Music continues to be part of her life
Elissa Zahn started playing the organ at the age of 16 and recently retired after a 58-year career playing as a professional church musician.
“It felt pretty lousy,” Zahn said about making the decision to retire.”I had developed some health issues which really hampered my ability to play the organ and fulfill my job the way I wanted to. I had to decide whether to stay with the job because I needed to move to assisted living, in Middletown. It broke my heart to have to leave Grace Church because I love the people and I love making music there. They were always so supportive of the music program. It really was heartbreaking for me, but it was a decision I had to make.”
Zahn, who grew up in Cornwall and later moved to New Windsor, started playing the piano at 4-years-old, taught by her father who was a music teacher. Her father was also an organist and choir director, so as a teenager she began taking lessons from him again, feeling a desire to follow in his footsteps. Her father gave her a chance to play the prelude, postlude, and maybe even a hymn. Eventually she was able to perform during an entire service.
When the Canterbury Presbyterian Church, on Clinton Street, started a search for a new organist, Zahn applied and was asked to fill the position.
She was only making $10 a week, but thought the job was more fun than babysitting.
“I enjoyed working with the choir and the choir director, who was a former West Point band member,” Zahn said. “I really perfected my ability to sight read and to be flexible in a service. If something happened where I needed to do something else on the spot, I was able to perfect that skill. I felt comfortable playing in front of people and beginning to learn the repertoire for church organists.”
Zahn continued to play for two years until she went away to college. She majored in music education at Ithaca College and continued to play the organ in the summer, subbing for other organists who wanted to take a vacation.
Hoping to be a professional accompanist, Zahn quickly realized it wouldn’t be a good career path and again decided to follow in her father’s footsteps and switched to music education.
Having run the music program during summer camp, she already possessed experience working with kids.
After graduation, Zahn took a job as a theater and music arts teacher, to students in grades K through 6, in the Newburgh School District. Despite the new career, she continued to play the organ. The job required playing Thursday nights from 6 to 9 p.m. plus Sunday mornings. With practice sessions, Zahn was putting in 15 to 20 hours weekly playing the organ.
When she returned to Cornwall after college, Zahn ended up becoming the organist and choir director at the Cornwall United Methodist Church. She served there four years before moving on to Grace United Methodist Church in Newburgh, first as the organist and later as the choir director. She served the Newburgh community for about three years before she was offered the opportunity to play at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Cornwall. While at St. John’s, Zahn took additional music workshops to become certified as a Minister of Music. She stayed there for 12 years before returning to Grace United where she completed the remainder of her career.
Zahn was happy to return to Grace United because she loved the pipe organ and preferred it over the electronic organs other churches have. During her tenure, Zahn was able to organize a series of concerts to benefit Habitat for Humanity.
She retired as a teacher in 2002 and while Zahn’s no longer playing the organ, music continues to be an important part of her life. Now residing in an assisted living facility in Middletown, she’s working on developing some ideas for a music program there. Since moving, she’s met several people who love to sing, so Zahn is hoping to start a chorus, as well as conduct specialized programs, especially during the holidays.
“It’s my life’s blood,” she said. “It feeds my soul. I just have to have music in my life.”
