Phoebe Christos ’18, Abby Hogan ’18: The organ is one of the defining features of the Episcopal Class of 1944 Chapel, and with it’s impressive size and intricate array of pipes, it is not surprising that it took over four years to design and construct. John Powell, Middle School Math teacher and skilled organist, spent an intermittent eighteen months contributing to the design of the organ. He described the process as, “Fun and exciting, as well as an honor, a privilege, and a great opportunity.” When Powell was first approached about designing the organ, he noted he had a clear vision. Powell’s first thought was, “It needs to be bigger.” He stressed that, “I wanted to create an organ not only for the EA community, but also for the Philadelphia area,” and continued, “I wanted it to be an instrument that people would be honored to play, and have fun playing.”
Powell began playing at age thirteen, when he was a student at EA. “I sang in the choir and that got me close to the organ. I started looking and seeing what the organist, Mr. York, was doing in the console and I thought it was pretty cool,” he explained. “I asked to start lessons, and the rest was history.” Powell stressed the importance of practice in becoming a successful organist as well because, “In college, I practiced three hours every day.”
Photo Courtesy of Daisy Learnard ’18
Today, Powell plays the organ for Middle School chapel services. He recommended learning how to play the organ to those who are, “Experienced in piano and want to expand their horizons.” According to Powell, “The organ opens the doors for different types of music.” Though he readily admitted, “The greatest challenge that comes along with playing the organ is finding the time to practice, as it is not a portable instrument.”
James Erwin, Music Department Chair, and Upper School teachers Andrew Shimrock, and Christopher Row are organists as well. Erwin, welcomed to EA this year, plays the organ during Upper School Chapel services. With an undergraduate degree in classical piano, Erwin had the background to become an organist, but did not start playing until after college. “I taught myself playing in a church, and that was about five years off and on,” he revealed and also added, “Sometimes I would be the music director for the church, and other times I would be the organist.” He especially emphasized that, “Playing the organ is a very different way to think about music . . . it’s very intimidating but I love the challenge.”
Will Patterson ‘16 happens to be the only current EA student to play the organ. Like Erwin, Patterson has a background in classical piano. In eighth grade, Powell, inspired by Patterson’s talent on the piano, approached him about trying out the organ. “I started taking lessons from an organist at St. David’s Church, and I’ve been going ever since,” remarked Paterson. Like Powell, he maintained the notion that practice is the key to successful organ playing. “Playing the organ has taught me a great deal about practicing and learning new things.” Patterson can be found almost everyday in the chapel during Domino Block, practicing the musical instrument. “You need constant repetition to be even mediocre at playing the organ.”
When asked about the organ’s influence on the overall chapel experience, Ally Marino ‘18 expressed, “We love listening to the organ during chapel. It makes such a beautiful sound and everyone at EA respects and thanks those who contribute.”