Organist Caroline Robinson will be the first performer for the 2018 November Organ Recital Series. Get to know the the Minister of Music at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Pittsford, NY ahead of her recital on Sunday, November 4.

Q: What inspired you to become an organist?

A: When I was 12, my home church hired a new organist and choirmaster, a high school senior, who played with virtuosity and fire as well as accompanying the service in an exciting, meaningful way. Having never seen or heard a young person play the organ, I was inspired and immediately decided this was something I wanted to do. Just as the new organist finished the postlude, I turned and asked my mother if I could pursue organ lessons. The new organist became my organ teacher, and the momentum hasn’t stopped since that day.

Q: What do you look forward to the most whenever you sit at an organ for the first time?

A: I love discovering the secrets the organ has to offer, including its beautiful solo sounds, the combinations of stops that construct a smooth buildup from pianissimo to forte, how the sound of the organ manifests in the room, and what makes it sing. An organ is an instrument of breath and wind, each one unique just as each human voice is unique.

Q: What sounds to do look forward to hearing played on our Dobson?

A: Truly the whole thing! But especially the combination of strings and celestes in the swell and solo, the big tubas and trumpets in the solo, and the original E.M. Skinner stops, including the Corno d’Amore of the Choir and the 8’ Clarinet of the Solo. 

Hear Caroline play at IPC on Sunday at 4 pm. The event is free and open to the public.