The public is invited to Music Emphasis Sunday at Broadway Baptist Church on Oct. 10 led by guest conductor Dr. Randall Bradley, Director of the Church Music Program & The Center for Christian Music Studies at Baylor University.
The service will also recognize the retirement of Dr. Al Travis, who served as Broadway’s organist for 41 years. The organ postlude will be one of his most favored and well-known compositions, Toccata on Rejoice, the Lord Is King.
The service begins at 10:50 a.m. at 305 W. Broadway Ave., Fort Worth, TX 76104.
During his extensive career, Travis staged and performed numerous hymn festivals and concerts across the United States and is a recognized expert in improvisation. He taught at
Dallas Baptist University and Southwestern Baptist Seminary School of Church Music.
He graduated from Oklahoma Baptist University, earned a master’s at Syracuse University and earned his doctorate at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
The service also acknowledges the 25th anniversary of the installation of the Rildia Bee O’Bryan Cliburn Organ.
The church’s new organist is Bradley Reznicek, who said he is honored to succeed “my dear friend and mentor, Al Travis, who served this wonderful church for 40 years.”
“My affiliation with Broadway dates back to graduate studies with Dr. Travis. During that time, the church graciously opened its doors for practice, lessons, and recitals on the Casavant. I gained great knowledge of the organ during that time and by accompanying concerts of the Seminary Chorus and the Fort Worth Symphony held at Broadway Baptist Church,” Reznicek said.
“It has been a pleasure and truly an honor for me to have worked with Dr. Al Travis in the ministry of music at Broadway Baptist Church over the past several years. He has generously shared his gifts in leading worship services at the organ with great sensitivity and unique artistry,” said Dr. Michael Cox, Broadway’s Director of Music Ministry.
“His ability to improvise and pace a worship service with such impeccable musical taste has been a constant source of inspiration to me, to the Chancel Choir, as well as to the entire congregation. So many services would conclude with his personal arrangement incorporating the hymns of the day, bringing an added and profound meaning to the worship experience.
“This gift, combined with the many and varied colors from the Casavant organ always reminds me of the last verse of the Fred Pratt Green hymn (When in Our Music God Is Glorified): ‘Let every instrument be tuned for praise! Let all rejoice who have a voice to raise! And may God give us faith to sing always: Alleluia!’ ” Cox said.
“Dr. Travis is the true gentleman musician. His sensitivity and touch are well known throughout the organ community across the country and even the world,” said Broadway Senior Pastor Ryon Price. “A long time ago, Al’s teacher, Russell Saunders told Al, ‘Never play one note you don’t mean.’ In 40 years of ministry, Al never did.”
Cox and Price both praised Reznicek.
“Although we will truly miss Dr. Travis and his unique gifts, we joyfully welcome one of his most gifted students, Mr. Bradley Reznicek. Like Dr. Travis, Bradley too, has a love for congregational song and possesses the skills of improvisation and well- developed techniques of organ registration,” Cox said.
“Bradley Reznicek is a true renaissance man. He is gifted in both business and also music – hence his dual vocational call to both,” said Price. “We are so very excited about Bradley’s giftedness coming to Broadway. He is already showing us what creativity and sensibility he brings to both music and worship.”
Reznicek took lessons from Travis on the church’s organ.
“The almost limitless colors of this superb instrument, combined with Bradley’s creative imagination will continue to inspire. God has provided, and we are richly blessed to have someone so gifted as Bradley to continue this wonderful legacy as ‘worship moves us to a more profound Alleluia!’ ” Cox said.
“When the Rildia Bee O’Bryan Cliburn Organ was installed its dedication was for the sake of the clarity and quality of Broadway’s spiritual vision,” Price said. “The presence of the organ has centered our vision of worship as a community for a quarter of a century; its care and maintenance assure it will continue to center us for the next quarter of a century to come.”
To participate in on-going care of the Rildia Bee O’Bryan Cliburn Organ, people may make a tax deductible contribution by visiting the Broadway Baptist Church website at https://broadwaybc.org/give/