EROI Festival 2008
October 16-20, 2008
The seventh annual EROI Festival marks an important milestone in the development of the Eastman-Rochester Organ Initiative: the inauguration of the Craighead-Saunders Organ in Christ Church (Episcopal). The instrument is a two-manual, thirty-three-stop organ named after David Craighead and Russell Saunders, two venerable professors of organ at the Eastman School of Music. The result of a six-year interdisciplinary research project between the Göteborg Organ Art Center (GOArt) and the Eastman School of Music on the processes of eighteenth-century organ building, it is a scientific reconstruction of an organ from 1776 built by Adam Gottlob Casparini for the Holy Ghost Church in Vilnius, Lithuania, and represents a Baltic-North European building style from the height of Enlightenment-era Europe.
The potential of the Craighead-Saunders Organ to offer new perspectives on the music of J. S. Bach and his sons and pupils has inspired a two-day symposium entitled J. S. Bach and the Organ. This symposium, co-sponsored by The Westfield Center, brings together some of the leading Bach scholars and performers from around the world. Highlights will include the 2008 Glenn Watkins Lecture, delivered by Christoph Wolff, and a concert of Bach’s cantatas performed by members of the Christ Church Schola Cantorum and the Boston Early Music Festival Chamber Players, under the direction of Paul O’Dette.
On Saturday the festival continues with another symposium, Reconstruction as a Model for Research and Creation, co-sponsored by the Organ Historical Society. A natural continuation of the EROI Festival 2007 (New Dimensions in Organ Documentation and Conservation), lectures and panel discussions will address the complementary process of documenting the original Casparini organ and creating the reconstruction in Rochester. Presenters include John Watson, of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation; Laurence Libin, President of the Organ Historical Society; members of the reference group of American organ builders; researchers and builders from the Göteborg Organ Art Center; and the Eastman faculty.
The Eastman School of Music is especially pleased to announce that the EROI Festival 2008 will take place in conjunction with Meliora Weekend, the University of Rochester’s annual alumni event. Highlights include Thursday afternoon’s opening symposium, Celebrating the Legacies of David Craighead and Russell Saunders, and performances by distinguished Eastman alumni Craig Cramer, Roberta Gary, and Larry Smith. Additionally, the Sunday afternoon program co-sponsored by the Rochester Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, “Organ Spectacular”—An International Organ Celebration, allows alumni and registered participants to experience two of the newest organs in Rochester available to Eastman students for study and performance: Paul Fritts’s Opus 26 at Sacred Heart Cathedral, and Taylor and Boody’s Opus 57 at First Presbyterian Church, Pittsford.
Schedule
Thursday, October 16
Note: All events take place at Christ Church Episcopal, unless otherwise specified| Noon — 4:00 PM |
Registration |
| 4:00 — 6:00 PM |
Symposium: Celebrating the Legacies
of David Craighead and Russell Saunders |
| 6:00 PM | Reception and Book Signing |
| 7:30 PM | The Craighead-Saunders Organ Inaugural Concert |
| 9:00 PM | Dean's Reception |
Friday, October 17
| 8:15 AM | Registration Continues |
| 8:45 AM | Symposium:
Johann Sebastian Bach and the Organ Welcome |
| 9:00 AM — Noon |
Session 1: Performance Practice Issues
|
| Noon | Lunch Buffet |
| 1:00 PM | Recital Featuring Distinguished
Eastman Alumni Roberta Gary and Larry Smith |
| 2:30 PM | Session 2: The 2008 Glenn E. Watkins Lecture |
| 4:00 — 6:30 PM |
Session 3: The Central German Organ in its Eighteenth-Century Context |
| 6:30 PM | Dinner Buffet |
6:30 PM and
|
