This is a post written by Lori Parish, a friend of mine who attended a concert at the Lexington Seventh Day Adventist Church on October 6, 2018. All photos are hers, used with her permission.

Lori and Calvin Taylor

Recently, I had the opportunity to listen to a wonderful piano player who plays without music! The way he plays is just amazing and he takes you to the composer’s time and place, and what that composer might have been feeling at the time he composed the pieces. The Hymns he played are nothing like what you hear in church. One song that he played sounded like the piano and player were arguing with each other! It made me want to get up and dance.  I felt like Snoopy wanting to cry when Schroeder was playing that dad song!! Other songs he played just made me want to relax at the end of the day.

Calvin Taylor was playing the piano, in all keys,  at 5 years old.  At 14, he served as an organist at several churches.  He holds degrees from Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, University of Michigan, The Dick Grove School of Music and the University of Kentucky.  His music has been performed by numerous orchestras, including UCLA, University of Kentucky, University of Massachusetts and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.  He has been in full time music ministry for over 35 years.  He has toured throughout the world and his music has been heard and enjoyed by untold thousands!

Calvin Taylor with his wife

His music from the concert will remain with me for a long time.  The music took me far away from my troubles that night, and I didn’t want to come back to the real world.  One of the pieces that he played Beethoven’s 5th symphony, we are playing in orchestra right now.  It’s my very favorite movement by Beethoven. Another piece he played that I really liked was Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven. This piece could really make you fly away and at the same time feel like God is sitting right next to you. I can also imagine God tapping his feet to the faster tunes just like I did. I really believe that God created music just like this for our enjoyment. I felt a peace like that I’ve not felt in a long time. All the stress just fell away. I really enjoyed the older songs and hymns. I believe that God loves the older hymns too.

In some of the hymns I felt like I was in heaven and could see what Revelation talks about. In my mind, I could see them holding court and I heard them talking. I mean I couldn’t really, all I saw was heads together and murmuring. With some of the other hymns, I felt like the man was talking to God through his music and I believe that God approves.  It made my heart feel lighter and I was more relaxed than I have been in a long time. The music was just beautiful. If you’re a music lover like I am you would enjoy Calvin Taylor’s music.  I strongly recommend listening to Mr Taylor and help with the ministry in any way you can.

If you would like to hear this wonderful pianist contact The Calvin Taylor Foundation.  PO Box 51747, Bowling Green, KY  42102.  You can learn more at http://www.calvintaylormusic.org/ or by emailing him at calvin@calvintaylormusic.org.