Pat Radosavlijevic
I have been playing the organ for church every Sunday since 5th grade, a little over fifty years. Having church closed on March 15 was extremely eerie! We didn’t have enough time to prepare a service for the 15th so our Pastor decided to record the next service on Friday, March 20. We were able to use the organ, record images of our church, and sing along with our soprano soloist (words projected on the video). Our tech person brought his two young children along and our Pastor even gave a children’s sermon. It was nice to hear the sermon from the comfort of my couch (rather than the hard organ bench). Now that we are ordered to shelter in place we will record at home and our tech person will put it all together. My husband will play the piano and I’ll use the organ stop on our electric keyboard. For the following week I’ll ask my son (bass baritone) and his girlfriend (soprano) to record hymns and an offering of music from their apartment (hope the neighbors don’t complain). I spent Sunday morning 3/22 attending the Live Stream at two other churches. I was curious to see what others are doing. It was enlightening to see what worked and what didn’t. It looks like we will celebrate Easter when our congregation can worship together again. I just pray I have time to prepare the choir and hire singers and instrumentalists!
I spent the last thirty years working full time in ophthalmology and as organist/choir director at Carter-Westminster Presbyterian Church, which left little spare time, so I wasn’t very active in the AGO. I was invited to join the NSAGO board about two years ago. I am very grateful for that invitation. Being back in the organ loop has helped me be a better organist. Attending concerts and programs has sparked my interest in organ literature and encouraged me to practice more. Hearing what others are doing is inspiring and a great resource. Thank you NSAGO!