New Organists Playing for Abbey and Seminary
The Abbey Church has long been a place known for its beautiful liturgical music. Two men who joined the staff as full-time organists earlier this year are making sure this legacy continues.
Michael Bauer and Pablo Gorin came to campus around the start of the fall semester. They provide musical accompaniment on the beautiful Dobson organ for daily masses for the seminary as well as Lauds, Vespers, and Sunday and feast day masses for the monastic community. The men also participate in regular seminary rehearsals and Sunday Schola rehearsals and assist the Seminary’s Director of Music, Ben Frederick, in various ways, including leading regular music theory workshops for seminarians.
Bauer received a Master of Music in Organ Performance from Loyola University this past May. He previously served as Sunday Mass Coordinator at Loyola; a staff accompanist for Loyola’s School of Music and Theatre Arts; band director at St. Ann School in Metairie; organist at St. Andrew the Apostle Church in Algiers; and as a freelance musician, working organist, pianist, trumpet player, and private instructor in the New Orleans area.
“One of the really cool things about music at the Abbey is that there’s this great tradition here of using original music for the Office, written by members of the community, so, there was definitely a bit of a learning curve in getting familiar with this music, and especially the style in which the monks chant,” Bauer said. “A strong and clear sense of timing and finding a comfortable balance that’s supportive but not overpowering are very important things when accompanying the Office, and with a unique musical tradition here, this certainly took some learning. It’s been fun to get comfortable with these Abbey traditions.”
Bauer performed an organ recital in the Abbey Church during the spring and got a taste of playing the Dobson organ.
“It’s a wonderful instrument in a beautiful acoustic. It’s always a joy to play that organ,” he said.
Gorin, who holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in organ performance and pedagogy from the University of Iowa, has been a liturgical musician for nearly 30 years. He has extensive training in choral and orchestral conducting, voice, Gregorian chant, organ construction and design, music theory, music history, counterpoint, and continuo playing. Most recently he was the interim Director of Music and Organist at Saint Denis Catholic Church in Hanover, N.H., and Associate Director of Music and Cathedral Organist at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany, N.Y.
“I’ve adjusted very quickly to my new position as organist at the Abbey, considering that a new appointment demands a substantial amount of time and effort to achieve this,” Gorin said. “I credit this rapid transition and adjustment to the incredible support and affection of the monastic community, as well as the kind reception, friendship, and encouragement of seminarians and staff.
“Besides the joy that it gives me to play the majestic Dobson organ, I relish the opportunity to interact with the monastic and seminarian communities outside my music obligations. Likewise, I am particularly fond when someone asks me, ‘What did you play at Mass for prelude?’ or ‘I really liked that piece, what was it?’ It gives me the hint that I am doing something right!”