Published: June 29, 2009 11:41 pm      

Feeling the Power

Playing organ ultimate rush for former Russell man

NEW YORK — When his fingers press the keys on the massive pipe organ at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Manhattan, John Cantrell can feel the power.

It rumbles from the mighty bass pipes. The organ can croon like a balladeer or sing out like a hundred-voice choir.

“There’s nothing like sitting down to the console and going from the softest to the loudest sounds. It’s an incredible power rush,” Cantrell said.

Cantrell, 36, is the organist and choir master at the historic church. His musical career started in northeast Kentucky, where he graduated from Russell High School in 1991.

Always active in school music programs, Cantrell also learned a lot at home, where his father, Darrell, had an immense and eclectic record collection.

“There was always music in the house,” he said.

He started piano lessons at age 6 and knew then and always that music would be his life. “It’s all I’ve ever done.”

He was introduced to the pipe organ in high school. “It’s the ultimate challenge of multi-tasking ... it’s like having an orchestra at your fingertips.”

It was in college — Cantrell attended the University of Louisville and then graduate school at Yale — that he got serious about the organ. There was an element of pragmatism in his decision. Cantrell knew more than a million students at any given time are piano majors, but only about 500 specialize in the pipe organ.

“It’s a bit of a dying art form,” he said.

Not that he didn’t have some success as a pianist, touring with jazz and rock bands. But as an organist, he had a chance for stable employment. “I’m proud that I can support my family playing the pipe organ.

“I know people from Juilliard who are pushing brooms for a living.”

His chosen instrument also is an infinite source for music to study. Composers have been writing for the organ since the 14th century.

The church itself is a remarkable structure and institution. St. Michael’s has been in the same location for 200 years, albeit not in the same building. It was the home church to, among others, Louis Comfort Tiffany, the famed glass designer, who created the stained glass windows at St. Michael’s.

Cantrell manages five choirs, three of them children’s choirs. An adult choir features both volunteer and professional singers.

Research and planning are vital in planning the music for Anglican services, which Cantrell likens to a “sacred drama.” The music sets the tone, complements the readings and provides closure. “The music captures the sense of sacred mystery,” he said.

He plans about a year in advance.

He has a concert career as well. A perk of being a concert organist is getting to play in exotic venues on some of the same instruments played by the likes of Bach and Mozart.

Cantrell’s parents, Darrell and Shirley Coltrane, still live in Russell. His wife Kathleen is from Georgetown and is a successful singer with the choral group Apollo’s Fire. They have a 3-year-old daughter, Maryn.

MIKE JAMES can be reached at mjames@dailyindependent.com or at (606) 326-2652.F