The New York metropolitan area's finest new pipe organ, currently being installed at the Presbyterian Church of Mount Kisco, NY, will be christened with its Inaugural Concert performance by world-renowned musician and composer Anthony Newman on October 11, 2008 at 8:00 PM.
Hand-crafted by international master builder Rudolf von Beckerath Orgelbau GmbH, in Hamburg, Germany, and designed by Mr. Newman, the instrument is a 2,640 pipe, 38 stop, three manual mechanical action organ. Mr. Newman says that, “the pieces that will be performed in the Inaugural Concert should leave the audience with a sense of awe of what the instrument is about and what it can do musically.”
Performing a selection of technically demanding works by Mozart, Bach, Franck, and Daquin, as well as two original pieces, one written by Mr. Newman in honor of donors Bonnie and Tom Trotta for the Inaugural Concert, the scheduled program will test the virtuosity of the instrument while highlighting Mr. Newman's renowned technical wizardry. Mr. Newman will be accompanied by members of New York’s famous Bachwork’s trumpet section for the Inaugural Concert.
The New York Times says of Mr. Newman, “He has the virtuoso command of finger work to achieve brilliant distinctness at high speed. His flair for theatrical, propulsive rhythms is exciting; his ornamentation is unusually fluent and unmannered.”
“This instrument was designed to be able to play the entire organ literature, from the early Baroque of the 1600s to the contemporary. The Inaugual Concert program was selected to demonstrate that versatility,” says renowned organist, harpsichordist and conductor, Mary Jane Newman, Music Director for the Presbyterian Church of Mount Kisco.
The October 11 concert will launch a series of four concerts -- the Inaugural Year Concert Series -- to be held through April 2009, including performances by Mary Jane Newman, Randall Atcheson, one of America's pre-eminent organists and the four finalists in the national Von Beckerath Young Organist Competition.
The Reverend Molly Blythe Teichert, Senior Pastor at the Presbyterian Church of Mount Kisco, says, “The Inaugural Concert marks the culmination and continuation of the Church's wish to reach out the doors to the community, and after months of construction we look forward to the great gift the organ will be.”
The organ was named the "Water Organ" by donor Bonnie Trotta to reflect the dramatic force, graceful peace and emotional healing of spiritual music.
Mr. Newman’s concert will be followed by a gala reception at the church. For further information about season series or individual tickets, please email [email protected]
