Recital to reintroduce organ to St. Luke’s

Residents of Sea Cliff will get the chance to hear the restored organ at Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church play for the first time since its completion at the rededication ceremony and organ recital on Nov. 6.
This will mark the first time in at least 25 years, if not longer, that the Saint Luke’s organ will be used for a public recital. The organ itself, which was recently discovered to have been built and installed in 1912, has undergone renovation.
Gerald Anders, a member of the Saint Luke’s congregation and former professional organist and church music conductor, has been one of the principal players in getting the organ renovated. According to Anders, this recital marks an opportunity not just to celebrate the completion of the organ, but also an opportunity to gather Sea Cliff residents under one roof and promote both the appreciation for the arts and the history of a musical instrument which has been in the village for over a century.
“Once we decided to do the work on the organ, we said we need to make it something that the whole village would have a chance to hear,” Anders said. “It’s very much a community focused church, so we figured it would be a good thing to have this dedication and concert open to the entire community at no charge.”
Part of the event will also include a rededication, a brief religious celebration which will serve to bless the organ and purify it before its inaugural performance. Jesse Lebus, the pastor at Saint Luke’s, explained that although the rededication ceremony is brief, it is a very important aspect of reintegrating the organ into the religious services at the church.

“Because the organ is in a church and its primary use will be to accompany church we honor it with a dedication,” Lebus said. “The dedication is for the sake of the instrument as a gift, as something that’s played in church, and the concert is a way to allow folks to hear the organ who might not otherwise hear it on a Sunday morning.”
The event will begin at 6 p.m., and will feature Carol Weitner, the organist for Saint John’s Episcopal Church in Cold Spring Harbor since 1994, as the headliner. Saint John’s was also Lebus’ former congregation, marking a nice reunion of pastor and organist.
Weitner is a highly respected organist, who has performed nationally and internationally from Chicago to the Czech Republic, and holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts, the musical equivalent of a PhD. Weitner explained that when she was approached to do the recital she was immediately interested, as she says she enjoys public performances and the chance to build a musical program for a new group.
“I love to do recitals. I love to try to come up with programs that will appeal to an audience that maybe isn’t accustomed to organ recitals,” Weitner continued. “I try to find music that fits the instrument.”
For the event, Weitner will be playing a musical medley, with three major pieces by Bach, Mozart and DuBois serving as the entrée of the event. She will also include some smaller sets by more modern French, American and Canadian composers as well.
Weitner also mentioned how excited she was to get the chance to play on such a historic instrument. She’s already had the chance to practice on it and says she’s looking forward to playing it once its fully renovated.
“I think it’s lovely, you know, especially for a small organ it has some really nice sounds,” Weitner said. “I think people will really enjoy listening to it.”