“I still vividly remember my first lesson with her, and I will ALWAYS view that lesson as life changing; as something that I will never forget.”

I was destined to be an organist.

My dad was the pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in downtown Memphis for 34 years. Every Sunday, for as long as I can remember, I sat on the organ bench next to my godmother, Shirley Witte, who was also a public-school music teacher. She rarely, if ever, had music in front of her. She had memorized every note of every piece of music she ever played, and what she didn’t remember, she improvised. While she played the organ, she would ask me questions about my friends, my family, my school, and anything else she knew was important to me. Side note - now that I have a child of my own who also wants to sit next to me on the organ bench, I am fully aware of how talented my godmother really was. I have no idea how she was able to stay so calm, play so masterfully, and still be able to listen to me without constantly worrying that I might press a key or a button by accident (which was known to happen occasionally!). 

When I was 12, and finally tall enough to reach the organ pedalboard, Shirley contacted her colleague, Dr. John David Peterson, who was the organ professor at the University of Memphis. Because of her recommendation, Dr. Peterson allowed me to audition, and subsequently took me on as his organ student – even though he only taught college students and adults. For the next six years, Dr. Peterson taught me like any other college student, setting me up for success as a future church music major and professional organist.

Less than a year after I began taking organ lessons, my godmother passed away after a long battle with cancer. My dad asked if I would be willing to temporarily play the organ at Trinity until they found a permanent organist. I was hesitant to accept, but I knew that Shirley would have wanted me to take that leap of faith. I played the organ just like her – to the point that members of the congregation did a double take after I began to play. I have no idea how I subtly inherited her style, but I am beyond grateful that I did. I continued as organist at Trinity until I graduated from high school.

Fast forward ten years. After graduating from college and graduate school, I returned to Memphis to study once again with Dr. Peterson at the University of Memphis – this time, as a doctoral candidate in organ performance. I completed my doctorate degree in 2012, the same year Dr. Peterson retired. While in Memphis, I met my husband James, we had a son, and moved to Chattanooga in 2014 to be closer to my husband’s family. 

Currently, I am the music teacher (K-8) at Belvoir Christian Academy and organist at First Christian Church in downtown Chattanooga. My husband, James, is the head of the choral and handbell departments at The McCallie School, and our son, Oliver, is in 4th grade at BCA and sings in the Chattanooga Boys Choir. At home, we have a 1-year-old goldendoodle named Lulu, and a 5-year-old tabby cat named Nellie.