St Marks Organist Plays to Her Heart's Content

Organ Scholarship recipient interview: Pamina Milenkovic

Pamina Milenkovic commenced her two-year St Mark’s Anglican Church Darling Point Organ Scholarship in August 2019 and the church community has been enjoying listening to her beautiful playing since this time.

Pamina is appreciative of this opportunity and shared: “I hope to move people. During this scholarship, I've realised that with a great organ you can create drastically different moods and atmospheres.  I hope to become great at expressing myself in a way which resonates with others.” 

Pamina began playing the organ just over two years ago. She plans to undertake a Bachelor in Organ Performance at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 2020. 
Pamina sees this scholarship as an apprenticeship. “I have appreciated being mentored by David Drury who has taught me so much in preparation for St Mark's 8:00am choral services.

David has taught me how to accompany the choir, effectively lead the congregation and how to choose exciting instrumentation for the audience to enjoy. Since August I have played for the 8:00am services, mostly assisting David, and sometimes playing the whole service. 

I believe that I will eventually be playing each service on my own.”  Pamina enjoys practising the organ, typically practising 3 - 4 hours every day as she usually needs to prepare 2 - 3 hymns, most of the communion setting, motets and a postlude.  She explained: “The hours of practice usually lie, not in learning the pieces, but creating registrations for them (organising where stops are pulled in and out during the piece) and then choreographing that, so the stop changes happen seamlessly while playing.” 

When asked about some of the joys of being an organ player, she shared: “I like how I can be a roaring ocean and then a lullaby within a second.  Playing the organ in a church is incredible, as you can hear how music is sacred. 

Through playing the organ I've been able to find the spirituality in music that I couldn't tap into deeply before.”

Please feel welcome to come and listen to Pamina’s organ playing during St Mark’s weekly 8:00am Choral Communion service. St Mark’s also holds services at 10:00am (all ages) and 5:30pm (Contemporary). 

Please visit www.stmarksdp.org for more details

https://stmarksdp.org/

1 Greenoaks Ave, Darling Point NSW 2027