The First Presbyterian Church on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina is getting a new organ console at the end of the month.
And Richard Elliott, a principal organist with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, will help dedicate it during a free concert on Feb. 24 , according to The Island Packet, a newspaper for the Lowcountry of South Carolina.
The A. E. Schlueter Organ Co. built the organ, which is “one-of-a-kind and the first console of this type built by the company,” The Island Packet reported.
It has 72 ranks (or organ pipes), with 47 traditional and 25 digital ones. The entire organ will produce a cleaner sound and will also have some new digital kinks to it, like a record and playback feature, as well as a touch screen, according to The Island Packet.
Elliott’s experience with the Mormon Tabernacle includes playing a 206-rank Aeolian-Skinner organ.
He’s also performed on some of the world’s stages. In July 2016, Elliott performed a new piece called “Rhapsody for Brass Quintet and Organ,“ commissioned by Eric Ewazen, during the American Guild of Organists‘ biannual national convention in Houston.
“It was a thrill hearing Richard play my music,” Ewazen said. “I had listened to recordings of his playing, so I had a good sense of how musical he was. And hearing his performance live is a spectacular experience and an honor for me that a musician as great as that should be playing my music.”
Elliott performed four organ solos during the performance, which, he said, told the story of Jesus Christ.
“I wanted to paint a musical portrait of his life starting with prophecy, birth, Atonement and crucifixion and, finally, the Resurrection,” he said.
