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September 28, 2012

Montalba Christian Church to dedicate organ during special recital

Staff Reports Palestine Herald-Press

MONTALBA — Montalba Christian Church will dedicate its recently-acquired Rodgers 830 electric organ during a special recital Saturday in conjunction with the Montalba Fall Festival.

Accomplished young pianist and organist Aaron Jackson, 13, of Palestine, will perform at 2:30 p.m. during the special event.

“Through the generosity of several members and friends, Montalba Christian Church recently acquired a Rodgers 830 electric organ for use in its worship services,” Montalba Christian Church pastor, the Rev. Eric Higginbotham said. “It is because of these people sharing the gifts of that God has bestowed upon them that we are now able to praise Him with this beautiful instrument.”

Aaron, son of Devin and Melanie Jackson of Palestine, has been studying piano since kindergarten at age 5 with Michelle Bolton of Michelle’s Piano Studio in Palestine and has been studying the organ for the past three years — playing 56 different instruments, including the organ in the United States Air Force Academy Chapel in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Aaron’s organ adviser is Benjamin Kolodziej, dean of the Dallas Chapter of the American Guild of Organists and Perkins Chapel organist at Southern Methodist University. He has studied with Dr. Loraine Brugh and Dr. Michael Burkhardt at Valparaiso University, Ind.

A member of the American Guild of Organists, Aaron studied the past two summers with Dr. Joyce Jones at Baylor University, and will be attending Baylor’s Summer Organ Institute to study with Dr. Isabelle Demers in 2013.   

This spring, Aaron debuted his first Lenten arrangement for organ titled “Where You There when Jesus Loved Me?”

Aaron is an eighth-grade student at Palestine Middle School, where he plays percussion in the Advanced Band and keyboard in the Palestine High School Jazz Band and Palestine High School Marching Band.

Aaron was 1st chair percussion in the All-Region Honors Band, and received a 1 rating in solo competition. He is a member of the National Junior Honor Society and has been nominated to the National Young Leaders State Conference.

Aaron is a Senior Patrol Leader in Troop 440 of the Boy Scouts of America. He has attained the rank of Star Scout. He has earned his Arrow of Light, 16 merit badges, Den Chief shoulder cord, Youth Religious Knot and is a member of the Order of the Arrow, the national honor society of the Boy Scouts of America.

Aaron and his family are members of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Palestine, where he serves in the choir, acolytes, plays hand chimes in the Reformation Ringers and plays organ during the worship service.

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