Organ Donors (It’s Not What You Think)

One of the joys of Nathan’s time at USU was his organ lessons. And as his time in in college approached its end, he decided that he wanted to do a senior recital. As he began his last semester of school, he mentioned his desire to his organ teacher, and she supported his idea wholeheartedly. As an organ professor, she has some connections and intel about the many organs in our area and had a perfect location in mind. There is a Methodist church in downtown Salt Lake that not only has the oldest pipe organ on the Wasatch front (yes, older than the famous tabernacle organ) but also invites community members to use their organ and church as a performance space. Apparently, the donors that help fund the maintenance and running of the church want to make the organ accessible to musicians because it allows more people to play and appreciate an amazing historical instrument. They generally charge a fee as this helps give them the funds they need to run and maintain the church and the organ, but for students they waive the fee. Nathan was completely on board with that location and scheduled his recital for two weeks after graduation. Since this recital was not a graduation requirement or anything like that, he figured that it would give him several stress-free weeks to practice. In fact, one of the really good things about this particular recital is that because Nathan is not a music major, he could approach his senior recital as a completely optional, totally enjoyable experience. There were no juries and no faculty with the power to nix his graduation. It was a stress-free way to share the joy he has found in playing the organ with his friends and family. 

Nathan’s recital was this afternoon. Kevin, Malia, and I picked Kevin’s mom up on the way, so she was able to attend. Daniel and Tawni as well as one of Tawni’s sisters and a good friend accompanied them. Nathan had other friends from Logan drive down and Stevie, one of his roommates during his first semester in college prior to his mission, drove up from Provo. Nathan’s first ever piano teacher and a beloved neighbor of ours was in attendance with her husband, whom we also adore. One of Nathan’s good friends from high school arrived with her one-year-old daughter in tow. Her husband, another longtime friend of Nathan’s, had to be at work, but Maddie and her daughter, who loves music and behaved perfectly for such a little soul, made attendance a priority. And there were a few others connected with the church that came. Nathan was so pleased with the amount of support he got. It was nice to see a goodly sized group of young adults drive down from Logan for the event, especially since Nathan’s friends rarely stick around long term. And he was so pleased to be able to play yet another amazing historic organ. 

And it was a beautiful organ with a wonderful sound. Nathan chose a variety of contrasting pieces that allowed him to showcase everything from the quiet, gentle stops to the big, building rumbling moments that only a pipe organ can create. This particular organ has such a warm, rich sound and as always, I loved being able to feel the vibrations when Nathan played the big, loud parts! The folks from the church that Nathan worked with to coordinate practice times were so happy to accommodate him and they mentioned to us that he is welcome to go back and play the organ whenever he would like. He just needs to check in with them to make sure the church is open and that no one else is scheduled to use the space. I love their great desire to see their organ played as often as possible and their willingness to invite all to do so, not just members of their congregation! They have a good relationship with our church and have consulted with them in matters concerning repair and preservation of some of the stained glass in their building, and honestly, it was so good to rub shoulders with other Christians who just love and accept regardless of denomination. It was a reminder to me that there are good people all over. 

This afternoon’s events feel like the end of an era to me. It has been a great four years as Nathan has learned to love playing the organ and has had the chance to play so many great instruments. I don’t know when he will have a chance to play one of these historic organs or have an opportunity to play for others besides the times he plays for regular church meetings. But for now, he is basking in the glow of a recital well played, well attended, and well loved.