At BSM’s annual Homecoming mass, the annual composed psalm was played for the first time. The only difference between this year’s and last year’s psalm is the age of the composer.

Sophomore Chaz Linder has been a talented piano player since the age of four. “My parents gave me a bunch of musical instruments when I was little to see which one I liked, and I pretty much just narrowed it down to just the piano” Linder said. After playing the piano two hours a day for over ten years, Linder decided he wanted to take the next step to become a better musician.

Linder is already a high standing musician in the state. “I am currently ranked 35th in the state for Minnesota piano players” Linder said. However, he is looking to achieve even more by preparing for the Minnesota Music Teacher’s Association, an annual competition where Minnesota’s best young pianists compete against each other using the same eight pieces of music.

Linder has become equally recognized as a talented musician within the BSM music program. Last year, he enrolled in a class called Music Theory to further his musical talents. The course provided a deeper understanding of the basics of music, as well as learning how to read and understand sheet music. This class is where Linder’s musical potential and aptitude became even more apparent. “In music theory, for the final exam, we had to write a song. Mrs. Stockhaus thought my song was good enough to put to lyrics,” Linder said.

“The week before school started, we figured out how to put it together,” Linder said. Linder and Stockhaus collaborated throughout the summer, trying to figure out how the lyrics would match with the chords being played. After continual encouragement Stockhaus convinced Linder to play his song at the BSM Homecoming mass where he wowed the audience.

Linder has discussed the possibility of writing another piece for a BSM school mass, but right now, he is perfectly content with his favorite activity: simply playing the piano. Linder remains undecided about a potential career in the future as a pianist. Even so, he knows his skill will always be a prevalent part of his life. “People ask me if I want to go to college for music, and I just don’t know. I do know, however, that the piano will play a huge part in my life,” Linder said.