Organist Tim Brumfield’s career has led him around the world, including a stint at St. John the Divine cathedral in New York City. But when he saw an opening for the job at St. Gregory’s in Boca Raton 10 years ago, it proved to be divine inspiration. Photo
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By Janis Fontaine
From the time Tim Brumfield accepted his first professional job at age 12 as the pianist at his hometown Red House Baptist Church in Richmond, Kentucky, he has been mindful of the responsibilities inherent in his work.
“I fell in love with church music and the show of it very early,” Brumfield said.
“Even though it’s not really a performance, you’re in performance mode. You want everything to run smoothly, from the liturgy to the lighting. A lot of people think it just happens, and that’s good. The purpose of any production is for it to seem seamless.”
The flip side of making it look easy is that sometimes discouragement sneaks in. “Once in a while, I do wonder if anyone is really listening,” Brumfield said. “But then, invariably, I get an email or a card in the mail or a phone call from someone thanking me.”
Brumfield, 62, is an internationally renowned organist, and his extensive career has taken the soft-spoken man who never lost his Kentucky cadence to perform in the greatest cathedrals.
From serving as the chief organist at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City to performing in England’s famed Salisbury and St. Paul’s cathedrals and France’s Notre-Dame, there is little Brumfield hasn’t achieved.
When he resigned a decade ago after more than 12 years at St. John the Divine, he continued to perform and compose, and he wasn’t really looking for a permanent position.
But he was in Manhattan in winter.
Longing for the warm sand and sunshine, Brumfield googled “organist Florida” on his laptop. At the top of the list was a position at St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church in Boca Raton.
It was an older listing, and he assumed the job had been filled, but he mentioned it to his sister, who urged him to check it out. He sent an email, and Father Andrew Sherman emailed back. The position of organist and musical director was open, and St. Gregory’s staff would love to meet him.
In the end, Brumfield said he and Father Sherman “kind of chose each other,” and it’s a relationship that has only grown in the 10 years Brumfield has been there.
But when he first arrived, the church, though lovely, was an acoustic dud.
Father Sherman assured him that renovations were coming and invited him to meet with the liturgical designer. When they met, Brumfield praised God’s quiet hand: He had known
Terry Byrd Eason for years for his work on St. John the Divine. His trepidation about renovating evaporated like the dew.
The sanctuary underwent a total remodel. Its valuable pipe organ — a $500,000 Austin purchased in 1994 — was hermetically sealed to protect it while the sanctuary was gutted, repaired, painted and its carpet replaced with a stone floor, improving the acoustics dramatically. “Now it’s glorious,” Brumfield said.
Like puzzle pieces falling into place, just over a year ago Brumfield sat before a superior instrument to play in an acoustic setting designed with God’s sacred words and music in clear focus.
The organ is an important element in St. Gregory’s goal to be the “cultural and sacred hub of arts and service.”
Each week, the music Brumfield chooses is designed to reinforce Sherman’s message. “Hymns are a retelling of stories tailored to the liturgy and lectionary,” Brumfield said. His years of studying the music of his faith have broadened and deepened his knowledge and appreciation for the gospel.
As Brumfield continues to grow in his journey, he expands St. Gregory’s musical offerings, too, to the delight of listeners.
He leads the choir and the choristers, a junior choir that always welcomes new members.
He traveled to New York the weekend before Halloween to perform the organ music for the screening of the silent film The Phantom of the Opera with Lon Chaney (1925) at St. John the Divine, as he has for the past 27 years.
Nowadays, Brumfield flies back to Boca Raton to perform it again on the Austin pipe organ at St. Gregory’s on Halloween. He said it’s likely the church will repeat the performance in 2025 as it’s the 100th anniversary of the film. St. John the Divine has already begun promoting its showing.
But personally, Brumfield considers the Evensong concerts to be St. Gregory’s hidden treasure. These evening services are offered monthly at 6 p.m.
“These are sunset prayers, so the only time this music can be heard is the evening, and I’d really like more people to hear them,” he said.
The prayers set to music have inspired thousands of compositions, including his own. Brumfield’s goal is to build a culture around Evensong, to break people out of the Sunday morning church routine and get them to attend on a Sunday evening, or even go to both services.
Brumfield is also proud of the Great Music at St. Gregory’s Concert Series, which has scheduled performances by Seraphic Fire, the Master Chorale of South Florida and the Symphonia.
Brumfield said he doesn’t have any significant goals beyond working with St. Gregory’s to improve its music ministry. He has traveled and performed at more venues than he ever dreamed possible.
“I would like to go to Australia and New Zealand,” he mused.
Maybe he should google “organist Australia.”
Janis Fontaine writes about people of faith, their congregations, causes and community events. Contact her at fontaine423@outlook.com.
