Gift of Artistic Talent
The next concert at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, taking place Sunday, May 11, features a remarkable musician. Sixteen-year-old Henry Dangerfield’s résumé as an organist already includes studying in master classes and winning awards, in addition to playing regularly for his congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Come to the Shrine and share in the gift of artistic talent.
From Piano to Organ
For Henry, music is a lifelong passion that continues to grow. “I started piano lessons when I was five,” he recalls. “When I was eleven, my mom asked me if I wanted to audition for a scholarship for free organ lessons. … I got the scholarship and started lessons soon after. It was fun to learn about making all of the different sounds the organ has and to learn how to use my feet to play the pedals. Now, I enjoy continuing to learn more repertoire. There are so many amazing organ pieces.”
Practice and Joy
This ongoing learning, the young organist adds, is a particular source of joy: “My favorite part about playing the organ is learning new pieces. Having a difficult piece slowly get in my muscle memory and become a part of me is really fun, and I get to do it over and over again.” Henry is especially thankful for his family’s support and for his teacher, Raymond Johnston, Canon Musician at St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral in Minneapolis. Outside of music, Henry enjoys playing with his siblings, solving math problems, and reading books.
Henry looks forward to his upcoming concert at the Shrine, and to the new experiences it offers him, including playing an organ of a different kind than he typically would and performing a full recital at an unfamiliar organ. Based on his previous experience with the Shrine concerts, he also expects the event to be enjoyable for all. “I had a great experience coming to the Shrine and hearing Scott Turkington play the organ last October, and I think anyone else would, too. As for this particular program, it has many great pieces that I hope people will enjoy.” These pieces include works of Bach, Mendelssohn, Langlais, Dupré, and more; as Henry comments, “This concert’s program has a lot of variety, with pieces from different time periods and different countries. There are pieces that range from soft and lyrical to grand and bright.”
“Gift of Artistic Talent”
The importance of such a concert to the Shrine is perhaps best summed up in Pope St. John Paul II’s Letter to Artists, which states, “It can be said that beauty is the vocation bestowed on [the artist] by the Creator in the gift of ‘artistic talent’” (§3). This vocation, the Pope continues, means that artists “feel at the same time the obligation not to waste this talent but to develop it, in order to put it at the service of their neighbor.” In all his studies and performances, Henry Dangerfield is undoubtedly developing his talent and putting it at the service of many. Our Lady’s Shrine is blessed to welcome this enthusiastic musician and the gifts that shape his vocation.
