Greetings, AGO members!
After a lengthy summer hiatus and adjustment time to get out of summer
and into fall, it's time for CNYAGO's biggest event of the year!
Grace Church and CNYAGO are honored to be part of the October 19th
celebration when organ recitals will take place across the country,
perhaps the most significant organ event since "The World's Largest
Organ Recital" of several years ago. In observance of this event, we
present AN ORGAN RECITAL by CHELSEA CHEN
Sunday, October 19, 4:00 p.m., Grace Church, Genesee and Elizabeth
Streets, Utica, New York
You can read about all the details in the press release below, but
there's one other thing you should know: Miss Chen is our own Patrick
Davis's teacher at Yale! We understand that Patrick will be in Utica
for the event. I figure that's about 250 miles one way. If Patrick
can travel that far to be here, then we who are so nearby can certainly
be present for this spectacular event!
I'm waiting to hear from Bruce Smith as to what help he might need from
CNYAGO members. Stay tuned! Meanwhile, get this on your calendars.
It's an event not to be missed!
Best from Steve
Excerpts from the press release:
As
part of their mission to encourage young organ talent and increase
interest in organ music, Grace Episcopal Church and the Central New York
Chapter of the American Guild of Organists proudly announce that
acclaimed organist Chelsea Chen, 24, currently a student in the Artist
Diploma program of the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, will
present an organ concert on Sunday, October 19th at 4 p.m. at Grace
Episcopal Church, 6 Elizabeth St. in Utica.
The concert is free and open to the public.
“At age 24, Chelsea Chen is one of the most sought-after organists in
the world,” said Grace Church Organist and Choirmaster Bruce Smith. “She
is an outstanding artist who can not only present an outstanding concert
because of her musically exceptional command of the organ, but also help
increase the already high interest in our region in the work of young
and developing musicians. We hope she will inspire young people now
playing the organ, or who play other instruments and might want to find
out more about this incredible instrument. We hope that the many people
who visit Grace to hear our teen organists as part of Utica Monday Nite
will join us on Sunday, October 19th at 4 p.m. to hear this brilliant
and accomplished young organist. ”
The Grace Church concert is part of a worldwide effort to highlight the
musical potential of the organ, said Stephen Best, Dean of the Central
New York Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. “Worldwide, AGO
chapters are using October 19th to highlight the organ by arranging for
concerts that can show off the diverse and dynamic possibilities of
organ music,” said Best, Minister of Music at First Presbyterian Church
of Utica. “The organ has been a fixture of our Sunday morning church
services for so long, that we sometimes overlook its tremendous ability
as an instrument that can provide an entertaining, outstanding range of
music. We are proud to have Chelsea Chen appearing here in Utica because
her performance brings together a wonderfully diverse collection of
works from Bach to her own ‘Taiwanese Suite.’ We are extremely fortunate
she accepted our invitation to play here, and we look forward to an
outstanding concert.”
Chelsea Chen, 24, is a Juilliard graduate and Fulbright scholar who is
broadening the classical organ repertoire with her own Asian-inspired
compositions. Ms. Chen was a featured artist at both the 2006 AGO
Region IX Conclave in Las Vegas and the 2006 AGO National Convention in
Chicago. In addition, she soloed with the Juilliard Percussion Orchestra
in Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall in 2004 and the Musica Sacra
Chamber Orchestra of Colorado in 2005. She premiered to great success
her own "Taiwanese Suite" (2003) and "Taiwan Tableaux" (2007) at the
Spreckels Organ Pavilion in San Diego, and has premiered several works
by Juilliard composers Teddy Niedermaier and Ola Gjeilo. During the
academic year of 2006-2007, she composed and performed in Taiwan as a
U.S. Fulbright Scholar. Her compositions were subsequently aired on
Taiwan's Good News Radio, American Public Media's Pipedreams and
Hawaii's Public Radio. Ms. Chen is a currently a student in the Artist
Diploma program of the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, having received
her Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Juilliard. Her recent solo
engagements have included Singapore's Esplanade and Hong Kong's Cultural
Centre, and she will debut at Los Angeles's Disney Hall this November.
For more information, visit her website at
http://chelseachen.com/index.html.
Her program for October 19th at Grace Church will include:
• Dupre: "Le Monde dans l'attente du Saveur" (The World
Awaiting the Savior)
from the Passion Symphony
• Bach: Prelude and Fugue in A Minor, BWV 543
• Vierne: Naiades
• Chen: Taiwanese Suite
• Reger: Chorale-Fantasy on "Hallelujah! May the praise of God
remain my soul's joy!"
The concert is affiliated with “Organ Spectacular! — the World’s
Largest Organ Concert,” an international event celebrating the King of
Instruments, will bring singular focus upon the unique value of the
organ and the contribution of its art to the culture at large. This
celebration of the organ is designed to increase appreciation for the
enduring majesty of the instrument and its music in people of all ages
and backgrounds. On Sunday, October 19th, the American Guild of
Organists (AGO) in cooperation with various other organ organizations,
will present more than 2,000 performers in more than 225 concert venues
worldwide.
Ms. Chen will perform on Grace Church’s Holtkamp organ, installed in
1983, which consists of three manuals and pedals that control 63 ranks
of pipes.
