Staff Writer- Cora Hess
As the spring semester of 2026 gears into motion, Dr. Chad Winterfeldt, Cantor of Christ Chapel, is preparing to share his musical talents with Gustavus. From beginning the organ at 16 years old, to sharing his expertise for all of Gustavus to hear, join Winterfeldt in this beautiful experience “Pulling Out All the Stops: Dance Music on the Organ” at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 30th in Christ Chapel. With this recital being filled with only Winterfeldt’s playing, he will be speaking on some of the music played during his performance. “I also will invite people to sit in the organ loft, so they can watch more closely the action at the organ,” Winterfeldt said.
From 3 years old, Winterfeldt has had an interest in organ music: “My dad worked at a college with a well-known organist named Paul Manz, and we had a lot of his albums that would be playing all the time.” In high school, he had a piano teacher who required a term of organ studies. He furthered his piano education with a plan to major in piano at Concordia College, but later decided the organ seemed more intriguing. “So, I switched to organ and have been at it ever since,” he said. He hopes everyone will come and experience the beauty of the organ. If you sit in the balcony, he says, “You will see a lot of the complexity of playing with one’s feet, and changing the stops, which control the different sounds.”
The recital has a theme: music inspired by dance. Winterfeldt will play a series of songs from the 18th century, where a lot of music was based on dance forms, like sarabande or gigue. The second half of his recital will primarily focus on two pieces by J.S. Bach. He shares a bit about the pieces,“One is the well-known Passacaglia in C minor, which is a hefty 15-minute set of variations on a short pedal theme. After that, I will play a couple of lively dances by the French composer Jehan Alain and the American composer Emma Lou Diemer.”
One of Winterfeldt’s students, who has taken lessons with him on the organ for years, speaks highly about his skills and her love for the beautiful instrument. Senior Adrienne Peterson remarks, “He is an amazing organ player and I hope to be a fraction of the player he is some day! If you have not had the chance to listen to him, you need to!” This is her 8th semester taking organ lessons and having experience on the piano from a young age, she is intrigued with the organ. Peterson remarks on the feeling she gets while playing the organ, “I also just love the relaxation it gives me.” “When you sit down at the organ you literally play a whole building! It is such a powerful instrument that you can feel with your whole body,” she said. Peterson expresses her gratitude towards Winterfeldt, “I am so thankful for everything Chad has taught me and all of the time he puts into not only my lesson but everyones!”
Dr. Yumiko Oshima-Ryan, Professor of Music in Piano, shares her experience with the organ. She studied it in graduate school but put it on hold due to the complication of tricky fingerings and having to use coordination to play multiple keyboards. She shares her view on the power of the organ, “I would say the most powerful thing about the organ is the gigantic, powerful sound it can create, which grabs our guts and souls.” “I love listening to organ pieces by J.S. Bach, which Chad will perform at his recital,” Oshima-Ryan said. Winterfeldt shares his view on the power of the organ. “The organ also has such a range of dynamics, and I will be exploring the delicate sounds of the quiet strings and the forceful sounds of the big trumpets,” he said.
Another student, Senior Chloe Lee, shares her experience with the instrument Dr. Winterfeldt taught her so well. She shares, “My first impression of the organ while taking lessons was that there are so many moving parts to think about while you play. Sometimes it’s hard to keep track of both my hands and feet playing different parts at the same time!” Lee shares about the organ’s relation to the church, “I also love the importance of the organ in church history. The organ was meant to resemble the human voice and accompany the choir as they list their voices to God.” She remarks on the beauty of it, “I think it is such a beautiful instrument and it has been fun learning to play some of my favorite hymns!”
“We are super excited to hear Chad playing his concert this weekend! Chad is such a great teacher who makes learning this scary “king” of keyboards easy and fun. Maybe I will try learning it again, maybe? Students are so lucky to have him here!” Oshima-Ryan said. Dr. Winterfeldt would like to share a fun fact about the organ, “The organ in Christ Chapel has over 3,500 individual pipes, some as tall as 16 feet and some as short as 6 inches!” Take the chance to hear such a beautiful instrument played by a skilled member of the Gustavus community by joining Dr. Chad Winterfeldt at his recital.