The music you hear when this page loads is me playing the begining of Bach's Toccata in D minor on the pipe organ at the Episcopal Church in Greenville. Below is Sanctus on the same organ.
The organ is my favorite instrument and my favorite type of music. You can hear me play J.S. Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor by clicking below. Keep in mind that Bach wrote this when he was only a teenager. It was his way of rebelling and saying look what I can do! He would be embarassed to know that this is probably the most famous organ piece ever written. He wrote many more wonderful pieces throughout his life. This performance was for the 2005 Men's Chorale Variety Show on the 1972 Cassavant pipe organ in the Concert Hall at Wright State University.
You can hear me play Berceuse by Louis Vierne
by clicking below. It is a lullaby that Vierne wrote for his daughter. Vierne suffered from a large degree of blindness all of his life.
You can hear in his music that becuase of his blindness, he composed from a place that most people never go.
This performance was for the 2006 Dayton AGO student recital.
You can hear me play Erbarm’ dich mein, O Herre Gott by JS Bach and
Christus, der uns Selig Macht from the Orgelbuchlein by JS Bach by clicking below. These two songs are two
of my favorite pieces. The first song is based on Psalm 51, and the repeated chords are meant as pleading while the upper, floating
chorale melody is the prayer. The second song for Lent and concerns Jesus dying for sinners. It has a darker feel as it really grinds.
This performance was for the 2005 Dayton AGO student recital.
You can hear me play The Star-Spangled Banner by clicking below. This performance opened the 2007 Men's Chorale Variety Show, again, on the pipe organ in the Concert Hall at Wright State University.
You can hear me play the chorale Jesus Christ, our Saviour by Marcel Dupre by clicking below. This performance is on the pipe organ at Mack Memorial Church of the Brethren in Dayton.
You can hear me play Improvisation from Suite Medievale by Jean Langlais
by clicking below. This performance is on the pipe organ at Mack Memorial Church of the Brethren in Dayton.
You can hear me play Allein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ (Lord Christ, on Thee my Hope is Stayed) by Johann Pachelbel
by clicking below. This performance is on the pipe organ at Mack Memorial Church of the Brethren in Dayton. Contrary to
most other organ pieces in which the pedal notes form the foundation of the chords, the pedal notes in this are intermediate
pitches of the chord. It makes the piece sound entirely different.
You can hear me play Toccata from Symphony No. 5 for Organ by Charles-Marie Vidor by clicking below. This performance was for the 2006 Men's Chorale Variety Show on the pipe organ in the Concert Hall at Wright State University.
I am currently the only organ student at WSU. My teacher is Dr. J. Ritter Werner.
Here is my not-quite-cozy, little organ practice room.
Below is a picture of the principles in the organ at Mack Memorial. They vary in length from 16 ft. to 3 in.
Organ playing, as of recently, has become a dying profession. Many of the current organists are in their later years of life, and not enough students are learning the art to take their places. I am determined to become proficient at playing the organ because I find it relaxing. It is a nice break and stress reliever from the intensive work of engineering.
I thank God for giving the tallent to play such a wonderful instrument.
