Eastman School of Music faculty and students are the featured performers in local concerts being recorded for broadcast on the nationally syndicated radio program Pipedreams. The series, which is produced and distributed by American Public Media, airs locally on classical public radio station WXXI-FM 91.5.
Professors Hans Davidsson, David Higgs, and William Porter will be joined by Eastman organ students to present three concerts as part of Pipedreams Live!, the “on-the-road” portion of the popular organ music series spotlighting extraordinary instruments and superb musicianship in venues around the country.
Pipedreams is coming to Rochester through a collaboration of the Eastman School of Music, local public broadcasting station WXXI, the Rochester Theater Organ Society, and the Rochester chapter of he American Guild of Organists.
Eastman musicians will present three free concerts which will be recorded live: on Friday, Feb. 13, at 7 p.m. on the Paul Fritts Opus 26 in Sacred Heart Cathedral; Saturday, Feb. 14, at 7 p.m. on the Craighead-Saunders Organ in Christ Church (Episcopal); and Sunday, Feb. 15, at 2:30 p.m. on the Wurlitzer in the Auditorium Theatre.
“These concerts and their later broadcast will focus attention on the depth of organ artistry and on the unique collection of organs in the Rochester area,” said David Higgs, chair of the Organ and Historical Keyboards Department at Eastman. “One of the primary goals of the Eastman Rochester Organ Initiative is to make Rochester a global center for organ performance, research, building, and preservation. Having Pipedreams in Rochester underscores the significance of what is happening here, including the recent installations of this area’s newest organs in Christ Church and Sacred Heart Cathedral.”
As an added bonus for local audiences, the weekend will be capped off by a special ticketed concert given by Belgian organist Joris Verdin at 5:30 p.m. in the Memorial Art Gallery’s Fountain Court to inaugurate Eastman’s recently acquired French harmonium, a keyboard instrument similar to an organ. The concert is part of Eastman’s monthly Baroque Organ Showcase series of recitals.
Audiences for the local Pipedreams Live! recitals will enjoy a wide range of music not typically heard during an organ concert, with selections ranging from Gershwin to the Beatles. A highlight of the concerts will be the performance of “3-3-33,” a work written by Christ Church music director Stephen Kennedy for the inauguration of the Craighead-Saunders Organ last fall.
Pipedreams airs locally on WXXI FM 91.5 at 8 p.m. Sundays. Series host Michael Barone will anchor the tapings of the local recitals, providing lively commentary, talking with the musicians, and demonstrating the mechanism and sound-palette of each of the featured instruments. He will be joined by Richard Gladwell, host of the WXXI-produced series With Heart & Voice, a weekly program of choral and organ music airing Sundays at 8 a.m.
Pipedreams Live! events are popular and attract capacity crowds; early arrival at the venues is encouraged. The broadcast date for the concerts being held in Rochester has not been scheduled yet.
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Calendar listings:
February 13
7 p.m.
Sacred Heart Cathedral, 296 Flower City Park
Pipedreams Live! Organ concert by Eastman faculty and students, to be recorded for later broadcast on the national public radio series Pipedreams.
Free
February 14
7 p.m.
Christ Church (Episcopal), 141 East Ave.
Pipedreams Live! Organ concert by Eastman faculty and students, to be recorded for later broadcast on the national public radio series Pipedreams.
Free
February 15
2:30 p.m.
Auditorium Theatre, 885 East Main St.
Pipedreams Live! Organ concert by Eastman faculty and students, to be recorded for later broadcast on the national public radio series Pipedreams.
Free
February 15
5:30 p.m.
Recital by Belgian organist Joris Verdin on the newly acquired French harmonium.
Memorial Art Gallery, 500 University Ave.
Tickets: $10; $7 students. Available at the door, cash or check only.