How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place

January 8th, 2011 - East Lake United Methodist Church - Hymn Festival for Epiphany - John D. Schwandt, Organ

For the past seven years Barry Norris, the organist and choirmaster at East Lake United Methodist Church, has worked with friends to restore old pipework from all over the eastern United States, and blend it into a musical, cohesive whole of a newly built 96 rank pipe organ.

The East Lake UMC congregation dedicated the organ to the glory of God on Sunday, January 8, 2012, during the 9 a.m. worship service. The congregation continued the celebration with this Hymn Festival at 2:30 p.m.

The festival was led by a choir of East Lake members and friends from all over the city of Birmingham, and was accompanied by Dr. John Schwandt, professor of organ music from the University of Oklahoma. Dr. Schwandt is a nationally acclaimed performer and is in demand as a clinician, recitalist, leader of hymn festivals, silent film accompanist, and an organ consultant.

The hymn festival celebrated the season of Epiphany and the life of Jesus with hymns about Jesus' birth and the wise men, the flight to Egypt, Christ's baptism, the calling of the disciples, Christ's anticipated death and resurrection, and the Transfiguration. After a few verses of each hymn were sung, Dr. Schwandt turned each one into a classical organ composition!