In December 2002, Redeemer dedicated a new organ built by Orgue Létourneau Lteé, a firm based in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada. The instrument, the firm’s Opus 80, has three manuals, 59 stops, and 73 ranks, with a total of 4119 pipes. The instrument has some distinct characteristics. Because the music of our Lutheran heritage is so important to this congregation, two of the manual divisions are essentially a “Bach organ,” with German nomenclature for the stops and 16’ principal choruses that provide clarity in contrapuntal writing of Bach and other great Baroque composers. The third manual is French in name and sound, providing the color and warmth that is necessary to successfully play the music Franck, Widor, and others. The Hauptwerk, or antiphonal division, provides additional support for congregational singing, as it is ideally located on the center axis of the room. All divisions of the organ are designed to function independently as well as blend together.
Sarah Hawbecker has served as Organist and Director of Music for Children and Youth at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Atlanta since January 1996. She earned the Master of Music degree in Organ Performance from the Eastman School of Music and a Bachelor of Music degree, Magna cum laude with Departmental Distinction, from St. Olaf College. Sarah Hawbecker is an active recitalist and winner of numerous competitions. She is the third prize winner of both the 1998 and 1996 National Young Artists Competition in Organ Performance. She was a finalist in the 1992 Spivey International Competition, won first place in the 1988 Undergraduate Organ Competition, Ottumwa, Iowa, and second place in the 1991 Southeastern Regional AGO Competition. Ms. Hawbecker has concertized throughout the Midwest and the Southeast. Her performances have been recorded and broadcast on National Public Radio’s program Pipedreams. She has performed recitals for three different regional conventions of the American Guild of Organists, presented a workshop on children’s choral repertoire for the Guild at the regional level, and served as adjudicator for several collegiate organ competitions. Her first CD, Let the Pealing Organ Blow, recorded on Redeemer’s 2002 Létourneau organ, is currently available.
