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Enjoy past organ recitals that celebrated the 10th anniversary of the pipe organ!
James E. Bobb is the Elliot M. and Klara Stockdal Johnson Associate Professor of Organ and Church Music at St . Olaf College, director of the St. Olaf Cantorei, and Cantor to the Student Congregation. Bobb holds performer’s certificates and M.M. degrees and in organ and harpsichord performance and literature from the Eastman School of Music where his teachers included Russell Saunders and David Craighead in organ and Arthur Haas in harpsichord. Following in the Lutheran cantorial tradition, Bobb regularly composes or improvises music for weekly worship and directs the 80-voice St. Olaf Cantorei in concerts, worship services, and the annual St. Olaf Christmas Festival.
Catherine Rodland, whose playing has been described as “transcendent” (The American Organist), is Artist in Residence at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN. She graduated cum laude with departmental distinction in organ performance from St. Olaf in 1987 and received both the MM and DMA from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. At Eastman, Catherine received the prestigious Performer’s Certificate and the Ann Anway Award for excellence in organ performance. She is a prizewinner in several competitions including the 1994 and 1998 American Guild of Organists Young Artists Competition, the 1994 Calgary International Organ Competition, and the 1988 International Organ Competition at the University of Michigan for which she received first prize. Catherine has concertized extensively throughout the United States and Canada, and has been featured often on the syndicated radio program “Pipedreams” on National Public Radio. She was a featured performer at the American Guild of Organists National Convention online in July 2020. Catherine Rodland has been the organist of the Colonial Church of Edina since September, 2016.
Lucas Jindra, Organist
Lucas Jindra is a sophomore at St. Olaf College studying organ performance and physics. Lucas started piano lessons in middle school and transitioned to the organ in high school after his family moved to Boston. He is currently studying with Dr. Catherine Rodland and was previously under the instruction of John Russell. While not experimenting or practicing, you’ll find Lucas out in the St. Olaf Natural Lands or playing pool in what is known as ‘The Lion’s Pause’ at St. Olaf.
Aaron Looney, Organist
Aaron Looney is currently a student at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota where he is pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree in Church Music with an organ emphasis under Dr. Catherine Rodland. A native of Bridgewater, Virginia, Aaron’s musical interests began at the age of five on the piano before shifting to a passion for organ and choral music. A dedicated musician, Aaron performs regularly at St. Olaf on the organ and has the privilege of singing with the St. Olaf Choir. His aspirations are to continue to graduate school upon graduation from St. Olaf to pursue his masters and eventual doctoral degrees in choral conducting or organ performance.
Abbey Kelley-Lanser is a current junior pursuing a BM in Organ Church Music at St. Olaf College. She was first introduced to the organ at a Pipe Organ Encounter in her home state of Massachusetts. Since then, she began learning organ under Bess Sproul and continued lessons under Mark Mummert, cantor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Worcester, MA. She finished her last two years of high school with two Worcester Chapter American Guild of Organists Scholarship awards. Abbey now studies under Dr. Catherine Rodland at St. Olaf. Outside of her music studies, Abbey has passion for learning languages, composing music, creating visual art, dancing to Christian pop music, singing harmony with her sister, and engaging in deep theological discussions. You will rarely catch her without a smile on her face. After college, she hopes for her future to be filled with opportunities to conduct choirs and to move congregations in worship through God’s gift of music.
Gregory Peterson is Professor of Music and College Organist at Luther College, Decorah, Iowa, where he teaches applied organ, church music, music history, and January Term courses abroad. He is also conductor of Luther Ringers. From 2011-2017 he was Head of the Music Department.
A respected leader in the field of church music, Dr. Peterson served the historic Old South Church in Boston, Massachusetts as Organist and Minister of Music from 1997-2005. Prior to his appointment in Boston he was Visiting Assistant Professor of Music and Christ Chapel Organist at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota. He has also been a visiting professor at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington, and served as music director for churches in Connecticut, Iowa, Minnesota and Washington. For the past ten seasons, he has served as organist for the annual Christmas Festival concerts by the National Lutheran Choir.
Gregory Peterson earned the BA degree in music at Luther College. He holds the MM degree from Yale University in the Institute of Sacred Music where he was Hugh Giles Scholar and received the Harry B. Jepson Memorial Scholarship. He received the DMA degree in organ performance and pedagogy from the University of Iowa where was a Rahn Scholar and teaching assistant. He has participated in the Summer Institute for French Organ Study and the Gothenburg International Organ Academy in Sweden.
People of all ages enjoy celebrating the season with the classic Big Band sounds of this 20 member community group. A jazzy prelude to this concert was performed on our pipe organ!
Evan Schlicht & Oliver Steissberg split the time. Both organists are students at St Olaf College.
Katie Gunn is a junior at St. Olaf College pursuing a B.M. in Church Music/Organ. She is a student of Dr. Catherine Rodland. Prior to her time at St. Olaf, Katie studied with Carol Rosenthal and Dr. Mattilda Middleton. She is currently Organist at All Saints Episcopal Church in Northfield, MN. She was previously Organist at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Indianapolis and Organ Scholar at Colonial Church of Edina, MN. Growing up in Indianapolis, she sang in the choir of Christ Church Cathedral from 2007-2019. Katie was an intern at the Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation in Indianapolis during the summers of 2020 and 2021. In her spare time, Katie enjoys road cycling and spending quality time with her page turner.
When we purchased the organ from Macalester College in 2011, a complete pipe organ plan for SOTV was developed by the Holtkamp Organ Company. Because of the unique opportunity to obtain a quality instrument from Macalester, and interest rates for loans being very low, the SOTV Church Council approved a pipe organ project not to exceed one million dollars. At that time, the total cost of the project was about 1.2 million dollars. We then worked with Holtkamp to divide the project into two phases, with the first being a pipe organ that would serve us well for many years and have a price tag of under a million dollars, and the second being items which are needed, but could be added at a later date. We are now at that later date and ready to proceed with phase two, once funding is in place. Phase Two will include adding pipework from the Macalester organ which is currently being stored at the Holtkamp Organ Company. This pipework includes a four rank mixture for the pedal organ, and also several ranks of pipes which will be installed as an Antiphonal Organ. There will also be some new trumpet ranks to complete the Great Organ and and embellish the Antiphonal Organ. You may know that our original electronic organ had two speakers installed on the east wall of the sanctuary. You can still see the speaker covers on the wall. The purpose of the antiphonal organ is to help “draw” the sound of the organ from the west side of the sanctuary to the east side. Because of the long distance between those two walls, an antiphonal organ helps even out the sound of the organ. It is not intended to make the organ sound louder, just more even to the listener, no matter where they sit in the pews. Phase Two will include some pipework that will be installed as an Antiphonal Organ on the wall between the sets of upper and lower windows on the east side of the sanctuary.
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Affiliated with the ELCA and Saint Paul Area Synod
