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Partners for Sacred Places is thrilled to announce the Philadelphia Organ Festival, taking place at historic and architecturally significant venues throughout the Philadelphia region March 15-22, 2024. The Festival invites audiences to discover the region’s rich trove of historic pipe organs, in some of the area’s most beautiful buildings, in performances that showcase the spectacular sounds and grandeur of what Mozart called “the king of instruments.”
Festival concerts will feature nationally and internationally acclaimed organists, many with ties to the Philadelphia area. Venues include Tindley Temple, Rodeph Shalom, the Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral, the First Presbyterian Church in Germantown, Girard College Chapel, the Unitarian Society of Germantown, St. Luke’s Germantown and Longwood Gardens.
The Festival’s inspired programs showcase the organ as a partner in music of many styles and eras, in pairings with vocalists, period instruments, and in rarely-heard collaborations with percussion and contemporary music ensembles—as well as a thrilling musical accompaniment to landmark silent films.
The Philadelphia Organ Festival is part of Sacred Places’ Playing and Preserving program, which strives to heighten awareness and foster greater appreciation for these cultural treasures as well as build support for the preservation and restoration of organs.
“Our goal for the Festival is to bring community together to expand the knowledge, appreciation, and preservation of these awe-inspiring instruments in their historic homes,” said Bob Jaeger, President of Partners for Sacred Places. “The Philadelphia Organ Festival will transcend traditional concert experiences, allowing attendees to witness the dramatic synergy between these majestic instruments and their surroundings.”
Tickets can be purchased online at www.PhillyOrganFestival.org
General: $30, Seniors: $25, Students: $10
Tickets will also be available the day of performance at each venue
Special community pricing will also be offered
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FULL FESTIVAL LINE UP
FRIDAY, MARCH 15 AT 7PM / GIRARD COLLEGE CHAPEL (2101 S College Ave, Philadelphia)
Ravel’s Bolero for Organ and Brass
Chelsea Chen, organist
Brass players to be announced
Organ: 1931 E.M. Skinner
The Festival’s opening concert showcases Girard College’s famed 1931 E.M. Skinner organ, with heralded soloist Chelsea Chen, joined by brass musicians. Hailed by the Los Angeles Times for her “rare musicality” and “lovely, lyrical grandeur,” Chen has won international acclaim. The irresistible pulse of Ravel’s classic Bolero is spectacularly in Chen’s arrangement for organ, brass and snare drum, on the program with works by Dupré, Bach and more.
SATURDAY, MARCH 16 AT 3PM / ST. LUKE’S GERMANTOWN (5421 Germantown Ave, Philadelphia)
Gothic Drama from Screen and Keyboard: The Passion of Joan of Arc
Matt Glandorf, organist
Organ: Originally Carolton C. Mitchell 1894; revised Casavant Frères Lté. (Opus 2304, 1955) et al
Was there ever a better pairing of art and venue? Experience Carl Theodor Dreyer’s (1889–1968) classic 1928 silent film under the mysterious arches of the landmark Gothic Revival church of St. Luke’s, Germantown—the perfect setting for the dramatic medieval sets that Dreyer constructed for his masterpiece. Matthew Glandorf performs a brilliantly adapted score for the classic film; now based in Germany, Glandorf has served as a Curtis Institute faculty member, as well Artistic Director of Choral Arts Philadelphia and the Bach Festival of Philadelphia.
SATURDAY, MARCH 16 AT 7PM / THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH GERMANTOWN (35 W. Chelten Ave, Philadelphia)
The Organ’s Modern Touch: Minimalism and Contemporary Works
Amanda Mole, organist
Percussionists to be announced
Vocalists from the Crossing
Organ: 1919 Austin
A thrilling program of contemporary music for organ! Praised for her “elegant, lucid” performances (The American Organist), Amanda Mole is joined by percussionists and singers from GRAMMY® Award-winning The Crossing in Steve Reich’s rarely performed minimalist masterpiece Music for Mallet Instruments, Voices, and Percussion, alongside solo works for organ by influential contemporary composers Arvo Pärt and Nico Muhly. Experience the organ’s ability
to inspire modern composers and performers in First Presbyterian’s historic church which includes murals of women from scripture by legendary Philadelphia artist Violet Oakley (1875–1961).
