From Star Wars to Lord of the Rings, Knupp’s pipe organ concert brings cinema music to MC

Robert Knupp, professor in the Department of Music at Mississippi Christian University, will showcase some of the most recognizable tunes in American pop culture history during “Ancient Synthesizer Presents Movie Music: Epic Scores, Timeless Stories,” a pipe organ concert scheduled for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 22, in Provine Chapel on the MC campus in Clinton. The concert is free and the public is invited.

The pipe organ has a heritage of providing musical accompaniment for theatergoers in the silent film era of the early 20th century. Knupp, organist at Galloway United Methodist Church in Jackson, said it’s becoming increasingly common for organists to play transcriptions of popular music written for movies and television.

“The pipe organ is a solo instrument designed to replicate an orchestra,” Knupp said. “Since most of these film scores have orchestras, they lend themselves to the pipe organ very well.”

Knupp’s concert will feature music from modern favorites, including the Star Wars saga, Lord of the Rings, Interstellar, and How to Train Your Dragon. Knupp hopes audiences who enjoy theatrical scores will come hear it performed on a different instrument.

“Since the pandemic, there has been a surge in the number of organists who have been arranging movie and video game music for the pipe organ,” he said. “That has drawn newfound interest in the instrument outside of church. I’m building off that trend and bringing that music to MC.”

A native of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Knupp holds a D.M.A. from the University of Alabama, an M.M. from East Carolina University and a B.M. from Susquehanna University. He is an internationally acclaimed organist who has taught organ, music theory, and popular music and society courses at MC since 2000.

Knupp’s students have won state and regional competitions of the American Guild of Organists and the Music Teachers National Association, and have been awarded full teaching assistantships at the University of Iowa, the University of Arizona, Indiana University and the University of Houston. They have also been successful in obtaining full-time church employment.

Knupp has performed in 30 states and six countries in Europe. He has played at St. Thomas and St. Mary’s in New York City, King’s Chapel in Boston, Church of the Ascension in Seattle, St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco, St. Philip’s Cathedral in Atlanta, the Washington National Cathedral and National City Christian Church in Washington, D.C., St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, Chester, United Kingdom, and the Cathedral of St. Mary in Tallinn, Estonia. He has also accompanied choirs on European tours to Germany and Austria, and was the accompanist for the 80th Anniversary of D-Day Durufle Requiem in Caen, France.

Knupp’s Instagram site, “Pipe Organ of the Day,” has more than 8,500 followers and has amassed several million views.

The intellectual challenge of adapting an orchestral score to the pipe organ appeals to Knupp’s sense of artistry.

“I like learning new music,” he said. “It can be difficult to play, but it has broad appeal, and it seems to put a smile on people’s faces. Getting the right combination of sounds to make the pipe organ resemble an orchestra can be challenging, but the pipe organ can be fun.

“Music is an all-encompassing genre, and to show a different side of an instrument is a good thing. The fact that the pipe organ can still be relevant in 2026 and that it can be used to give audiences an enjoyable live musical experience is rewarding.”

For more information about the concert, visit https://music.mc.edu/events?eID=2hbbe7olt4do9c4lg6loes4u4c.