When pianist Dr. Wayne Bethanis reimagined the late lay Franciscan Sebastian Temple’s folk-style hymn “Happy the Man,” he didn’t have any expectations.
In early July, Bethanis’ instrumental piano arrangement of the Catholicism-inspired “Happy the Man” reached the top of the Tucson-based New Age Notes chart six weeks after its release.
Bethanis, a Downtown Los Angeles resident, called the song one that helped define the Catholic folk revival of the 1960s. According to Bethanis, “Happy the Man” marks the first time one of Temple’s songs has reached an international contemporary new age chart.
“I first heard ‘Happy the Man’ as a child when I was singing in church,” said Bethanis, adding that the song helped define the Catholic folk revival of the 1960s.
“I never imagined that decades later I could introduce it to a completely new audience. My experience arranging and recording ‘Happy the Man’ in the studio was nothing less than transformative. I saw how his uncomplicated folk melody was pure genius.”
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Dyan Garris, New Age Notes Radio’s founder/owner, said the Top 10 chart is based solely on merit. “Happy the Man” hit No. 1 on the July 2026 Top 10 chart.
“When he sent over his new instrumental song ‘Happy the Man,’ I had a good listen and immediately added it to our station, New Age Notes Radio,” Garris said.
“It’s a beautiful song, uplifting, very well produced and played in, what can only be referred to as ‘Wayne Bethanis style.’ It’s very elegant and distinctive. To my surprise, I found out much later that it was a remake of a Sebastian Temple hymn, a sacred song focused on service and inner peace. It fit right in here with our programming, which brings a wide variety of spirit-elevating, relaxing, high-quality music to our listeners.”
Bethanis dedicated the who dedicated the recording to grandmother, Kathryn Bethanis, who died at age 103. She requested that he release spiritual music.
Crossing into the contemporary Christian genre was a pivotal move for him.
Bethanis, considered a piano prodigy, began music studies at age 5 and spent his formative years in Kents Hill, Maine, focused on music, winning piano competitions, hosting local variety shows and playing in church.
“I played ‘Happy the Man’ on the piano for the church choir when I was 7 or 8 years old,” Bethanis explained.
“I never forgot how this song stood out for its natural genius of melody and lyric. I knew, even at that age, that Sebastian Temple was a pioneering voice. It stayed with me.”
Upon high school graduation, Bethanis moved to Southern California to study with renowned teachers at Chapman University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in piano performance. Subsequently, he received a Ph.D. in musicology from Claremont Graduate University.
While other students were writing avant-garde full-scale operas, he penned contemporary instrumental radio songs. He toured the world with his music, thanking William Kraft as a mentor. Kraft’s world renown acclaim gave Bethanis early exposure to an elite music environment.
His students hung out backstage at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion or Segerstrom Center for the Arts, while Kraft rehearsed world premieres of his latest works.
Bethanis has since released six albums.
His songs like “Song for a New World” and “Orville & Wilbur (the Right to Fly)” are celebrated for their virtuosic yet highly engaging piano performances, according to the New Age Music Guide.
Now, he produces and hosts Piano Garden on Mixcloud, welcoming guests such as Kevin Hearn of Barenaked Ladies, Jon McLaughlin and Five for Fighting’s John Ondrasik.
“Piano Garden is a surprise success for me,” he said. “I’ve always had a show complementing my recording career, including my own talk show here in Los Angeles.
“I love to entertain people, and present talented artists in a very entertaining manner. Piano Garden is my second radio show. I showcase the top keyboard artists in the world. It routinely hits No. 1 on the global Mixcloud charts. I’m a team [player] and I love watching other people succeed.”
