In Focus: Documentary On Bemidji Church’s Pipe Organ Premieres At Lakeland PBS

For over six years, the First Lutheran Church of Bemidji has been searching for the right way to have a new pipe organ built. Lakeland PBS captured their musical journey. Tonight, the community was treated to a premiere screening of the new documentary titled “Sacred Breath: First Lutheran Church of Bemidji’s Pipe Organ Project.”

“When I started filming, I just thought it was just going to be a journey getting a new pipe organ, but it turned out to be a revitalization of the whole sanctuary,” says Scott Knudson, the producer and director of the film.

“I really enjoyed working with Scott over the six-year period, and finally now to see it come to fruition is really reaching the goal,” adds Jon Romer, a flute teacher who appears in the film.

In the documentary, audiences will see how the pipe organ committee’s search takes them all over to different churches.

“I’m hoping the audience really gets to see or gets to understand the hard work that First Lutheran’s pipe organ committee put into this project. It’s a once in a lifetime thing to witness,” says Knudson.

The film is as much about the people as it is about the music.

Romer says, “When we hear that fine instrument and I think, on the documentary, when we hear that we are inspired and basically we’re happy. And we’re happy that’s what life is really about.”

Another screening of the documentary will be held at the Lakeland PBS studio in Bemidji at 10 in the morning on October 13th. The documentary will then premiere on Lakeland Prime on Monday, October 22^nd at 8 p.m.

“Nobody gets to work on a documentary for 6 years unless they’re with HBO or National Geographic or a big outfit like that, so I feel really honored to have been able to work on this project for six years and create a 90-minute documentary, a feature-length documentary,” says Knudson.