Celebrating half-century of musical inspiration

Organist, choir director at Belmont church has endowment established in her honor

 

BOSTON — Like a lot of ambitious young New York musicians, Avery Griffin dabbles in a bit of everything, from singing during the holidays with the St. Thomas Fifth Avenue Choir to writing experimental music.

 

If not for the choir director at his childhood church in Belmont, Griffin said, he’d be composing computer code for video games instead.

 

“Alfa Radford was the first person to help me recognize in myself a talent and a love for music,’’ Griffin said. “I started singing in the church choir and I’ve never looked back.’’

 

Griffin isn’t the only person to tell this story. There are classically trained actors, singer-songwriters, and choreographers who can trace their artistic lineage back to the First Church in Belmont and the joyful woman who has played its pipe organ for half a century.

 

This year is Alfa Joy Radford’s 50th playing the organ at First Church, and her 14th as its music minister. In recognition, the Unitarian Univer salist congregation will be hosting a ceremony celebrating Radford’s contributions at noon on Nov. 21, and has established the Alfa Radford Legacy Music Endowment, which will fund music offerings at the Concord Avenue church after Radford retires.

 

Not, she says, that that day is likely to come any time soon.