Buies Creek, N.C.—February 27, 2011 is a historic day for Campbell University’s Butler Chapel. It marks the first time a student recital will be performed in the new chapel on its magnificent Cornel Zimmer electronic pipe organ and the fulfillment of a long-held dream for returning student Michael Morgan.
Morgan, who is working on a bachelor’s degree in church music, first enrolled at Campbell in 1993 but grew tired of the academic life and dropped out just two years later in 1995.
“I’d had enough of school,” Morgan said. “But it’s amazing how much your outlook changes when you get out into the real world.”
Morgan got married, had two children and settled into a job as Human Resources/Safety director at Guy Shavender Trucking in Pantego, N.C., but when he heard about the construction of Campbell’s Robert and Anna Gardner Butler Chapel and the new Cornel Zimmer organ, Morgan started to rethink his initial decision.
In a letter to Dr. John Roberson, Vice President for Marketing and Enrollment Management at Campbell, Morgan expressed his desire to return to the University:
“Upon hearing of the new chapel and organ, I began to think about completing my degree. A chapel and instrument of this magnitude are sure to become the heart of the University,” Morgan wrote.
Returning to Campbell in 2009, Morgan’s ambitions to play the Cornel Zimmer organ in Butler Chapel are finally going to be realized. But during this second tenure at Campbell, his attitude about education has dramatically changed.
“My perspective of what employers require, both in the public sector and the church, are very different,” Morgan said. “My absence from Campbell made me understand the importance of an education. I would advise new students to learn as much as you can as early in life as you can and never quit learning, no matter what field you’re in,” he said.
Morgan’s organ recital features a variety of musical periods, from Baroque to contemporary. Some of the featured works include “Sonata #3 in A Major” by Felix Mendelssohn, “Toccata in F Major” by Johann Sebastian Bach and “Phoenix Fanfare and Processional” by Dan Locklair.
Campbell’s Cornel Zimmer organ consists of 20 ranks or sets of pipes with a total of 1,198 individual pipes. Additionally, there are 58 ranks of digital sounds on the organ. The organ has five divisions including the Great, Swell, Choir, Solo, and Pedal divisions. Each of the 1,198 pipes has been voiced to the acoustical setting of Butler Chapel.
Morgan is the organist/Music Director for First Presbyterian Church in Washington, N.C. His recital is set for 5 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 27, in Campbell University’s Butler Chapel. The public is invited.
Harold Stephens, a friend and benefactor of the university, generously provided the funding for the chapel organ and an endowment which will support the annual music recital.
Photo Copy: Michael Morgan