“He could play anything.”
These were the words Gerald Peel, a man who has worked with local musician and composer Ethan McGrath for more than 10 years, used to describe him.
McGrath and Peel met when McGrath’s mother reached out to Peel about her son potentially filling the open accompanist position he had in his 50-voice men’s choir, inSpirit.
“She said, ‘You should try my 15-year-old. He can play anything,'” Peel, who has an extensive background in music ministry, recalled.
But Peel, who has a Bachelor of Music from Southern Adventist University and a Master of Music from University of Tennessee, knew from experience that mothers always think the best of their children, so he was hesitant.