By Nadia ArandjelovicInternationally acclaimed composer and organist Charles Callahan will be on Island for a special concert this weekend at Wesley Methodist Church.The celebrated organist will be playing alongside talented violinist and Bermuda School of Music teacher Lionel Thomas on Sunday at 4pm. He has planned for approximately an hour of music, including two pieces with Mr Thomas.There will also be some French and American music played, in addition to three works by Johann Sebastian Bach, considered the greatest composer for the organ.“There will be fun pieces, tuneful and lyrical pieces, and a few serious ones like the piece by Maurice Durufle, which will open the programme,” he said.Dr Callahan has played in Bermuda several times before and admitted he loves the people and the country. He also counts it his privilege to have taught at The Bermuda School of Music, “an outstanding institute for which the country should be proud”.Coming from a religious family, Dr Callahan got his start with music while singing in his church’s boy choir from an early age, which helped to “kindle the fire”.The piano was his first love, but he began playing the organ at age 12, almost half a century ago.“Playing the instrument can still be a challenge and thrill as I look to learn and create new pieces,” he said. “I remain fascinated by the organ itself, which among other interesting facts has a pedal-board that controls 32 notes, all played by the feet.”Dr Callahan has been commissioned to compose music twice for Harvard University and also produced commissioned pieces for Papal visits to the United States.He said it was difficult to pinpoint one moment in his career that he was most proud of, however “one very memorable occasion” was when his symphony for organ and orchestra was premiered in St Louis, Missouri.He said: “Composition is perhaps the most vitally compelling aspect of my life as a musician. It requires complete concentration and both perspiration and a large dose of inspiration!”The organist said any success he has had is “because of God’s grace and goodness” for which he is thankful.He also believed that having a spiritual connection to one’s instrument is “so vital” and helps the learning process. “We all need to feel the spirit and be inspired in whatever we do,” he added.While on the Island he will get to play one of his favourite instruments, the pipe organ at Wesley Methodist Church that was built in 1925 and recently restored.“Each organ is different from the next,” he said. “It can take a lot of time and thought to plan a programme that will appeal to the specific audience and instrument played.”And while some churches are no longer using organists and looking to other avenues for their service music, Dr Callahan said there was still many churches, like Wesley, that recognised the value of their organs and kept them maintained to a high standard.“It seems that there is an increasing demand for organists all over,” he said.Dr Callahan hoped “with all his heart” that young people would continue to master the organ and other instruments. He has spent much of his adult life teaching people, from five up to age 75, the craft.Tickets for the upcoming concert are $25 for general admission, $50 for silver patrons and $100 for gold level patrons. They are available at www.ptix.bm. or by calling 278-1500. Proceeds from the event will go towards the restoration of Marsden Methodist Church’s Casavant pipe organ.