The Eastman School of Music is excited to announce our calendar of organ events for the fall 2023 semester. Recurring series include 'Tuesday Pipes' at Christ Church and 'Going for Baroque' on Sundays at the Memorial Art Gallery. The “Third Thursdays' series at the Memorial Art Gallery, featuring Eastman’s exquisite Italian Baroque Organ, will begin in October and run through December.

'It’s an exciting season for lovers of the pipe organ and its 500 years of music,' exclaims David Higgs, Chair of Eastman’s Organ Department. 'With so many concerts by world-renowned artists on diverse instruments, and with such varied repertoire offerings, we have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to organ music in Rochester.'

A highlight for Eastman’s organ community is the Rochester Celebrity Organ Recital Series (RCORS), a collaboration among the Rochester chapter of the American Guild of Organists (AGO), the Eastman School of Music, WXXI and various local churches. Together, these entities bring to Rochester some of today’s leading concert organists to perform on the city’s wide array of pipe organs.

The twofold aim of RCORS is to engage the guest artists in both a public recital and in a pedagogical setting. Though intended for participation by Eastman organ students, Rochester AGO Chapter members and the general public are welcome and encouraged to attend these masterclasses for an enriching weekend of pipe organ discovery.

An exciting addition to this season’s lineup is 'Pipedreams Live!' Co-sponsored by WXXI, this series of three concerts will be hosted by Michael Barone of American Public Media’s 'Pipedreams,' featuring performances by organists from Eastman and beyond.

Higgs adds that this year marks the '15th anniversary of the Craighead-Saunders instrument at Christ Church' and that the first celebration of this milestone will be with concert organist Renée Anne Louprette, also launching her new cd of Bach’s music on that very organ. 'Please join us for what promises to be a great season of organ music.'

Upcoming Organ Performances and Events

Going for Baroque : at the Memorial Art Gallery, 500 University Ave.
Recurring every Sunday at 1:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. This 25-minute mini-recital is included with museum admission.

Tuesday Pipes : at Christ Church, 141 East Ave.
Recurring every Tuesday at 12:10 p.m. Free Admission.

Ghost Music : Composing the Future
Friday, September 1 at 7:00 p.m. - Christ Church, 141 East Ave.

Organists and Composers from Germany’s University of Siegen and the Eastman School of Music play new music created for the Craighead-Saunders organ, complemented by the music of J.S. Bach. Free Admission.

Renée Anne Louprette CD Launch and Recital
Sunday, September 24 at 4:00 p.m. - Christ Church, 141 East Ave.

Organist Renée Anne Louprette plays the music of Bach and others, celebrating the launch of her CD and the 15th Anniversary of the Craighead-Saunders organ at Christ Church. Free Admission.

 

Rochester Celebrity Organ Recital Series presents Isabelle Demers
Friday, October 6 at 7:30 p.m - St. Anne’s Church, 1600 Mt Hope Ave.

With playing described as having “bracing virtuosity” (Chicago Classical Review) and being “fearless and extraordinary” (Amarillo-Globe News), Isabelle Demers has enraptured critics, presenters and audience members around the globe. A native of Québec and a doctoral graduate of the Juilliard School, Dr. Demers was recently appointed Associate Professor of Organ at McGill University (Montréal, Québec). She was formerly the Joyce Bowden Chair in Organ and Head of the Organ Program at Baylor University (Waco, Texas).


Rochester Celebrity Organ Recital Series: Isabelle Demers Masterclass
Saturday, October 7 at 10:00 a.m. - St. Anne’s Church, 1600 Mt. Hope Ave.

Students from the Eastman School of Music perform and receive instruction and insight from a renowned concert organist and educator. Free Admission.

 

Third Thursdays at the Memorial Art Gallery, 500 University Ave.

On the third Thursday of each month, the Eastman School of Music and the Memorial Art Gallery present varied concert programs by faculty and guest artists featuring Eastman’s Italian Baroque Organ. Admission to the concert is included with museum admission, which is half-price on Thursday evenings after 5:00 p.m. and free to URID holders. This series is made possible by the Rippey Endowed Trust. Please arrive early as seating is limited and available on a first-come basis.

