DALLAS — Music has the ability to alter your mood, inspire change, and unite communities. For one North Texas teen, the joy he finds in music is something he hopes to make his life's work.
High school junior Jimmy Hademenos has been playing the organ at the Catholic Diocese of Dallas for years. He told WFAA that he finds his faith through the music.
"I'm looking for joy that comes from God only through music and through the church," he said. "And I started to realize this is the only way that God is going to help me start this journey to him is music, through the church, helping God, helping the people sing to God in the church."
Hademenos started playing for the church at about 11 years old, which he says came years after he and family discovered his natural talent. At the time, his father was a church pianist.
"My mom, she has a song that she really loved. And it was 'Endless Love' by Lionel Richie. And I sort of played by ear," he said. "She's like, 'Oh my gosh... you're amazing. And she was like, 'We need to et him piano lessons.' And my dad's like, 'No, no. Let's see how far he takes this.'"
That was when he was about 9 years old.
"So then around 11 [or] 12, I started to really realize that this can be used in other places," Hadememos said. "I was just playing after communion, a little bit here and there at the Mass, maybe after."
He then went on to play by himself during full services at age 13, when the pandemic hit. He said he had never played on his own until Easter week.
"It was the day before and they're like, 'You're up tomorrow to the play the Palm Sunday Mass by yourself, recorded and live streamed for everyone," Hademenos said. "So I started playing, and it went great. And my father's like 'Yeah, you're gonna be doing this for a while.'"
Hademenos said playing the organ on his own at 13 felt like a major responsibility, and the pandemic added to the pressure. So he had to remind himself of what guided him to the keys every Sunday.
"I was thinking, 'How am I supposed to continue doing all this at the age of 13? It's a lot of work playing all these masses.' So I started to really have to dig deep. 'What am I finding in my faith while doing music? What am I trying to search for?'" he said.