Melody T. Steed

BETHANY COLLEGE ORGANIST PERFORMS IN ROMANIA

 LINDSBORG, Kan.— Melody T. Steed, D.M.A., assistant professor of sacred music at Bethany College, performed three solo organ concerts in Romanian from June 18 through June 28.

Steed performed romantic, contemporary and baroque pieces on historic instruments in three cities in the Eastern European country.

The first of Steed’s concerts was performed at the Lutheran church in Sibiu, the city’s main cathedral. There Steed performed on an organ built in the early 1900s that had been restored in the 20th century.

The organ she played in the city of Medias was even older, being built in 1750. Although it recently had been restored, many of the original parts remained.

Steed also performed in concert in Targu-Mures, which is in the Hungarian-portion of Romania.

Steed said the concerts were well-attended. “I noticed how appreciative the audiences are for music that is done from the heart. It was a wonderful thing to experience.”

            In addition to her concerts, Steed traveled to Prajd where she attended a choral festival organized by the local choruses and churches. The festival was held in a salt mine that housed an underground chapel.

Steed’s tour was sponsored in part by a grant from the Burmeister Endowment for Faculty Scholarship and Creativity, an endowment supporting Bethany faculty research and scholarly travel. The remainder of her travel expenses was covered by stipends she received for her performances.

            Steed said her visit to Romania was very interesting in regard to the old-fashioned way of life. “So many of them, especially in the rural areas, still rely on horse and carts,” Steed said. She added that Gypsies also are still a part of the Romanian culture.

“The people there are very kind and they want to share their heritage and their stories,” Steed said of the people she met in Romania.

            Steed’s concerts were arranged by pianist Andras Kortesi, whom she met last year while on a music tour in Hungary. The invitations to perform came from each church.

                        Kortesi, originally from Romania, is a professor at the University of Pec in Hungary. Kortesi and his wife served as Steed’s hosts while in Romania.

Steed received a Bachelor of Music Education and a Bachelor of Music, organ performance, from the University of Northern Iowa. She received a master’s in organ performance from the College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati, and a Doctor of Musical Arts, organ performance, from the University of Southern California.

Steed has won several awards, including the Virgil Fox Award in Organ Performance at the University of Southern California in 1993. She was named the Outstanding Doctoral Graduate in 1996 at the University of Southern California and was the chapter competition winner of the American Guild of Organists in 1991 and 1983.

At Bethany College, Steed teaches course in the music department and coordinates the sacred-music major. She is the organist and harpsichordist for all of Bethany special events and worship, include Messiah Festival performances.

Bethany College, established by Swedish Lutheran immigrants in 1881, is a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The mission of Bethany College is to nurture and challenge individuals in their search for truth and meaning as they lead lives of faith, learning and service.

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