Darren Luft to perform at Jan. 5 concert
On Jan. 5, First Friday @ First Presbyterian will feature pianist Darren Luft, who will present a program of Contemporary Christian keyboard music. The concert is from 12:05 to 12:35 p.m. at the church at South Fourth and Ash Streets, and it is free and open to the public. It will be performed both in person and on facebook. com/fpc.sterling. You don’t have to belong to Facebook to access this performance, and it will stay up and be viewable after the performance.
Some of Luft’s music is in gospel and jazz style, with “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” and “I Want Jesus to Walk with Me.” Other song titles include “Grateful,” “Grace Alone,” “When the Morning Comes” and a nice arrangement of “Blessings” by Laura Story.
At age 6 the Sterling native started piano lessons with Lois Luft, who began to have him play a song occasionally in their church, First English Lutheran. He says that later, “she told me I was doing the next service in its entirety. That was a nerveracking experience for a kid in Jr. High or High School at that time!” He credits his mom and dad for pushing him to practice every day, for taking him to lessons and encouraging him to continue to get better.
Darren started playing for choirs in Sterling Junior High School under the direction of Trudy Dowlin, then in high school where he was in choirs under the direction of Paul Nicholas. Nicholas was a very intense choir director and wanted perfection out of his choirs. Luft says “most of the piano students didn’t want to play for him because they might not be able to meet his high standards. He then would look down
the line to the bass section and stare at me, and then the other students would do the same thing, which I figured was my cue to go to the piano bench. Nicholas and I got along very well during that time and he was very supportive of me and was someone I greatly admired. I credit him for putting me in front of large groups of people to accompany and perform for him. It helped take some of the performance anxiety away. It was an honor!”
During his college years at NJC and at the University of Northern Colorado, he played for numerous weddings and soloists, as well as a few funerals. While at UNC he took organ lessons from a music professor on a huge pipe organ at the Episcopal Church in Greeley. He then took a year off in January 1988 and joined Up With People, a non-profit whose musical mission is to develop young adults into leaders to build a more hopeful and peaceful world. Up With People casts are sent on international tours to perform community service and musical stage shows. Luft relates, “I was fortunate to join 125 cast members who sang and danced for thousands of people around the world as we toured. Our particular cast, which was one of five at the time, took us to the heart of Mexico for five weeks; the central and western part of the U.S. for most of the year; and six weeks in Australia where we performed at the World’s Fair in Brisbane; and, for the first time ever, the Rugby League Grand Finals, which is equivalent to the Super Bowl here in the U.S. Our tour ended in December in Canada for the year. I sang in the mic groups for the first part of the year and then joined the band as one of two keyboardists to entertain thousands of people. It was a humbling experience to live with families, experience different cultures and meet so many wonderful people during that year.”
After college Luft came back to the family farm where he remains today and continues to play and accompany at church and other events. Back in the ’90s he had the opportunity to accompany the Windsong and Centennial State Choruses, under the direction of Neala Carmichael and Dr. Curtis Kimball, for their annual Christmas concert in December, which continues today. He says, “It has always been a joy to help plan and participate in this event to kick off the Christmas season. I knew playing the piano and organ would be a lifetime endeavor, where it challenged me to play more difficult pieces and developed my sight-reading skills. It is nice to sit down at the piano and have it take me away from the stress and everyday grind of life.”
Darren and his wife Phyllis have a daughter, Lauryn, who works as a Court Investigator and lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her husband Brian.
First Friday @ First Presbyterian is an ongoing series of recitals showcasing local talent.