By Rebecca Dailey ('25)
At 7:30 p.m. on this Friday Jan. 26, Houghton welcomes back alumna Jennifer Velázquez (‘91) to perform an organ recital in the Wesley Chapel. Velázquez’s husband also graduated in the Class of ‘91, and her daughter and son-in-law both graduated from Houghton with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music.
Judy Congdon—Professor of Organ and Harpsichord, and Houghton’s Organist—speaks highly of Velázquez, “Jennifer is one of many, many very fine organists who have been trained at Houghton over the years. Jennifer is a gracious, lovely person and a musician of formidable talent. Though I was not her teacher I have watched her musical journey through the past several decades, and I consider her a treasured colleague and friend.”
At eleven, Velázquez began learning to play the piano, and then started playing the organ at fourteen and really liked it.
“I talked to my teacher about organ junior-senior year of high school,” Velázquez commented, “and ended up at Houghton.”
For 25 years, Velázquez was the Organist and Associate Director of Music and Worship at Independent Presbyterian Church (IPC) in Memphis, Tenn. She has previously performed at Houghton, and in England, Scotland, and Ukraine (for a mission trip). She now focuses on organ repertoire and performance.
Velázquez explained that she “Mostly plays music already written and will be playing One Piece by Dr. William T. Allen [in the upcoming recital].”
Dr. Allen was a former Houghton Professor of Piano and Theory, and later a composer in residence.
The organ, a unique instrument with a rich history of being played in churches and concert halls, is both a keyboard and a wind instrument. This is due to the varying sized pipes that are grouped together on the instrument.
Benjamin VanTine (‘25), a current student studying organ explained, “The organ which is the oldest keyboard instrument is also a wind instrument, different knobs are used to achieve the desired sound. This is where the phrase ‘pull out all the stops’ comes from. An Organ has to be preset to create the wanted sound.”
Wesley Chapel’s organ was built in 1961-1962 by Walter Holtkamp Sr., who was one of the leading American organ builders of the mid-20th century.
“Its many sounds are produced by 3153 individual pipes,” Professor Congdon shared, “the largest of which are 16’ long and the smallest only about the size of a drinking straw. The pipes are controlled by a player seated at the 3-manual console . . . the recital will feature sounds from the hushed to the colorful to the robust and magnificent.”
VanTine leaves off with, “[playing the organ is] a way of expressing what you want to be heard but you need to work to develop music abilities. Inner musical ability, which must be learned but often starts with inspiration or a gift from God.”
Velázquez developed her gifts through rigorous training at Houghton, which prepared her for graduate school and her church work later on.
“[I am] very grateful the Lord brought me to Houghton,” Velázquez stated.
All attendees of the recital have the opportunity to hear for themselves the sound Velázquez has developed over years of perfecting her art. ★