Morganton's Joseph Franklin discusses his journey on the pipe organ

Rosen Concert Hall at Appalachian State University in Boone has a large, brick-walled chamber with wooden paneling behind its stage. At the back of the stage, directly in the center, sits a magnificent pipe organ.

The console has three tiers of piano keys — called manuals — positioned between two upright panels full of knobs that control the instrument’s sound, pedals controlling its bass notes, and a chair.

Built into the wall behind the console are the organ’s pipes, rising high above the stage, and capable of producing music that can rumble the chamber.

The console and the pipes make up the whole instrument. Between its floor-to-ceiling height and the powerful sounds coming from its pipes, it’s no wonder organs are called the king of all instruments.

With his fingers on the keys and feet on the pedals, 21-year-old Joseph Franklin begins to play, filling the concert hall with the beautiful and complex works of one of his favorite composers, Johann Sebastian Bach.

Franklin, a Morganton native, is set to graduate from App State with a Bachelor of Music in music education and organ performance in May 2027. Once he graduates, he plans to pursue a master’s degree in organ performance.

His love for the organ started when he was a child attending First United Methodist Church in Morganton, when he would hear the instrument during service and while he was in the children’s choir.

“(I) was just blown away by it,” Franklin said, sounding no less in love with the instrument now as an adult.

When he was in sixth grade, Franklin began turning the pages of sheet music for the church’s organist. Later he began ringing the church bells — the carillon, connected to the organ. Eventually, he was allowed to start playing the instrument.

“The only thing I was doing was making some noise,” Franklin said. “It was probably about eighth grade when I would say I was really starting to get pretty serious about it and learning some real literature.”

When he was a little older, Franklin played for the First United Methodist Church of Lenoir. He said his mother drove him to the audition and interview because he didn’t yet have his license. He still thanks her for that, he said.

Now, Franklin is the organist at the First Baptist Church of Boone.

The traditional church experience is one of Franklin’s passions.

“We’re all rooting for the same team, but … we’re seeing there’s a big shift in my generation that wants to go back to traditional church,” Franklin said. “They want pipe organs, they want a choir, and they want hymns.”

Franklin emphasized the importance of hymnals, especially for children to teach them how to follow a hymn.

Knowing what each note is called is not necessary, he said. What matters is understanding the “contour of the melody,” which is the flow of the notes on the page and the knowledge that notes higher on the staff correspond with singing a higher note.

Franklin said access to the arts and encouraging people to pursue the arts are both important.

“You hear so many people say, ‘Oh, I took piano when I was 10 … but then I decided to go play (sports).’ And that’s great, there is no shame in that, but nine times out of 10, you’re going to hear that person say they regret not continuing with piano lessons,” Franklin said.

Making music, Franklin said, is an incredible thing to be capable of.

“The arts … can be a reflection of society. It’s a way that we can express things that words cannot,” Franklin said.