A CLU Junior from Lake Forest, California, Ryan Macias will introduce you to the thundering sounds of the organ while teaching you a thing or two about religion. In the process of earning his degree in Church Music, with a minor in Religion, Macias is currently going through the process to become a Pastor. While managing to sing in the CLU Choir, The Kingsmen Quartet, and the Chapel Choir, he even “gig[s]” as an organist at two different churches: St. Patrick’s Episcopal and Redeemer Lutheran, both in Thousand Oaks. Working in CLU’s Campus Ministry, Macias makes the time to frequently direct the choirs at these two churches as well! Read on to learn a little bit more about the raddest organist on campus.Her Campus Cal Lutheran: What made you decide to come to CLU?
Ryan Macias: I came to CLU because of the music department. It is one of the few schools in the Western US that still offers an undergraduate emphasis in sacred music. When I was researching potential schools, I found myself more drawn to a small liberal arts setting. Here, I know I have a supportive community behind me that wants to see me succeed.
HCCLU: Why did you choose your major and/or minors?
RM: Well, that’s a long story. Essentially, in high school, I became a member of the Episcopal Church, which is a lot like Lutheranism, and also completely different from the faith tradition I grew up in. What really drew me to Anglicanism, is the long tradition of music that’s been associated with it. I immediately joined the choir at the church I had been visiting, and it was there that I was introduced to some of my favorite composers, both secular and sacred. So after a while, I felt like what I wanted to do was be a professional organist and choir director in a big cathedral somewhere. It wasn’t till after I was halfway through my degree that I began to feel called elsewhere. I am now in the process of ordination to become a pastor. In fall of 2018, I’ll hopefully enter seminary to complete a Master of Divinity degree. Regardless, music will always be an enormous part of my life, and ministry.
HCCLU: Out of everything you’re involved with, which one is your favorite?
RM: Hmm. That’s hard. I really like working in Campus Ministry. That’s a fun office to be in. As a team, we work really well together, and we are all really committed to serving this community, wherever they may find themselves in their own walks of life.HCCLU: When did you learn to play the organ? Have you had exciting opportunities arise because of this skill you’ve acquired?
RM: I started studying organ as soon as I got to CLU, first with Dr. Kyle Johnson, and now with Dr. Joseph Peeples. Both of them are inspirational musicians in their own right, and it’s been a privilege to learn from them. In the past three years I’ve had a lot of interesting opportunities arise from that skill. There aren’t many organists left out there, and yet it’s an in demand position. A lot of people are going to need an organist at some point, either when they get married or when they die. So I’ve played for loads of weddings and funerals, both of which are always interesting experiences. I’ve also gotten to play amazing instruments all over the United States, each one unique. Last year, I was elected to serve on the Executive Board of the Ventura County Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. We’re pretty sure I am the youngest ever elected to office in the chapter, so that’s kinda rad.
HCCLU: I know you get the opportunity to travel a lot! Out of everywhere you’ve been, which place or experience has been your favorite?
RM: I do! It would be a toss up. I spent this past Christmas in Cambridge, England, which was gorgeous. It’s a busy college city, but it also has a very peaceful quality to it. A close second would be the Swiss Alps. Especially during summertime, when you can hike from village to village.
HCCLU: I know you have a few tattoos! Do you mind telling us what they are and what they represent to you? Which one is your favorite?
RM: Yeah, it’s kind of an addiction. People notice my sleeve because it’s usually uncovered. But I have a lot more in other places. My favorite is actually on my ribs. It’s a modernist depiction of the Virgin Mary. She’s pretty amazing. In the gospels, she’s really the glue that holds everyone together. The world could be falling apart, and there she sits- a pregnant teenage refugee, full of grace and peace. HCCLU: If there was a piece of advice you could give your freshman year self, what would you say?
RM: Take time to enjoy life. And change your oil frequently.
HCCLU: If you had the power to change the world in one way, what would you do?
RM: I think that human beings have this amazing capacity for compassion. If I could do something to help us see that from time to time, that’s what I would want to do. I think that the day we learn to truly love our neighbor as our self, then borders would be a thing of the past, trans kids wouldn’t have to fight for the right to survive, LA wouldn’t be the capital of homelessness in the Western Hemisphere.
*Photos courtesy of Ryan Macias