04/12/2026
Mount Calvary Lutheran Church Music Series Presents St. Olaf College Organ Benefit Recital
Sunday, April 26 @ 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Mount Calvary Lutheran Church
301 County Road 19
Excelsior, MN 55331
https://mountcalvary.org/musicseries/
Students of the Organ Studio from Saint Olaf College, Northfield will present a benefit concert to raise money in support of their study tour in France. This summer, seventeen St. Olaf College organ students will travel with faculty to France, getting the invaluable opportunity to visit and play some of the country’s most significant organs; experiencing French organ music on the instruments for which it was originally composed. The event will feature the 26-Rank Schantz organ at Mount Calvary Lutheran Church, 301 County Road 19, Excelsior, MN 55331. Free, with donation in-person, or in-advance at https://mountcalvary.org/give/ and select “Music Series Gift” in the pop-down.
Organists include: Jeremiah Knudson (Mount Calvary Student Intern Organist), Leif Olsen, Ben Quist, Elizabeth Doty, Faiz Wareh, and Dr. Catherine Rodland.
Reception to follow.
For more information:
https://mountcalvary.org/event/mount-calvary-lutheran-church-music-series-presents-st-olaf-college-organ-studio-in-recital/
or
https://mountcalvary.org/musicseries/
BIOGRAPHIES
Jeremiah Knudson is a senior at St. Olaf College, majoring in Organ Performance and Church Music. At St. Olaf, he studies organ with Dr. Catherine Rodland. In addition to organ performance, Jeremiah is privileged to sing with the St. Olaf Choir under the direction of Dr. Anton Armstrong. Jeremiah was recently awarded second place in the National Undergraduate Organ Competition. Professionally, Jeremiah serves as Mount Calvary’s own Intern Organist. Following graduation this spring, Jeremiah will begin serving as the Director of Music and Organist at Calvary Lutheran Church in his hometown of Rapid City, South Dakota.
Hailing from Schenectady, New York, Faiz Wareh is a junior mathematics and music double major at St. Olaf College. He began playing the organ at the age of 10, studying under several teachers in New York and York, United Kingdom over the next few years. After restarting his organ studies at St. Olaf with Dr. Catherine Rodland, he became the organist of nearby All Saints Episcopal Church, where he plays almost every Sunday. He is also a proud member of the St. Olaf Cantorei, headed by Professor James Bobb. Faiz recently returned from six months of study in Jordan and Egypt, where he studied both literary and dialectical Arabic, as well as Arab music theory. He is also a competitive Rubik’s Cube solver, with an official best time of 13.15 seconds, and was crowned the 2023 New York State champion in 3x3x3 Blindfolded and 5x5x5 Blindfolded.
Elizabeth Doty is a junior at St. Olaf College, from Littleton Colorado, majoring in mathematics. She started playing the organ in the fall of 2024, under Dr. Catherine Rodland. Having a strong piano background, she was excited to learn such an impressive instrument. Elizabeth is also a member of the St. Olaf Band and St. Olaf Orchestra playing flute, piccolo, and bassoon. She also serves as the St. Olaf Bands student manager, assisting with all rehearsals, concerts, and tours. Outside of music, Elizabeth enjoys traveling, spending time outdoors, hiking, and taking photos.
An Albany, New York native, Ben Quist is a BM Church Music major at St. Olaf College. He studies in the studios of Dr. Catherine Rodland and Dr. Anton Armstrong, organ and voice respectively. In addition to his private studies, Ben sings with the St. Olaf Choir and the St. Olaf Chamber Singers. Ben has been active in church music since age 9, beginning as a treble in the Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys in Albany, NY where he sang regular choral masses, evensongs, and annual period masterworks. He has appeared in performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of Yannick Nezet-Seguin as a member of Albany Pro Musica. Ben currently serves as the Choir Director and occasionally organist at All Saints Episcopal Church in Northfield, MN. He also works with Northfield Youth Choirs as the Troubadours conducting intern. Outside of church music, Ben enjoys playing fiddle and guitar. He organizes a monthly folk session in Northfield and maintains a schedule of performances with various folk and contemporary groups. In his free time, Ben enjoys doing the crossword, skiing, biking, and playing banagrams.
Leif Olsen is in his third year of studies at St. Olaf College, pursuing a degree in Piano Performance with a Collaborative Emphasis under the instruction of Dr. Christopher Atzinger. He is also honored to study organ with Dr. Catherine Rodland and voice with Jerry Elsbernd, as well as additional piano lessons with Dr. Kathryn Ananda-Owens. As a lifelong music lover, Leif has been playing piano from a young age, and has enjoyed collaborating with all kinds of musicians across many different genres. Besides his three instrumental studies, he also sings in and accompanies the St. Olaf Choir, and plays keyboard in the jazz department’s Gold Combo coached by Dr. Joseph Jefferson. On weekends Leif continues his musical service as Organ Scholar at First United Church of Christ in Northfield, MN, as the accompanist for St. Olaf’s student composition choir, and as keyboardist for a student band. If he’s not sitting at an instrument, you can probably find him playing any sort of word game, spending time with friends, or taking a much-needed nap.