Recital of Bach’s Vocal and Instrumental Music: The Christ Church Schola Cantorum Stephen Kennedy, director, with members of Boston Early Music Festival Chamber Players under the direction of Paul O’Dette |
Saturday, October 18
| 9 AM — Noon |
Session 4: Bach and the Organ Bach’s Late Works and the Thuringian Organ George Stauffer The Art of Pedal Playing in Central Germany David Yearsley Performance practice of J.S. Bach's organ works: the sources considered within a wider context Quentin Faulkner The Use of the Organ as an Obbligato Instrument in Bach’s Cantatas Gregory Butler Concluding Roundtable Moderator: Jürgen Thym |
| Noon | Lunch Buffet |
| 1:00 PM | Recital David Higgs, Hans Davidsson, and William Porter |
| 3:00 — 6:00 PM |
Symposium: Reconstruction as a Model for Introducing the Concept Behind the Craighead-Saunders Project |
| 8:30 PM | Recital Harald Vogel |
Sunday, October 19
| 11:00 AM | Eucharist and Dedication Sung Eucharist and dedication of the Craighead-Saunders Organ, featuring Christ Church Choirs and Eastman Organ Department Faculty; including the world premiere of a new work by Stephen Kennedy |
| 2:00 — 3:45 PM |
“Organ Spectacular” — An International Organ Celebration Introducing Rochester’s Newest Organs |
| 4:15 — 6:00 PM |
Introducing Rochester’s Newest Organs First Presbyterian Church, Pittsford Taylor and Boody, Opus 57 Introduction to the organ by George Taylor and John Boody Recital by Matthew Dirst and instrumental ensemble Throughout the day, other participating venues and area churches will offer open houses, mini-concerts, and/or organ demonstrations by resident organists and Eastman students. This will take place in cooperation with the Rochester Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. For more information and a list of events and locations, contact Nicole Marane, event coordinator at nicmarane@gmail.com, or visit the Rochester AGO website www.agorochester.org. |
| 6:30 PM | Conference Buffet |
| 9 PM | Compline |
Monday, October 20
| 9 AM — Noon |
Symposium: Reconstruction as a
Model for Research and Creation Co-sponsored by the Organ Historical Society Session 2: A Process Reconstruction of the Casparini Organ Opening Remarks Hans Davidsson Research and Decision-making in the Process of Reconstruction Joel Speerstra, Mats Arvidsson, Hans Davidsson The Organ and the Eighteenth-Century Visual Aesthetic Monika May and Joel Speerstra Dynamic-Modeling Carl-Johan Bergsten Casparini’s Organ Pipe Scaling Niclas Fredriksson Roundtable on New Models for Organ Project Consulting Steve Dieck, Martin Pasi, George Taylor, Bruce Fowkes, Paul Fritts, Hans Davidsson, Munetaka Yokota, Mats Arvidsson |
| Noon | Lunch Buffet |
| 1:00 PM | Recital |
| 2:15 — 6:15 PM |
Session 3: Reconstructing the Scaling and Voicing |
| 6:30 PM | Dinner Buffet |
| 8:30 PM | Concluding Recital Ludger Lohmann and Jacques van Oortmerssen |
Registration & Information
NOTE: THE REGISTRATION DEADLINE WAS SEPTEMBER 22, 2008. EROI Festival symposia venues are now filled to capacity and REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED. However, individual tickets for most public performances are still available. Please see below for a complete listing of public concerts and events.
Please join us next year for EROI Festival 2009: Mendelssohn and the Contrapuntal Tradition, October 29-November 1, 2009. For inquiries about the festival, please contact Annie Laver, EROI Festival coordinator at anne.laver@rochester.edu.
Public Concerts & Events
The EROI Festival is pleased to present a number of public concerts for the Rochester community. Individual tickets for the following performances will be available for purchase through the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra Box Office (108 East Avenue, 585-454-2100). Any unsold seats go on sale one hour before concert time at the respective venue, cash or checks only, please.
Friday, October 17, 2:30 p.m.
Christ Church
The 2008 Glenn E. Watkins Lecture:
The Bach Expedition: New Biographical and Musical Discoveries
FREE
Friday, October 17, 1:00 p.m.
