— Organists and Organ Playing —

Absolutely the greatest … !

March 27, 2019

 

The Cathedral of Christ the Light, Oakland, CA

I have just come from the Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland, CA, where I had the great fortune of playing the Letourneau organ … and I have to say it is absolutely one of the greatest and most thrilling experiences of my life!

Oh, I have played many beautiful organs in beautiful churches all over the world, but THIS organ, in THIS building, has to score in the very top tier of great organs and great buildings. The best part of the experience, though, was having a joyful reunion with John Renke, who is the Pastoral Associate for Divine Worship and Operations in the Diocesan Office. He also plays the organ for most of the services … and what a thrill it must be to have this instrument at his disposal. There are about 7-8 seconds of reverberation, creating a velvety cushion for the sound to envelop you.

We had a delicious lunch where I took these pictures.

Here is John in his office.

I took a little video of John demonstrating the organ:

But, first, he gave me a grand tour of these fabulous facilities. The Cathedral was dedicated and consecrated on September 25, 2008 and the organ was built in 2009, making this the tenth year anniversary. The Cathedral of Christ the Light replaced the Cathedral of St. Francis de Salsa which was destroyed in the Loma Prieta earthquake.

The baptismal font
Christ the Omega Point, with the organ on two sides

 

The pulpit
The ceiling
Looking towards the rear of the Cathedral
Chapel of the Holy Family
In the mausoleum
Another chapel

And, here’s a video of me playing the second movement of the Bach-Vivaldi Concerto in D minor, BWV 596, on this gorgeous instrument.

Ah, bliss!

I’ll be going to the 10:00 am service on Sunday and will see John again for lunch, in addition to meeting the Director of Music, Rudy de Vos.