Friends, I’m so excited to let you know about the release of a live concert recording that our young organist, Chelsea Chen, performed last year on our 7,000-pipe Ruffatti organ. There’s a lot of off thinking out there when it comes to musical style in the church these days. One of those skewed ideas is that the pipe organ has no place in the modern church music paradigm. A year ago I engaged an experimental thought project about what the future of the pipe organ might be because of the shifting of the guard in old downtown historic churches, and only a few months ago, I sat at a conference table at Wheaton College with a selected handful of faculty, publishers, and artists who were all asking the question about how the pipe organ fits in the present and the future of church music. I’m thrilled to be a part of a church that is asking that question and seeking answers through generous practices like melding rock music with all of the wonderful aesthetics a pipe organ has to offer.

As we go about those explorations, we continue to be committed to supporting local, national, and international organists who are at the top of their field in our annual concert series.

When I sat through Chelsea’s concert last year, I witnessed several in the audience whose preconceptions about the organ were blown away by the sounds, colors, styles, and expressions that an organ can offer when commanded by the hands, feet, intellect, and artistry of a great organist. Chelsea Chen Live at Coral Ridge is a time-stamped testimony to the continued relevance and power of an enduring instrument in the history of church music. 

The whole concert was glorious. My favorite moment was the surprising color that came from “Miroir,” by modern composer Ad Wammes. Its minimalist feel with its salsa-like groove struck a particular chord with me.

Please tell all your friends about this project! It’s available on iTunes and bandcamp.