Document text
Ginni Peterson’s been playing the organ at First Presbyterian Church in Medford since 1961. She began her music ministry at First Presbyterian with a 1920s Ryder organ and, in 1992, the old organ was replaced by a Schoenstein pipe organ. After 57 years of sacred music, Peterson will retire at the end of the year. The massive Schoenstein’s 1,926 pipes fill the east wall of the church. The organ has three keyboards, which are called manuals, and the pedalboard has two sets of foot pedals. Custom designed for First Presbyterian, the Schoenstein has four divisions, 29 stops, 30 registers and 37 ranks — these change the tone and sound produced by the manuals and pedals. According to Peterson, playing an organ can be like rubbing your head and patting your stomach, a dance of head, hands and feet. “It’s a challenge to get your hands and feet and mind coordinated at the same time and you’ve got to do several things at the same time,” Peterson says. “I just enjoy it.” Peterson is a classically trained organist and has played the instrument since she was a small child; in high school, she played the organ in the Presbyterian Church where her father was a minister. Peterson graduated from Lewis & Clark College in 1960 with a degree in music education and on graduation was recruited to teach in Medford by Lynn Sjolund. It wasn’t long before she was playing the organ at First Presbyterian. “It’s a wonderful instrument with some very quiet sounds, but it can be loud and commanding,” Peterson says. Pastor Murray Richmond is front and center at First Presbyterian and agrees. “Ginni sometimes does what she calls “pipe dusters,” Richmond says. “She pulls out all the stops — it’s not quite as loud as being front row at a Neil Young concert, but close.” Playing the organ during services is only one part of this part-time job. There are also choir rehearsals, memorial services, weddings. “You’ve got to do preparation, search out the music you want to learn, then learn it and get it ready for services,” Peterson says. “There’s a lot of preparation and you can’t just whip out the music on Sunday morning.” First Presbyterian’s Schoenstein organ was installed in 1992, thanks in good part to the generosity of Agnes and George Flanagan, longtime members of the church. The Flanagans also were major contributors to Lewis & Clark’s Casavant pipe organ, which was installed in the Portland university’s chapel in 1971, and Southern Oregon University’s Balcom and Vaughan pipe organ, which was installed in 1974. SOU music professor Dr. Margaret Evans recalls that the pledges SOU received for the recital hall pipe organ came in from all over the country, thanks to Agnes Flanagan’s connections. “Agnes was energy, a go-getter, and George was more quiet but he was very strong, too — they complemented each other very well,” Peterson remembers. “When Agnes laughed, the whole room laughed; you knew she was there. She could sing every verse without looking at the hymn book.” George Flanagan was general manager and vice president of Medford’s Elk Lumber Co. and oversaw the construction of the north Medford mill on Pacific Highway. George was one of the first to advocate air pollution controls in the 1950s and was well-known for his leadership and management skills. Both he and Agnes gave generously in the community, creating scholarships for students, making donations to the local Community Chest and to some of the first retirees at the Rogue Valley Manor who fell on hard times. The First Presbyterian congregation loves the majestic sounds of its pipe organ and appreciates Ginni’s skill and mastery of the instrument. “Ginni never makes a mistake! She takes wonderful literature, she keeps updating and practicing. It’s really quite incredible,” says Sjolund. “She looks at different kinds of musical solutions to find the best one and the consistency of her playing is really quite amazing.” Sjolund’s wife, Doris, says much the same, and has collected testaments from the congregation about Peterson’s playing: “Listening to Ginni play always makes me feel closer to God,” says one admirer. “She’s as much of the church as the stained glass windows,” says another. “There’s an organ in heaven with your name on it,” says a third. There’s a certain amount of stress playing the Schoenstein pipe organ for services, and sometimes Peterson wants to play the Schoenstein just for the sake of playing it. Even after 57 years, she’s still learning, still experimenting with different sounds; still practicing, practicing, practicing, keeping her hands strong and limber. “Playing for myself is for my own amusement, my own amazement. The enjoyment of being able to play the organ is fantastic and it fills my soul,” Peterson says. “I hope they don’t take away my keys so I can sneak in there and play every now and then.” Reach Ashland freelance writer Maureen Flanagan Battistella at [email protected].