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Albert Schweitzer Organ Festival Thirteenth Anniversary

January 10, 2011
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David Spicer began as Minister of Music and the Arts at First Church of Christ in Wethersfield, Connecticut, in 1986. In 1996 he and Dr. Harold Robles founded the Albert Schweitzer Organ Festival. Spicer is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Dr. Alexander McCurdy, and is a graduate of the Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

It hardly seems possible that thirteen
years have gone by since we began the Albert Schweitzer Organ Festival! We have experienced outstanding applicants, who reflected superb teaching, outstanding adjudicators, and a remarkable and consistent high level of music making. Beautiful New England weather gave an idyllic setting for the festival.
On Friday evening, September 10, the opening concert was held. David Spicer played the service/choral portions:
Prayer (Larghetto) from Serenade for Strings, Elgar, transcribed by David Spicer
Psalm 150, César Franck
Hymn: Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation (Christ Church), Richard Dirksen
Kyrie (from Messe Solennelle, op. 16), Vierne
Agnus Dei (Missa Brevis), McNeil Robinson
He Comes to Us (with text by Albert Schweitzer), Jane Marshall
Go Ye into All the World, Robert Wetzler
Hymn: Let Heaven Rejoice (Rock Harbor), text by Hal M. Helms, tune by Alan MacMillan
The three judges were each invited to play a selection of their own choosing. One of the original judges, Joyce Jones, was unable to attend. David Enlow agreed to be her replacement. The artists’ playing from the balcony was projected onto a screen downstairs in the historic Meetinghouse. Frederick Hohman played the Toccata (from Suite, op. 5) by Maurice Duruflé. Charles Callahan played Praeludium in A Minor by Clarence Eddy, and his own compositions: Prelude on a Theme of Gustav Holst (world premiere) and The Rejoicing. David Enlow then played his own transcription of La forza del destino: Overture by Giuseppe Verdi.
Saturday morning, from 9 to noon, the three high school division finalists played the required repertoire. At 2 pm, the young professional division finalists were heard. The combined repertoire of these six finalists included: hymn tunes St. Thomas (Williams), Hamburg, Ein’ feste Burg, and Slane; Bach: Fantasia and Fugue in G Minor, BWV 542, Prelude and Fugue in D Major, BWV 532, Prelude and Fugue in G Major, BWV 541, Trio Sonata No. 4 in E Minor, BWV 528, and Trio Sonata No. 1 in E-flat, BWV 525; Widor: Andante Cantabile from Symphonie No. 4 in F, Choral from Symphonie Romane, and Prelude from Symphony No. 2 in D Major; Franck: Choral No. 1 in E Major and Choral No. 3 in A Minor; Dupré: Prelude and Fugue in B Major, op. 7, and Ave Maris Stella from Vèpres du Commun, op. 18; Vierne: Toccata in B-flat Minor; Langlais: Te Deum from Three Gregorian Paraphrases; Paulus: As if the Whole Creation Cried; and Messiaen: Messe de la Pentecôte – Communion “Les oiseaux et les sources” and Sortie “Le vent de l’Esprit.” Immediately afterwards, all finalists and judges had a chance for interaction and discussion over a delicious meal provided by Dana Spicer at the historic Solomon Welles House down the street from the Meetinghouse.
On Sunday, September 12, all finalists played portions of the 8:00, 9:15, and 11:00 am worship services. At 1:30 pm, a masterclass with judges Callahan and Hohman was held. Many topics were covered, and awards were presented.
High school division, first place: Christopher Holman from Thomasboro, Illinois, student of Dana Robinson. Second place: Janet Yieh from Alexandria, Virginia, student of Dr. John Walker. Third place: Donald VerKuilen from Appleton, Wisconsin, student of Frank Rippl.
Young professional division, first place: Simon Thomas Jacobs from Greenwich, Connecticut. Second place: Dana Steele from Washington, West Virginia, student of Todd Wilson. Third place: Brandon Santini from Weymouth, Massachusetts, previously studied with David Higgs at Eastman School of Music.
We are very grateful to Dr. John Weaver for serving as the screening judge for initial recorded examples of these organists and other applicants.
We are also grateful to Leigh and Betty Standish for the $2,000 award for first prize in the high school division. The young professional division first prize of $3,500 was given by Robert Bausmith and Jill Peters-Gee, M.D. Thanks goes to John Gorton and Richard Pilch for providing $750 for the David Spicer Hymn Playing Award, which was awarded to high school division finalist Christopher Holman. Other prizes and gifts toward the festival—including the high school division second prize of $1,000 and the young professional division second prize of $1,500—came from Marilyn Austin and the Austin family and several individuals in the First Church family. We also thank Dr. Paul Bender for his gift to this festival.
Special thanks go to Bon Smith of Austin Organ Service Company of Avon, Connecticut, who was on hand throughout the Saturday competition to offer assistance, should the organ need it, as well as his gracious gift of tuning and maintenance for this festival. Austin Organ Service Company is the regular curator of this instrument, serviced by Alex Belair and Michael Tanguay. Our thanks to Linda Henderson, festival coordinator and associate, for so ably performing the organizational work that made the festival run smoothly and efficiently.
Churches that allowed their instruments to be used for additional practice were: Trinity Episcopal Church, Wethersfield (Bruce Henley, organist-choirmaster); Rocky Hill Congregational Church, Rocky Hill (William Kanute, director of music); First Church of Christ, Glastonbury (Angela Salcedo, director of music ministries); St. James’ Episcopal Church (James Barry, minister of music); Trinity College, Hartford (John Rose, organist); Cathedral of St. Joseph, Hartford (Dr. Ezequiel Menéndez, music director); and Bethany Covenant Church, Berlin (Olga Ljungholm, minister of music). We are grateful to these churches who also made their instruments available: St. John’s Episcopal, West Hartford (Peter Stoltzfus Berton, music director); Asylum Hill Congregational Church (Dan Campolieta, organist); and St. James’s Episcopal Church, West Hartford (Jason Roberts, organist-choirmaster).
We are pleased to announce that the 2011 Albert Schweitzer Organ Festival will have the following judges for the competition: Gregory D’Agostino, Frederick Hohman, and Michael Barone. Plans are underway to feature these organists in the opening concert of the festival on Friday evening, September 9 at 7:30 pm. The ASOF committee is hoping to invite six qualified young organists to compete in the two divisions on Saturday, September 10.
Our 2010 first-place winners, Christopher Holman and Simon Thomas Jacobs, will perform in recital on Sunday, June 12, 2011, at 7 pm at the First Church of Christ, Wethersfield, Connecticut.

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