Organist Makena James plays free lunchtime recital at Pasadena Presbyterian

Organist Makena James takes the bench at Pasadena Presbyterian Church on Wednesday, July 8, for a free 30-minute recital on the sanctuary's 6,000-pipe Aeolian-Skinner organ. No ticket or reservation is needed.

The performance runs from 12:10 to 12:40 p.m. at 585 E. Colorado Blvd., part of the weekly Music at Noon series at the Playhouse District church.

Who is Makena James?

James, a native of Asheville, North Carolina, earned her bachelor's degree magna cum laude in organ performance from Houghton College, where she became the first undergraduate featured in the school's annual homecoming concert in 2020. She won first prize in the American Guild of Organists' Buffalo Chapter competition in 2021 and competed in the Charleston International Music Competition in spring 2023.

On her Patreon page, James writes: "I compose music, especially for organ and handbells, and I often premiere this music myself with the High Church Orchestra."

She studied with Cherry Rhodes at USC's Thornton School of Music and is pursuing a doctorate at UCLA's Herb Alpert School of Music, according to her LinkedIn profile.

The instrument

The organ James will play is no ordinary instrument. Formally named the Harry and Helen Ehrich Organ, it was designed in the late 1940s by G. Donald Harrison of the Aeolian-Skinner Company and installed in 1961, according to the church's music program. Its more than 6,000 pipes are arranged in 111 ranks. The organ was a gift from Della O. Martin, a Pasadena resident who attended the church as a child.

The instrument has been renovated by local organ builder Robert Turner and the Schantz Organ Company of Orrville, Ohio.

About Music at Noon

The series is produced by the church's Friends of Music organization and directed by Anita Protich, with Dr. Timothy Howard serving as director of music and artistic director of the Friends of Music Concert Series. Each Wednesday, performers spanning classical, jazz, and world music play the 800-seat sanctuary. A voluntary offering is collected, but admission is free.

Pasadena Presbyterian, established in 1875, is the oldest church in Pasadena. The current sanctuary, completed in 1976 and designed by architect John Gougeon, features modernist architecture with a soaring half-arch and tall vertical stained-glass window.