SUNDAY, MARCH 17 AT 7PM / TINDLEY TEMPLE (750 South Broad St, Philadelphia)
Celebrating the Memory and Art of Marian Anderson
Alan Morrison, organist
Marian Anderson Historical Society Scholars, vocalists
Organ: 1927 Moller
A revered singer and a great American composer are honored in this unforgettable performance featuring some of Philadelphia’s finest musicians. Marian Anderson performed one of composer Florence Price’s most moving songs in her historic 1939 performance at the Lincoln Memorial. Now hear Price’s works performed by Curtis Institute of Music Organ Department Chair Alan Morrison and guest vocalists from the Marian Anderson Historical Society—an extraordinarily moving experience on the hallowed ground of Philadelphia’s historic Tindley Temple, long a monument of the legacy of African American faith and music in Philadelphia.
TUESDAY, MARCH 19 AT 7 PM / RODEPH SHALOM ( 615 N Broad St, Philadelphia)
Reimagining the Sound of Revolution: US Premier of Garras de Oro
Parker Kitterman, organist
Soloists from Opera Philadelphia
Organ: 1921 Austin
Experience the U.S. premiere of a powerful film in this compelling performance! Politically censored and lost until the early 21st century, the 1926 Columbian silent film Garras de Oro is ripe for rediscovery with Juan Pablo Carreño’s thrilling new score. Politically censored and lost until the early 21st century, the 1926 Columbian silent film Garras de Oro is rediscovered through Juan Pablo Carreño’s thrilling new score. Featuring an ensemble of musicians with organist Parker Kitterman, under the baton of Philadelphia Orchestra Assistant Conductor Austin Chanu, this performance provides an operatic setting for the film’s provocative statement on Colombian and Central American history. Kitterman, who serves as Director of Music and Organist at Christ Church, is renowned for his contemporary music explorations, and is the perfect match of artist and music for this adventurous, collaborative premiere. Rodeph Shalom is an appropriate setting with its sparkling art deco design recalling the progressive presence of Philadelphia’s Jewish community that has defined much of North Broad Street’s thriving commerce and culture for nearly a century.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20 AT 7 PM / UNITARIAN SOCIETY OF GERMANTOWN (6511 Lincoln Dr, Philadelphia)
J.S. Bach Cantata BWV 146: Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal
John Walthausen, organist
Rebecca Myers, soprano
Meg Bragle, Mezzo Soprano
Gregório Taniguchi, Tenor
Christopher Talbot, Bass
Evan Few, Karen Dekker, Violin
Daniel Elyar, Viola
Elena Kauffman, Cello
Geoffrey Burgess and Margaret Owens, Oboe
Lillian Gordis, Harpsichord
Organ: 1964 Riege
Experience a Bach masterwork as Bach would have himself presented it in 1720s Leipzig! Philadelphia Organ Festival Artistic Director John Walthausen, vocal soloists and a baroque orchestra join in one of Bach’s most beautiful church cantatas. This mechanical-action organ provides the opportunity for performers to reconstruct historic performance practice, and the church’s gallery is authentic to performances in Bach’s day. From the mighty sound of the organ in the loft to the soaring voices of the soloists and the beautiful ensemble of period instruments, this performance will leave the listener, as Bach intended, in awe. The 1928 Unitarian Society of Germantown’s elegant home on Lincoln Drive makes for a unique setting that highlights the congregation’s freethinking and spirited role in Philadelphia’s religious life.
THURSDAY, MARCH 21 AT 7 PM / PHILADELPHIA EPISCOPAL CATHEDRAL (19 South 38th St, Philadelphia)
Holst’s The Planets and Contest Winning Composition
Daryl Robinson, organist
Percussionists to be announced
Organ: Emery Brothers (2021), originally Austin Organ Co. (1903)
The many beauties of the Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral add awe and splendor to this evening of music! Gustav Holst’s beloved work The Planets has inspired generations of listeners, including some of Hollywood’s most acclaimed film composers. Hear excerpts from this classic transcribed for organ, performed by the winner of the 2012 American Guild of Organists National Competition, Daryl Robinson and an ensemble of percussionists. This program will also showcase a new work from the winner of the Philadelphia Organ Festival’s Composition Competition – Benjamin C. Beckman — Two Voluntaries for organ c. 9.
FRIDAY, MARCH 22 AT 7 PM / LONGWOOD GARDENS (1001 Longwood Rd, Kennett Square)
Romance in the Garden: Franck and Rachmaniov at Longwood
Alcee Chriss, organist
Organ: 1930 Aeolian
Winner of both the Canadian International Competition and the Miami International Competition, Alcée Chriss delights in this concert featuring original transcriptions for organ and chamber ensemble. Hear music from César Franck’s great masterwork, the Symphony in D Minor—alternately haunting and triumphant, always beautiful — and excerpts from Rachmaninoff’s vivid Symphonic Dances, first premiered by the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1941. A chamber ensemble of musicians joins Chriss in this stunning performance.
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