Originally from Clarksville, TN, SRC student Sarah Gebhardt relocated to Macomb and is completing her general education requirements in preparation for transfer.
“I chose Macomb because I knew people here, and I wanted a fresh start into my adult life. The move is also a stepping stone to Chicago, where I plan to attend Concordia University Chicago.”
Sarah has visited Concordia several times. “I wanted to get a sense of life on campus, and to meet with the professors I would be studying under.” Concordia advisors have already confirmed that her credits will transfer, thanks to the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI), a statewide agreement that allows transfer of the complete Illinois General Education Core Curriculum between participating institutions.
Sarah plans to be a musician, although she is still contemplating what that will look like. “I am unsure which route I want to take because Concordia Chicago offers so many great options, but there is no doubt in my mind that I will pursue some sort of music degree.”
As she should. Sarah is an accomplished musician who plays flute, handbells, timpani (tuned kettle drums), piano, and sings. Next on her list to conquer is the French horn.
Sarah also plays the organ, learning on the Rocky Craft Organ in her hometown and playing daily until moving to Macomb. She also had the opportunity to play the hand-crafted Jaeckel tracker organ at the First Presbyterian Church in Portland, OR that has 52 stops, 69 ranks, 3 manuals, and 3,515 pipes, all of which means that it’s a fairly large pipe organ.
But it was when her family was planning a trip down the west coast that Sarah set her sights on something even bigger; the Hazel Wright Organ at Christ Church (formerly the Crystal Cathedral) in Garden Grove, CA. The fifth largest pipe organ in the world, with more than 17,000 pipes, more than 300 stops, and nearly 300 ranks, it plays from all four corners of the building and was the organ heard by millions of viewers who watched the Rev. Robert Schuller’s “Hour of Power” broadcasts.
“I had heard about the famous organ, and since we were going to be traveling through L.A., I took a chance and reached out to Christ Cathedral.” Not being a thing that visitors are normally allowed to do, Sarah said “it took a while” and she had to go through numerous people and do a lot of back and forth emailing before she was granted permission.
“The pipe organ is the king of instruments, and was the most complex piece of technology until the invention of the modern wrist watch. The Hazel Wright organ is a combination of organs, which is why it is so large. When I first approached it, I didn’t know how to feel. Hazel was a different kind of beast.”
Sarah described it as like being in a sandbox full of many toys to play with. “This organ has so many sound options (called stops), and Hazel has over 300 of them. Just think about how many combinations of stops could be made! She can go from the softest of sounds to the mightiest trumpets, and everything in between.”
Sarah’s tennis shoes are kicked aside in the picture, and she is wearing her own personal organ shoes, which are generally a thin layer of suede that allows an organist to feel the pedals and move across them smoothly. “They also have a small heel, because organists use both their toes and heels to play the pedals, all while their hands are playing something different on the manuals.”
For Sarah, it was a dream come true, and the experience will always hold a special place in her heart. “Playing Hazel felt mighty! Someday I would love to teach children how to play an organ. It’s becoming a lost art.”
Regardless of what degree and music career Sarah chooses, her passion for music and her drive to go after what she wants guarantees that she will be successful. We can’t wait to see what beautiful music awaits her.
To learn more about the transfer program and IAI, visit Transfer Out and IAI
Interested in learning more about the famous Hazel Wright Organ? Watch Hazel is Back on YouTube. She has quite the fascinating story!
