Market Street Presbyterian Church

As the old song says: “nothin’ could be “fine-a” than a fall drive up to Lima in the mo-oor-ning”!  I have added to my extensive list of “repeat concerts” a second performance playing the beautiful Schantz Pipe Organ at Market Street Presbyterian Church.  Since my first program, in the late 1990’s, the church has upgraded the operational system with multiple memories and a Schulmerich G5 Celebration Carillon, so I now have enough combination pistons to show LOTS of “autumn colors” to “leaf” the audience with great musical memories and sounds of English and American bells as well as harp and celesta.

My programming assignment was to play twenty minutes of light classical, twenty minutes of hymns and twenty minutes of pops!  The program began and ended with operatic selections:  Meyerbeer’s Coronation March and a medley of six songs from Bizet’s Carmen.  In between, Clokey, Handel, Post, Bish, Purvis, Wagner, and a “seventh inning stretch” featuring a Presbyterian Chicken dance which was done “decently and in order”.  As an organist, one item I especially appreciated is a full compliment of Sub and Super Intra and Inter Manual Couplers plus Unison Offs, which allows me to create stops at different octaves which “aren’t actually present”, such as a 16′ Quintation and 2′ Blockflote becoming 8′ and 1′ flutes.  I was able to program MULTIPLE flute colors for the various effects in today’s pieces including Purvis’ PETITE CLOCKS which also featured the Schulmerich Bells and Celesta.

It couldn’t have been a more gorgeous fall day to make the trip with Cheri.  The fall light streamed into the windows of the church highlighted the beautiful fall decorations, pumpkins and “leaf-ery” in every window demonstrating Presbyterian Pumpkin “Pie-ty”.

We enjoyed meeting the good folks from Market Street and the surrounding community.  Thanks John Hutchinson, Music Director at Market Street for making these arrangements.  The afternoon was complete with the drive home recalling all the Ohio towns along I-75 from Cincinnati to Lima where I’ve played concerts on Rodgers Organs for my friend Jerry Dulski.  Also, hat’s off (!) to Fazoli’s in Troy, Ohio for the most delicious BAKED ITALIAN TRIO of Lasagna, Baked Spaghetti and Fettucini Alfredo with multiple breadstix!