westpoint organist craig williams

[yfd4]

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Return to the "POINTER VIEW"
May 12, 2000


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Making music
Cadet Chapel gets new organist

Story and photos by Kimberly Garrett
Staff Writer


Cadet Chapel’s new organist, Craig Williams, sits in front of one of the perks of his new position -- the world’s largest fully-functional pipe organ.
Every day he drives over an hour each way to get to work.

The drive is long and sometimes stressful, and the road is often congested and under construction. But that doesn’t matter. It is all worth it, he said, because he loves his new job here as the Cadet Chapel’s organist.

Craig Williams received a bachelor’s degree in piano performance from the University of Southern California. He decided to move to New York in the fall of 1984 to pursue his master’s in piano at Juliard.

Soon after getting it, Williams said he decided to go after a second master’s -- in organ.

"I found more and more that my calling was to be a church musician," he explained. "So I decided that I needed more formal training and I got my second master’s degree in organ at Westminster Choir College."

Williams said his love of music began very early, when he was just a child.

"My mother was a soprano soloist who sang in church choirs, so I think that listening to her performances and being a part of a family supporting her really inspired a love of music in my very early days," Williams explained.

That love of music has continued, he said, especially the love for organs and organ music, which he has been playing for 19 years.

Williams said his love for organs was fulfilled the minute he saw the Cadet Chapel instrument, which is the world’s largest, fully functional pipe organ housed in a religious building. And, he said, he’s ready for the unique challenges West Point offers.

"When I came to the Cadet Chapel, there was a real desire for blended worship. They understood they had traditions that they would not forsake, but, on the other hand, we are ministering to a group of 18-22 year olds so something had to change," he explained.

The real challenge, Williams said, is to somehow find a balance between the old and the new, while at the same time maintaining excellence in performance.

"My goal is to infuse the cadets, officers and visitors with a feeling that they are not just coming to chapel, they are participating in the ministry," he said.

[rcaamo]

I lived for some time near West Point, NY and had the chance one day to visit the chapel without knowing what I was about to see. I turned and looked down into a ditch, I thought, only to find that marvelous instrument. It is located at the front of the sanctuary on the left side just at the point of connection with the congregation. I am sure we have all seen it, but just in case here is a site where the console and specifications are depicted:

http://members.xoom.virgilio.it/bert...st%20Point.htm

It seems to continue to be the largest church pipe organ with 576 ranks and 20,142 pipes. I make note of this just to say that whoever sits down at that organ deserves our admiration and respect.