A choir director and organist at St. James Episcopal Church in Goshen is scheduled to perform at a dedication concert for the renovation of the pipe organ at All Saints Chapel in Morris at 10 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 31.
Jacob Morris Friedman, who also is an organist for the 4:30 p.m. Saturday mass at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in Florida, New York, has family ties to the Morris-based chapel. His ancestors built the chapel in the 1860s on the Morris family estate, which is now part of the Zion Church.
The chapel honors Gen. Jacob Morris, who was a leader in the Revolutionary War and the son of Lewis Morris, a founding father who signed the Declaration of Independence.
Friedman said a service would be involved in addition to the concert, where he is set to perform solo pieces. Friedman said Jacob Morris developed the family property in the Butternut Valley, and the chapel is the resting place of his decedents, who are Friedman’s relatives.
“It’s a real honor for me,” Friedman said. “It’s something that I wouldn’t have imagined ten years ago. I’ve been to the church many times for both regular worship services and also burials of my ancestors, my grandfather and other family members.”
“To have the honor of dedicating their organ on such a historic and meaningful chapel for me is truly an honor,” he continued.
Organs require upgrades over time, and in some cases complete renovation. Friedman said it changes the instrument’s “whole character.” The restoration was completed by Sid Chase, from the Chase Organ Company in Worcester, he added.
Friedman is the son of Carla Hall, a sculptor, painter, environmentalist and Carla Hall Design Group founder. She lives on property in the Butternut Valley, the land her family settled in 1789. She has served on the board of the Butternut Valley Alliance and as president of the Otsego Land Trust.
Friedman has been the organist at St. James for two years and also has worked at the First Presbyterian Church in Florida.
“The organ is a very unique instrument in that you can compose instantaneously with all the instruments of an orchestra at your fingertips,” Friedman said. “It’s the voice I’ve always been looking for. It’s a remarkable instrument.”
He added that when he moved to Orange County, he was teaching music and was asked to play the organ. His background, Friedman added, is in jazz improvisation and composing, so he loves to improvise on the organ.
Having lived in New York City for much of his life, Friedman said he has experience playing with many talented musicians. He said he never thought he would become an organist, but the First Presbyterian Church was looking for an organist, and he “really quickly fell in love with it.”
In college, Friedman studied Bach, learning how to compose in his style.
“It’s just been a really remarkable experience for me to come full circle now and actually become an organist and really put a lot of dedication into it to be able to play fluidly,” Friedman said.
While he does more performing at the churches today, Friedman still has private students. He said the organ is a “very special voice” to him and in many ways, he feels it is his “true calling.”
“There’s a lot of history in the family, and it’s exciting to be able to share my music gift in this setting,” Friedman said. “It means a lot to me.”