Christ Church
Larry Smith and Roberta Gary
$15, discounts with University of Rochester ID
Friday, October 17, 6:30 p.m. Christ Church
Gala Concert of J.S. Bach's Vocal and Instrumental Music
$30, discounts with University of Rochester ID
Friday, October 17, 9:30 p.m. Christ Church
Gala Concert of J.S. Bach's Vocal and Instrumental Music
$30, discounts with University of Rochester ID
Saturday, October 18, 1:00 p.m. Christ Church
David Higgs, William Porter, Hans Davidsson
$15, discounts with University of Rochester ID
Saturday, October 18, 8:30 p.m. Christ Church
Harald Vogel
$15, discounts with University of Rochester ID
Sunday, October 19, Noon - 5:00 p.m. Memorial Art Gallery
“Organ Spectacular” — An International Organ Celebration
FREE with gallery admission
Sunday, October 19, 2:00 p.m. Sacred Heart Cathedral
Craig Cramer
$15, discounts with University of Rochester ID
Sunday, October 19, 4:15 p.m. First Presbyterian Church, Pittsford
Matthew Dirst
$15, discounts with University of Rochester ID
Monday, October 20, 1:00 p.m. Christ Church
Eastman Organ
Students: Joo Soo Son, Christopher Petit, Ryan Enright
FREE
Monday, October 20, 8:30 p.m. Christ Church
Jacques van Oortmerssen and Ludger Lohmann
$15, discounts with University of Rochester ID
Hotel Information
A block of rooms has been reserved at a conference rate of $99 per night for single/ double until September 22, 2008 at the Rochester Plaza Hotel and Conference Center, 70 State Street, Rochester, NY 14614 (.8 miles from Eastman and Christ Church). Please call the hotel directly at (585) 546-3450 or visit www. therochesterplaza.com to make reservations. Please use the group code “ERO” to receive the conference rate. It is highly recommended that participants book hotel rooms early, given that October 2008 is a particularly busy time for area hotels. The hotel offers free shuttle service from the Greater Rochester International Airport. Parking is also complimentary for EROI guests.A Note About Accessibility
Much of the program will take place in Blackfriars Theatre inside Christ Church. Blackfriars is located on the second floor and is accessible by stairs only. Bathrooms are located on lower levels.2008 Sponsors
Westfield Center • Organ Historical Society • Rochester Chapter, American Guild of Organists • Glenn E. Watkins Lecture Endowment • Episcopal Diocese of Rochester • The Joseph Rippey Trust Fund • Sacred Heart Cathedral (RC) • First Presbyterian Church, Pittsford • Christ Church (Episcopal) • Third Presbyterian Church • Christ Church Schola Cantorum • Boston Early Music Festival • Parsons Pipe Organ Builders • Pasi Organ Builders, Inc. • Paul Fritts and Co. Organ Builders • Richards Fowkes & Co. Pipe Organ Builders • C. B. Fisk, Inc. • Taylor and Boody Organ Builders • Flentrop Organ Builders, The Netherlands • Gerald Woehl Organ Builders, Germany • GOArt, Göteborg University, Sweden • Loft and Gothic Recordings • Eastman School of Music • EROI Working Committee
About EROI
When the Eastman School of Music opened its doors in 1921, it housed the largest and most lavish collection of organs in the nation, opulent facilities, and a stellar faculty, creating an expansive vision for organ art and education, and one of the most distinguished organ programs in the world. In keeping with this tradition of excellence, we have embarked upon the Eastman Rochester Organ Initiative (EROI), a collection of new and historic organs of diverse styles and traditions unparalleled in North America. EROI’s initial phase has produced the installations of two historic instruments: an Italian baroque organ in the University of Rochester’s Memorial Art Gallery, and the Craighead-Saunders Organ in Christ Church (Episcopal). Future goals are the renovation of the Eastman School’s historic E. M. Skinner organ, and the restoration and replacement of the School’s fourteen practice organs.
GOArt
GOArt (The Göteborg Organ Art
Center) is an interdisciplinary research center at the
Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts,Göteborg University,
devoted to the study of the organ and related keyboard
instruments and their music. A basic idea shaping GOArt’s research environment
is to study the organ in its mutually related capacities of musical instrument, visual
object, cultural artifact, and technological construction. Its latest project is the
Craighead-Saunders organ, built in collaboration with the Eastman School of Music
and a reference group of leading American organ builders, including Steve Dieck,
Bruce Fowkes, Paul Fritts, Martin Pasi, and George Taylor. More information can be found at www.goart.gu.se.
Organ Historical Society
The Organ Historical Society is the leading American non-profit organization dedicated to documenting and preserving historic pipe organs and to promoting their public appreciation. Among its 4,000 members are music lovers, performers, organ builders, historians, and scholars from around the world. The OHS American Organ Archives is the world’s foremost repository of materials relating to the pipe organ. The Society publishes a quarterly journal, The Tracker, as well as scholarly books, facsimiles, monographs, and recordings, and it offers the world’s largest online catalog of pipe organ books, sheet music, and audio and video recordings. In addition to sponsoring symposia on various organ topics, the OHS holds annual conventions featuring performances on the distinctive pipe organs of a given region, and it publishes an annual Organ Atlas covering the history and documentation of these instruments. More information can be found at www.organsociety.org.
Westfield Center
The Westfield Center is a landmark organization with a mission of promoting dialog among keyboard performers, scholars, and instrument makers. It is an advocate on behalf of the organ, harpsichord, fortepiano, and clavichord; a publisher of keyboard-related materials; a presenter of workshops, symposia, concerts, and tours; and a national organization with an international reach. For more information: www.westfield.org.