckels Organ Pavilion at least once during summer. There is a concert at the Organ Pavilion every Monday night at 7:30 p.m. through August 31.

On Monday night, July 20, I hit Pershing Drive and caught the Rising Star concert featuring organist Thomas Mellan, Soprano Christen Blair Horne, and flutist Carlos Aguilar. All three of these youths are accomplished makers of the music.

The programming was solid, with well-known composers such as Schubert, Saint-Saens, and Liszt. I must say that the Schubert was kind of weird on the organ. Schubert wrote his songs for voice and piano. I thought it would be cool to hear on the organ. I was wrong. It was bizarre.

The performers themselves were great. They were full of energy and enthusiasm and weren’t shy about letting that come across.

There were a few unexpected twists, given the outdoor venue. The fog had come in, so planes were taking off over the park (instead of landing), which created a little more air traffic noise than normal.

Also, dogs are allowed, and during one of the flute pieces we had a canine contribution. It was just one well-placed "woof" which fell at exactly the right spot in the music. I wasn’t expecting to hear a duet with flute and dog, but I have to say we all thought it was great.