The University of Michigan's 38th Annual Conference on Organ Music took place October 11-13, 1998. The conference began with three consecutive organ degree recitals performed in Hill Auditorium by U of M graduate students David Hufford, Edward Maki-Schramm, and Jeffrey Blersch. Hufford performed the Ann Arbor premiere of William Albright's Flights of Fancy and dedicated the performance to the memory of Albright, who had coached him on the piece.
Paul Collins, Organist of Holy Cross Church in Dublin, Ireland, began the October 12 morning session with a lecture entitled, "The North German Organ School--Diligent Fantasy Makers?" Collins presented the concept of stylus phantasticus by making comparisons in North German repertoire and by discussing the treatises of 17th-century Athanasius Kircher and 18th century Johann Mattheson. He then played a recital of North German organ works (Scheidemann, Hasse, Weckmann, Ritter, Buxtehude, Böhm, Bruhns) on the Fisk Silbermann-style organ in Blanche Anderson Moore Hall at the School of Music.
The afternoon session featured a concert of music by composer Daniel Pinkham, who also delivered a lecture, "Reflections on Composing for the Organ." Pinkham provided humorous anecdotes from his career, and urged other composers to be attentive to and specific about sound character. He suggested giving general registrations such as soft flute or aggressive reed to accommodate different instruments and settings.
The final afternoon event spotlighted U of M graduate students (Stephen J. Warner, Scott Hanoian, Hae-Jin Kim, Jeremy Tarrant, Noriko Ernst, Jeffrey Blersch, and David Hufford) in an organ recital followed by a reception. As a prelude to the evening recitals, Todd Fair, acting University Carillonist at the University of Michigan, and Dennis Curry, Associate Organist and Carillonist, Kirk in the Hills, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, each performed a carillon recital at Burton Tower. Both recitals included works by Daniel Pinkham.
James Kibbie was the featured faculty recitalist on Monday evening. His program included the Tournemire Cinq Improvisations, William Albright's Sweet Sixteenths (in tribute to the late composer), and a series of pieces based on Christmas tunes (Gigout, Rhapsody on Noëls; Purvis, Greensleeves; Milford, Pastoral Dance on "On Christmas Night"), which are featured on his CD recording, Merrily on Hill: Christmas Organ Music at Hill Auditorium.
A substantial component of the conference, the Sixth Annual Jean & Broadus Staley Hymn-Playing Competition, was held on October 13 on the Wilhelm organ at First Congregational Church. The finalists selected from the first round on October 10 included Jeremy Chesman, David Henning, Shawn McDonald, Richard Schneider, Joy Schroeder, and Rose van Mersbergen. Each of the finalists was required to perform two hymns and one repertoire piece. David Henning was named first prize winner.
Irene Greulich, concert organist in Naumburg, Germany, lectured on the pipe organs of Zacharias Hildebrandt, highlighted by details of the Naumburg organ restored by Hildebrandt. The two recitals on Tuesday afternoon featured music of Bach. Greulich performed the A-minor Concerto, chorales from Clavierübung III and from the Leipzig chorales, the B-minor Prelude and Fugue, and the Passacaglia on the Wilhelm organ at First Congregational Church. Harpsichordist Edward Parmentier performed Bach's Partita IV in D, BWV 828, and the Rameau Suite in E/e.
Marilou Kratzenstein presented a lecture, "Movable Feast: Mexico's Processional Organs," relating Mexican culture, history, and her travel experiences related to recent research. She acknowledged Susan Tattershall's collaboration in her research. Visually and aurally colorful and spontaneous, the processional organs reveal a new dimension to the vast possibilities available on a single manual divided stop instrument.
Topping off the conference was Thomas Trotter's recital Tuesday evening at Hill Auditorium, which included Bach, Fantasia and Fugue in G minor, BWV 542; Howells, Master Tallis' Testament; Parry, Fantasia and Fugue in G; Schumann, Two Canons, Op. 56, Nos. 4 & 5; Liszt, Fantasia and Fugue on BACH; Lemare, Rondo Capriccio; and Prokofiev, Toccata for Piano, arr. Guillou.
Thanks to the organizers of the conference, U of M professors Marilyn Mason, Robert Glasgow, James Kibbie, and Michele Johns, and to the presenters for a successful conference.
