by Zach Ewell (G3)
I began my yearslong journey to become an organist with a cold email to a professor in Salt Lake City. She agreed to teach me only after I auditioned for lessons, playing a couple of simple pieces. Throughout my senior year of high school, I would drive an hour each way before school on Wednesday mornings for lessons, missing my calculus class to make it work. During undergrad, I minored in organ performance and had the opportunity to play on a variety of church organs, including the famous Salt Lake Tabernacle organ that has over 11000 pipes. Before we moved to Nashville, my wife Kaylee and I performed a joint organ recital where we played classical works ranging from the Baroque to contemporary eras. Since joining the MSTP, I have played the organ at the LDS church in Green Hills, switching off each week with Kaylee and practicing on the organ we have at our house.
I love the sheer range of sounds you can play on the organ, all the way from a single flute to “pulling out all the stops” on a massive instrument that rivals the sound of a full symphony. As a church organist, I enjoy being a part of people’s worship, setting the tone for the meeting and elevating others’ spiritual experience.
Now in grad school, I plan to continue playing for our local congregation, exploring composition and hymn improvisation, and finding opportunities to play on some of the pipe organs here in Nashville.
