Eric Plutz first fell in love with the control lights, switches and pipes of the organ at age 12 while visiting the Paramount Music Palace in Indianapolis with his family.
"The organist was like the Wizard of Oz," Plutz said. "I took one look and said to myself, that's what I want to do."
His overwhelming desire to master the ornate instrument he saw that day turned into a lifelong career. Selected in December to be the new University Organist, Plutz will soon bring his talent to the campus community.
Plutz left his full-time position as organist and music director of the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany in Washington, D.C. when a search committee — consisting of faculty members, administrators and an undergraduate choir member — selected him to succeed former University organist David Messineo, who passed away in June.
His first performance will be at this Sunday's nondenominational service in the Chapel at 10 a.m.
When Messineo was hired four years ago, the position of University Organist was made full-time, allowing him to play a greater role in the community.
The Office of Religious Life hopes to continue broadening the responsibilities of University Organist, said Penna Rose, the Chapel's music director.
Plutz said he expects to stay at the University for a long time. "Expanding the organ concert program is just one plan of many. I really hope to make my mark here," he said.
This isn't Plutz's first time in Princeton. He graduated in 1989 as an organ performance major with honors from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, where he also played the organ for the Trinity Episcopal Church.
Though Plutz said he loved the musical richness and cultural diversity of Washington, D.C., he did not hesitate to apply for the position at Princeton.
"I wasn't originally planning on leaving Epiphany, but I stopped in my tracks when I heard about the position," he said, noting that he will now have more time to devote to the organ.
"I basically said yes to everything [in Washington]," Plutz said. "There was rehearsal almost every night of the week. I'll try not to take on quite that much here."
At Epiphany, which also functions as a homeless shelter, Plutz was very involved in uniting the church community. He planned weekly concerts that often featured instruments of other cultures, like the sitar and koto. He also taught organ lessons at a music school and accompanied four different choral groups.
"Not so many organists devote themselves to so much," Dean of Religious Life Thomas Breidenthal said. "This is a high-visibility organ in a high-visibility place, and [the search committee was] looking for musical leadership."
Breidenthal added that Plutz is not only very approachable as a teacher, but also shares the values of the Office of Religious Life — including promoting social justice, community service and multiculturalism — which will allow him to become an active member of the University community.
Now settled in Princeton, Plutz is eager to forge new relationships in the Princeton community.
"As he begins to know the local community better, he'll see opportunities to collaborate," Breidenthal said.
Plutz's experience in accompanying a wide variety of groups was apparent to Rose during his audition. "During 'And the Glory of the Lord' he knew where all the stops were. He really has a sense of the organ's palette of colors," she said.
Though Plutz does not flaunt his spirituality, he has a strong connection with what his music does for others. "There's something about bringing beautiful music to a congregation each week that I really enjoy deep down," he said.
As a child, Plutz was introduced to the piano before the organ. He began learning with his mother, an amateur pianist. Though his family is musically inclined, he is the only professional musician.
After graduating from Westminster Choir College Plutz attended the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, where he received a Master's degree in music in 1991.
During a sabbatical leave that preceded his arrival at Princeton, Plutz returned to study at Eastman and traveled to Paris to research the works of composer César Franck.
Plutz flipped through a collated stack of sheet music he carried with him — several pages of Bach.
"There's just so much that can be done with the organ. I love Bach, and I'm never going to stop playing him," he said. "But there's three songs during each service, and that's a chance for me to learn some new music."
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