It’s hard to imagine many teenagers having Christ Cathedral and its Hazel Wright Organ as a must-see stop on their first trip to California, but that is exactly how Hektor Pitstick felt. So, when the 19-year-old visited Disneyland on a family vacation, he made sure to convince everyone — mother, father and four younger siblings — to embark on a side trip to Christ Cathedral.
“They enjoyed the tour, but I was ‘nerding out’ and asking too many questions,” Pitstick recalled. “It was cool for them to ride the elevator to the top of the building, but they wanted to go back to Disneyland.”
It would be a fateful visit, leading Pitstick, now 20, to become one of a select few Cathedral Organ Scholars at Christ Cathedral parish, a special internship program under the tutelage of cathedral organist and head of music ministry David Ball….
Lauren McCaul, cathedral music administrator, knew that Pitstick showed a lot of potential during his eventful cathedral tour in February 2022. He asked thoughtful questions, she said. He didn’t just want to see the 17,000-pipe Hazel Wright Organ; he wanted to learn about liturgical music, the cathedral music ministry and the Diocese of Orange, said McCaul….
Pitstick reached out to McCaul via email before his family’s Disneyland vacation to “meet Hazel” and talk with the music ministry team.
Unfortunately for Pitstick, the Hazel Wright Organ was not yet unveiled to the public after its $3-million restoration. But McCaul and Ball coyly mentioned to Pitstick that he should come back the next day for the World Marriage Day Mass….
For that Mass on Feb. 7, 2022, Hazel, newly restored and ready for her soft-opening debut, was publicly played for the first time in nearly a decade….
Pitstick discovered Hazel and her Christ Cathedral home during the pandemic. After finally gaining access to an organ at a church in Montana, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, so he spent his time at home instead, researching music online and watching YouTube videos. They led him to Hazel.
Pitstick was majoring in organ performance at the University of Montana in Missoula. Ball and McCaul made a by-the-scene plan for Pitstick to transfer and continue his studies at Concordia University in Irvine while also getting real-life experience interning at Christ Cathedral….
From OC Catholic
Marty Haugen wise cracks in 3…2…1…
Wonderful to see an excellent article, on an intelligent, talented, promising young Church organist. Hopefully, he also is a devout Catholic. If so, someday, he could become a wonderful Director of Liturgical Music, and inspire other young Catholic musicians to serve God through Sacred Music.
The article did not say that he was Catholic and he is going to Concordia which is not Catholic.
Concordia is a Lutheran school. Maybe this talented organ student is a devout Lutheran?? Or perhaps he is also interested in the Catholic Faith. Hopefully, he is interested to be a follower of Christ, and to lead a good Christian life, with fine morals, either way– Lutheran or Catholic. That’s very important, for a church organist and Director of Liturgical Music.
He comes from a devout Catholic family.
I haven’t heard Marty Haugen music for at least ten years. He’s passe now.
Congrats to this young man. You are blessed, indeed.
Mastering the Pipe Organ is a God-given talent.
A talent given by God to praise Him and to lead others to praise Him through majestic music.
A double “amen” to everything you said, Frank.
Frank Delara’s comment: “through majestic music” strikes a chord in me (pun intended). The pipe organ’s sound is majestic, inspiring, evokes thoughts of the heavenly chorus and lends itself to the composition of beautiful music. In times past I recall going up to North Hollywood to hear the choir of Paul Salamunovich at St. Charles Borromeo. Of special note: he ended Mass with glorious choral works that truly captivated parishioners. I seldom saw anyone leave early during the “closing song,” unlike what normally occurs during most closing songs used from modern hymnals. It is a very good thing to pray for young talent like Hektor Pitstick to arise and take a rightful place in the composition and playing of music fit for the pipe organ, IMHO
Give me a well-serviced Hammond B3 with a Leslie 122 any day.
That’s fine for your own home, or for a very small group of worshipers in a small church, with a very low budget. But the Hazel Wright organ is very special and majestic– top of the line, fit for an accomplished organist. And perfect for a grand cathedral.
For those who might not know– the Hammond organ is not a pipe organ. It is an electric organ, used often in Gospel and pop music. The Hazel Wright organ, in Christ Cathedral, is one of the largest pipe organs in the world. It is very famous.
Churches always have pipe organs.
Most churches don’t have pipe organs.
Most Catholic churches don’t have good liturgy or music.
More accurately, a Hammond organ is a TONEWHEEL organ. Modern pipe organs-such as the one in Christ Cathedral-rely on electric motors to blow air through the pipes. During a power failure, they do not work.