Leora Zeitlin

Organist John Hutchinson knows pipe organs inside and out, having worked with organ builders, built them, fixed them, and studied and performed on the instrument since he was a kid. Hutchinson was invited to perform the first concert in the Ben & Janis Boykin Organ Series at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, playing on the very organ that inspired him when he was in sixth grade to be an organist. He is now the Director of Music & Arts and Organist at Cumming First United Methodist Church, outside of Atlanta.

We've all seen beautiful paintings and photographs of doors; far less common is music inspired by them. NMSU tuba professor Dr. Jim Shearer asked his colleague, Lon Chaffin (Music Department Chair) to write a work inspired by doors -- and using photographs taken by Albuquerque artist Jim Gale, Chaffin incorporated the images into a multi-media composition. Shearer also commissioned Arkansas-based composer Lester Pack and NMSU alumnus Justin Raines to compose new works.

By Leora Zeitlin