Concordia Nebraska Recital Hall organ rededicated after repairs

Seward, NE (09/29/2026) — Concordia University, Nebraska's Borland Center for Music and Theatre is home to many excellent instruments. Among them is the Casavant organ in the Recital Hall. The organ was first installed and dedicated in 2008. After recently undergoing a substantial overhaul of its electrical components, the organ was rededicated on September 20 during a celebratory event that was open to faculty, staff, students and the community.

The event included Scripture readings, a prayer and rededication by Rev. Ryan Matthias and a recital given on the Casavant by Professor of Music Dr. Jeffrey Blersch.

"Like a building dedication, the dedication of an instrument such as an organ provides an opportunity for us to mark a milestone accomplishment, set the instrument apart for service in this community and thank God for the blessings which have come and which will continue to come from our Casavant organ," said Blersch.

The Casavant organ was originally chosen by the department to fulfill the need for a quality performance organ. When Blersch joined the music faculty in 2002, the department had 10 practice pipe organs by nine different organ builders. However, the organ in the Recital Hall at that time was experiencing many problems because of its age and the way it had been built.

Blersch and his predecessor Dr. Charles Ore, professor emeritus, began to search for a new Recital Hall instrument in 2004. Their goal was to find an organ builder capable of building an instrument of the highest artistic quality that was stylistically versatile.

After several potential builders visited the campus, Blersch and Ore looked through multiple proposals and traveled to test recent instruments built by some of the firms. They decided to work with Casavant Freres of St. Hyacinthe, Quebec.

This firm is one of the oldest organ builders in North America, and their instruments are consistently of high quality. Blersch and Ore chose to work with the company because Casavant's understanding of how different organ tones blend together was unrivaled at the time. This meant that they were able to design the organ to fit the smaller size of Concordia Nebraska's Recital Hall. Blersch worked with Casavant's tonal designer to design the specifications of the organ.

The proposal for the installation of the new organ was submitted by the president's cabinet to the Board of Regents and approved in 2006. In the next two years, the instrument was built, the old organ was removed and relocated to Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Plano, Texas, and the Recital Hall stage was rebuilt. The university also completed acoustical work in the hall to better accommodate the new organ.

The organ arrived in April 2008. It took six weeks to assemble and voice in the space.

The Casavant provides Concordia Nebraska's organists with an instrument of high quality. This allows them to grow and improve in their personal musicianship. The instrument is used daily for students' personal practice, as well as for lessons and recitals.

"Concordia's Music Department strives to provide our students with the teaching and the opportunities to develop their technical skill and artistic abilities to a high level," said Blersch. "An organ of the highest quality, and which is able to do just about anything one can imagine, presents limitless possibilities for student growth and will help our students discover and improve their own unique musicianship. Glorifying God with our talents means giving our very best."

The recital given by Blersch was intended to highlight the colors of the organ, ranging from gentle strings to bright reeds and from singing flutes to the thunderous sound of the full organ. The program featured composers like Sigfried Karg-Elert, Charles Callahan, J.S. Bach, Brenda Portman and Jeffrey Blersch.

The work on the organ was completed by church music graduate Aaron Jackson '21.

"The students and our organ instructors are thrilled to have our Casavant back again!" said Blersch.

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