Dettra has been the organist at the Washington National Cathedral for nearly five years. Dettra recently performed at the cathedral’s reopening interfaith concert following August’s earthquake damage. How long have you been playing the organ?
I started piano lessons at age 3 and moved on to the organ at 8. I started on a smaller [organ].
Do you come from a musical family?
My father was a church organist, so that’s all I ever wanted to do. He was the only organist in the family, but his parents met playing in an orchestra.
Has playing at the cathedral always been a dream job for you?
It’s certainly a high-profile place to be; my dream was definitely to play in a church. I think everyone shoots to practice their art in a great place.
Where have you played before?
I used to play at St. Paul’s on K Street, Trinity Church in Princeton, New Jersey, and St. Mark’s in Boston.
Was there much damage to the organ itself after the earthquake?
We haven’t found any physical damage to the instrument. It functioned normally initially, but the organ had a number of electrical issues.
How do you take care of an organ?
To tune an organ, it’s a very complicated machine. People said that the most complicated machine before the telephone exchange was the organ. At the cathedral it needs more maintenance because of its size. It’s not really in good shape; the original parts are 70 years old. We have to tune the organ once a week, or 52 times a year. It’s a high-profile place, so it needs to sound really good all the time. Other places could do with the organ sounding a little off.
— Leigh Giangreco
