The Importance of Music
Ever since I was young, I was obsessed with ‘making’, whether making food or making my siblings upset. Some people make money, something at which I am less fortunate, but I knew that was never my calling. Instead, I love to make music. When I first visited the Episcopal Church of St. Luke’s, Dixon, I experienced the enrapturing sound of the organ. I was hooked immediately, writing my first composition at the age of 13 and accompanying choirs at 14; Diademata being the first. The obsession to create has opened many doors in my life, such as studying with Gregory Gyllsdorff, a fellow of the AGO, and maintaining friendships with organ designers and keyboard enthusiasts alike.
Today, I attend North Park University in Chicago, but I visit home and St. Luke’s as frequently as I can. Eventually, I would like to become a church musician and accompany mass regularly. Until then, I need more training and depend greatly upon independent scholarships. If there were one thing I could say about the organ, it would be that it is alive and thriving. However, it is a gift which can only be shared from one generation to another.
Isaac Rhea