When one wanders into Christ Church (where Saint Stephen’s holds its chapels), the first thing one hears is the bellowing of the organ as the student body files into the pews. An often-asked question is: Who is the person behind the pipes, playing that beautiful music?

Well, there are two organists who work together to keep the music going. The tunes that echo off the chapel walls are played by Mr. Bill Holt and Junior Caroline Kelly, who share the duties of chapel organ performances.

The building of the organ in Christ Church was no small endeavor.  In fact, it cost roughly 1.3 million dollars!  In 2000, the church and school commissioned a committee to begin researching pipe organs and eventually bring an organ builder to the church. After searching the globe, the committee found their perfect builder in Quebec, Canada.

The final deal to build the organ was “cut on a napkin” in here in Bradenton, according to Holt. The deal was cut for a 75-rank, 68-stop mechanical pipe organ (apparently, this is very impressive for those in the know) to be built by Orgues Letourneau, an instrument company in Saint Hyacinth, Quebec, Canada.

The organ was dedicated on February 11, 2007. The cost of the mighty organ, as said before, was roughly 1.3 million US dollars, boasting an impressive 4200 pipes.

Mr. Holt, having grown up in Europe, developed a taste for classical music and instruments. Specifically, the pipe organ, which he calls “the king of instruments.” Mr. Holt says that having a background in piano helped him learn the organ, though they are completely different and it is not necessary to know the piano.

Caroline Kelly says her love for organ originated from her piano teacher. “My piano teacher was Jakob Hamilton [class of 2016], and in his senior year, he started teaching me organ as well, so that when he left, I could continue his legacy and hopefully start a tradition of student organists at Saint Stephens.”

Caroline and Mr. Holt have collaborated on multiple music assignments and Mr. Holt believes that Caroline has an extremely promising future both in academics and music. Mr. Holt believes that being able to play such a strong and powerful instrument has a profound effect on the lives of those who play it.

When I got the chance to go see the organ up close, and take a look inside its belly, which goes behind the facade of pipes, the immense size and magnitude was breathtaking. The quality and workmanship that went into the organ is unprecedented. The wonderful instrument in our chapel is a staple of the Saint Stephen’s community.

Everyone at Saint Stephen’s community knows the beautiful sound of the organ rumbling in the church. We all appreciate the lovely music that we are presented with twice a week by what Hold considers “perhaps the most amazing organ in the southeastern United States.”