Thursday, October 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Geoffrey Burgess, Baroque oboe and Leon Schelhase, harpsichord and organ

Thursday, November 16 at 7:30 p.m.
An Evening of 17th Century Italian and German Vocal Music

Thursday, December 21 at 7:30 p.m.
Holiday Concert with Anne Laver

 

Pipedreams Live

'Pipedreams' Live presents three concerts with Michael Barone, host of American Public Media’s “Pipedreams,” featuring organists from Eastman and beyond. This series is co-sponsored by WXXI. Admission is free.
Friday, November 10 at 7:30 p.m.

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 25 Westminster Road
Saturday, November 11 at 7:30 p.m.

First Congressional Church of Canandaigua, 58 N. Main Street, Canandaigua
Sunday, November 12 at 4:00 p.m

Christ Church, 141 East Ave.

To learn more about studying organ at Eastman, visit esm.rochester.edu/organ.

Details about all of Eastman’s upcoming events and concerts can be found in our online calendar.

Media only: Lauren Sageer, Assistant Director of Public Relations and Digital Content,

(585) 451-8492, [email protected]


About Isabelle Demers (RCORS Guest Artist):

With playing described as having “bracing virtuosity” (Chicago Classical Review) and being “fearless and extraordinary” (Amarillo-Globe News), Isabelle Demers has enraptured critics, presenters and audience members around the globe.

She has appeared in recital throughout Europe, Oman, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Canada, including at the Cathedrals of Cologne and Regensburg (Germany); the Elbphilharmonie (Hamburg); the Royal Festival Hall, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Cathedral, and Westminster Abbey (London); City Hall (Stockholm); the Royal Opera House of Muscat (Oman); the Forbidden City Concert Hall (Beijing, China); Victoria Hall (Singapore); Melbourne Town Hall (Australia); Auckland Town Hall (New Zealand); Disney Hall (Los Angeles); Davies Hall (San Francisco); the Meyerson Symphony Center (Dallas); the Kimmel Center the Wanamaker Organ at Macy’s (Philadelphia); and the Maison Symphonique (Montréal).

Dr. Demers is in continual high demand by her colleagues as witnessed by performances for numerous regional and national conventions of the American Guild of Organists, the Institute of Organ Builders and International Society of Organ Builders, the Royal Canadian College of Organists, and the Organ Historical Society. She has released multiple CD recordings on the Acis and Pro Organo labels. Her latest CD, recorded at Chicago’s Rockefeller Chapel, was released in January 2020, and includes works of Reger, Laurin, Dupré, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky and Macmillan.

A native of Québec and a doctoral graduate of the Juilliard School, Dr. Demers was recently appointed Associate Professor of Organ at McGill University (Montréal, Québec). She was formerly the Joyce Bowden Chair in Organ and Head of the Organ Program at Baylor University (Waco, Texas).

About Eastman School of Music:

The Eastman School of Music was founded in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman (1854-1932), founder of Eastman Kodak Company. It was the first professional school of the University of Rochester. Mr. Eastman’s dream was that his school would provide a broad education in the liberal arts as well as superb musical training.

More than 900 students are enrolled in the Collegiate Division of the Eastman School of Music — about 500 undergraduates and 400 graduate students. They come from almost every state, and approximately 23 percent are from other countries. They are taught by a faculty comprised of more than 130 highly regarded performers, composers, conductors, scholars, and educators. They are Pulitzer Prize winners, Grammy winners, Emmy winners, Guggenheim fellows, ASCAP Award recipients, published authors, recording artists, and acclaimed musicians who have performed in the world’s greatest concert halls. Each year, Eastman’s students, faculty members, and guest artists present more than 900 concerts to the Rochester community. Additionally, more than 1,700 members of the Rochester community, from young children through senior citizens, are enrolled in the Eastman Community Music School.

About the University of Rochester:

The University of Rochester is one of the nation’s leading private research universities, one of only 62-member institutions in the Association of American Universities. Located in Rochester, NY, the University gives undergraduates exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary study and close collaboration with faculty through its unique cluster-based curriculum. Its College, School of Arts and Sciences, and Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences are complemented by the Eastman School of Music, Simon School of Business, Warner School of Education, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, School of Medicine and Dentistry, School of Nursing, Eastman Institute for Oral Health, and the Memorial Art Gallery.