How I Got to Play the Organ at the Assembly Hall

In the beginning of October I was asked to accompany a choir for stake conference as well as to play for the Sunday session. I accepted and then found out that two of the three choir numbers were on the organ - Come, Come Ye Saints and Praise to the Lord. I could have played the third (Sweet is the Peace the Gospel Brings) on the organ as well, but for my own stress levels I chose to play it on the piano. If having to play these pieces was daunting, I soon found out that the Sunday morning session was going to be at the Assembly Hall on Temple Square and that I was going to have to be approved to play the organ.

This organ!

I was not particularly thrilled at all of this unexpected knowledge. I don't feel I am that great of an organist and have never accompanied a choir on the organ before. In fact, the only songs I had played besides the hymns were the technical pieces I learned while taking lessons. So, much practice was going to be needed and fast. I put in one and a half to two hours of organ practice a day six days a week at the church just up the street. I didn't practice on Sunday because I had to go to the two hour choir practices.

Two weeks into October I got a call from Clay Christiansen to meet with him at the Assembly Hall and get approved to play the organ. (In case you didn't know Clay Christiansen is one of the Tabernacle Choir organists.) I was not at all to performance level on any of pieces at this time. So, needless to say, I was not the least bit thrilled or excited to meet with him. In fact, the best possible outcome would be for him not to approve of me.

I arrived early on that Friday afternoon to meet with him. He was late, which was actually a good thing because it gave me some time to calm my nerves. As it turns out he did approve me to play the organ. He spent the next hour or so with me going through all of my music and showing me how I should play it and creating presets for all of the pieces. (This means he helped me pick out the sounds for all of the pieces and when to change them.) I even got my own preset channel on the organ. I was number 10. It actually turned out to be a mini organ lesson. He did comment on my technique saying that it looked like I knew the right organ technique, I just needed more practice. I had borrowed my mom's organ shoes for this because she has official Organ Master shoes. I don't. I left this meeting with a lot more confidence than I had arrived with.

Early the next week he called me and set up practice times for me at the Assembly Hall. We scheduled four two hour sessions for me, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 am to noon. Now, two of my practice times a week were spent at the Assembly Hall, where anyone and everyone could come and hear. I also found out at this time that the Stake President had changed the hymns for the meeting and added a rest hymn. I'd already spent hours practicing the previous hymns. I was not well pleased, but I acquiesced without a fight. However, if they decided to change them the week before, they would have heard my irritation on the matter. I was now playing Guide Us, Oh Thou Great Jehovah, Let Us All Press On and Press Forward Saints. Not the easiest hymns in the hymnbook, that's for sure.

On Thursday of week three I came down with the flu. Lucky me! So I actually missed two days of practice. Although, I did get up and go practice that Friday at the Assembly Hall. It was my worst practice session. Surprise!?!

It wasn't until our third Sunday practice that I felt comfortable enough to play the pieces on the organ with the choir. (I'd been playing them on the piano up until this point.) But it wasn't until our fourth and last practice that I was actually pleased with my performance. Then that Friday (two days before performance) Sonja, the conductor, met me at the Assembly Hall to practice. Oh, and I forgot to mention that she is a graduate student up at the U in conducting. She needed to come and practice with me because I wouldn't be able to see her when she was conducting the choir or congregation. I had to focus a camera on her so I could see her on the tv that's placed on the organ.

My mom came down the last practice and took pictures.

She actually caught me practicing!

Oh and did you notice the three keyboards (not counting the pedals) and that there are pipes in front and back of me.

I learned on Friday that Come, Come Ye Saints was changed to be played on the Saturday session. So early on Saturday morning I went to the stake center and figured out the stops and presets I'd need for the performance. Then at nine I performed that and Sweet is the Peace at our morning session of stake conference. It all turned out well. I even played my interlude note perfect, but 40+ hours of practice should have helped. As a side note, I find it interesting that the girl chosen to play the organ on Saturday only had to play one, yes, one congregational hymn and prelude and postlude. Why did I get so lucky!?!

Sunday, we arrived at the Assembly Hall at 12:30 pm so I could get some last minute practice in. We practiced with the choir for half of an hour, then I started my prelude which culminated in Praise to the Lord with the choir. It wasn't my best rendition, but it was good. I was nervous about my hymns because I changed presets between verses. I didn't mess up on that and played my introductions well. In the end I only left out my pedals for one measure, because I kind of lost my place. It all turned out better than I had anticipated. The only interesting point of the conference was that they never formally thanked me for playing the organ, but they thanked Sonja three times. I am choosing not to be bitter or frustrated by that. I found out right before the last hymn that my mom had come to hear my perform. I have an awesome mom!

Sonja and me afterwards. All I can say is Hooray, it's over at last!