World’s only concertizing pipe organ/percussion duo slated for Sunday

The world’s only concertizing pipe organ/percussion pair, to the best of Sally Harmon’s research, is on its way to Fargo.

It’s Organized Rhythm, and Harmon, dean of the Red River Valley Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, knew she had to have them for the group’s biennial concert.

“I had read an article in a magazine about these guys,” Harmon said. “Somebody else [in the guild chapter] had heard them at a convention and said they were awesome … so we said, ‘OK, we’re going to find out what it would cost to get them here.’”

A price tag of $5,000 was tied to clinching organist Clive Driskill-Smith and percussionist Joe Gramley for an appearance. Through grants from the Arts Partnership and Sanford, and some special funds stashed away for just such occasion, Harmon and her associates were able to arrange Organized Rhythm.

Once the concert was arranged, then things started to change a little bit.

After working out a date, the proposed venue of First Lutheran Church had to be switched.

“They had a wedding that weekend, and because of the quantity of percussion equipment that’s coming in … working around a wedding was impossible,” Harmon said.

First Presbyterian Church (where Harmon is the organist) was selected, and with percussion instruments and equipment arranged from Minnesota State University Moorhead, things were in full swing once more.

That is, until two small problems presented themselves. The percussion instruments could only be moved by MSUM music students (and for a fee). They also had to be moved before the Sunday concert, meaning the chancel of First Presbyterian Church would be lined with marimbas, xylophones, cymbals, tympani and other things that go boom and crash during the usual Sunday morning worship.

It was here Harmon worked a little magic and made a couple calls to solve both issues.

“I had to talk to [Pastor] Dr. Lang, and he said we can have all that stuff on the chancel area for the weekend, there’s no wedding … but it’s going to all be there for Sunday morning worship. He said that’s OK as long it gets used,” Harmon said.

A call to Organized Rhythm’s agent to ask if the duo would be willing to play on Sunday morning solved the issue of the instruments’ temporary home, and the pipe organ/percussion pair will present a gift of music at the church on Sunday morning.

Next was the issue of arranging the instruments themselves, of which MSUM was originally going to charge as separate pieces to rent until Harmon mentioned who would be using them.

“The price tag was adding up, and then [percussion instructor] Kenyon Williams at Moorhead State found out that it was Joseph Gramley the percussionist,” Harmon said, smiling, “and he said, ‘I’ve heard of Joseph Gramley. I will let you use all that equipment for free if Joseph will do a workshop for my percussion students.’”

Another call from Harmon to the duo’s agent came through, and at mid-day Friday, Gramley will give a presentation to Williams’s students about being a traveling musician.

And that’s just another part of making Organized Rhythm’s Fargo appearance possible, something Harmon and her group are very excited about and encourage everyone to attend.

While there is a dearth of pipe organ/percussion music arranged in the world, the music that is available is accessible for all ages and makes a definite family outing here. Some Aaron Copland selections are lined up along with some pieces from Gustav Holst’s “The Planets” for this concert, for which Organized Rhythm has also arranged a few tunes by themselves.

“[Organized Rhythm] arranged ‘Mars,’ ‘Venus’ and ‘Jupiter,’ and then they commissioned Stephen Eddins to write ‘Pluto’ for them because ‘Pluto’ wasn’t in the original ‘Planets’—of course, it isn’t anymore,” Harmon said.

For anyone stepping out on Sunday, keep Organized Rhythm in the cards for the day’s plans, if for only one reason.

“The research that I’ve been able to do, I couldn’t find another concertizing pair that does this, of percussion and organ,” Harmon said. “Nobody else out there that I could find.”

IF YOU GO:

Organized Rhythm 
4 p.m. Sunday
First Presbyterian Church, 650 Second Ave. N.
Adults $12, students $8, Families of 4+ $40