The professional organist gripped the edges of the keyboard to steady herself as her feet pedalled the beginning of the intricate Baroque prelude.

Nicole Keller, university organist and chair of organ at the University of Michigan, performed a guest artist recital Feb. 7 in Christ Chapel on both the chancel and gallery organs. She opened the performance on the chancel organ with Nicolaus Bruhns’ “Little” Prelude in E minor, the shorter version of the prelude she played on the gallery organ.

Keller said she hoped her program would allow the audience to distinguish the sound of two organs.

“Whenever I talk about these two Fritz organs with people, their first question is always, ‘What’s the difference between the two?’” Keller said. “They’re two very different instruments. They have their own unique character and they’re built in the same style but they have their own unique personality.”

The afternoon’s program also included Bach’s Trio Sonata No. 4 in E minor and his “Passacaglia” on the chancel organ, followed by Bruhns’ “Big” Prelude in E minor, Mendelssohn’s Sonata No. 4 in B-flat major, and excerpts from Hampton’s “Five Dances for Organ” performed on the gallery organ.

Keller said she played a prelude, sonata, and a dance on both organs to highlight the organs’ different qualities.

“When I was preparing a program for today, I thought I might contrast and compare the two by playing similar pieces on them so you can hear the different colors of the instrument,” Keller said. 

Associate Professor of Music Derek Stauff said Keller asked if she could visit Hillsdale and play the organs soon after they were installed in 2022. He said he invited her to perform because he knew she would play a recital that brought out the strengths of the organs.

“After her initial visit, knowing that she lives within commuting distance and also that she teaches at a prestigious music school, I was looking for the chance for us to bring her in not just to play a recital but also to coach some of our organ students,” Stauff said. “She’ll come back to do that in a few weeks.”

In addition to teaching classes on sacred music and organ pedagogy, Keller gives private organ lessons and plays at university ceremonial functions, such as the upcoming inauguration of University of Michigan’s president-elect. Keller also performs internationally several times a year.

“Some years are really quite busy, at least once or twice a month,” Keller said. “Two years ago I was gone for two weeks. I just went from concert to concert, which was fun.”

Even when she is outside of the classroom, Keller said she wants to teach her audience about the organ through her performance.

“I always want people to know just how fascinating the instrument is,” Keller said. “I hope people open themselves to exploring the instrument and maybe go out and try it. Take a lesson or two or ask your local organist, ‘Gosh, can I play a couple things on the organ?’”

Senior Benjamin Burnett attended the recital to fulfill a requirement for his Understanding Music class. Although he generally dislikes organ music, Burnett said he enjoyed the afternoon’s performance.
“My general opinion of organ is that there are some pieces in which there is so much improvisation going on that it gets very noisy,” Burnett said. “After expecting the pieces to be more along those lines, they were very fun. I thought she did a very good job. I especially remember seeing the grace with which she moved her wrists.”

Burnett came partly to fulfill his class requirement, but his main purpose was to use the music as inspiration for creative writing.

“Every single movement I basically analyzed as a different emotional set piece, so whatever came to mind of some character, some situation, that’s what I’d write,” Burnett said.

While listening to Hampton’s “Dances for Organ,” Burnett wrote about a healer, known as a shaman, asking the spirits to cure a sick man and the spirits explaining why they cannot. Although he likes listening to music in order to create his own art, Burnett said he hopes to learn how to value music itself.

“I would like to be able to understand music better and to appreciate it for what it is and not just for what it inspires in me,” Burnett said. “Even though I was using this for inspiration of sorts, I do want to actually appreciate the things for themselves.”

Keller said she wants her playing to reveal the beauty of organs.

“The people who love organs are going to love organs,” Keller said. “It’s those who are not quite sure — if I can reach them in some way, I feel like I’ve done something good for the day.”