Skinner Sesquicentennial Conference presented April 24–25 in Evanston, Illinois
THE DIAPASON, along with the Chicago, Fox Valley, and North Shore Chapters of the American Guild of Organists, the Chicago-Midwest Chapter of the Organ Historical Society, and the Music Institute of Chicago, presented a conference in honor of the sesquicentennial of the birth of Ernest M. Skinner, April 24–25, in Evanston, Illinois.
The conference opened with a concert by the choral ensemble Bella Voce in St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, accompanied by Christine Kraemer on 1922 Skinner Organ Company Opus 327.
The following day’s events included recitals by Andrew Schaeffer and David Jonies on 1927 Skinner Organ Company Opus 616 in the First Congregational Church. James Russell Brown provided a demonstration program and lecture on the restoration of 1914 Ernest M. Skinner Company Opus 208 in the Nichols Concert Hall of the Music Institute of Chicago (formerly First Church of Christ, Scientist, of Evanston).
Rounding out the day were lectures by Stephen Schnurr and Joyce Robinson in the lovely chapel of First Congregational Church.
From September 10-12, 2004, the seventh annual Albert
Schweitzer Organ Festival/USA was held at the First Church of Christ,
Congregational, in Wethersfield, Connecticut. This year two finalists for the
High School Division and four for the Young Professional Division were chosen to come to Wethersfield and compete.
George Sand, one of the most prolific French writers in the 19th century, toured Switzerland with Franz Liszt in 1836 and heard the organ in the Cathedral in Fribourg. This masterpiece of organ building is still to be found in the Cathedral of Saint-Nicolas in the city of Fribourg. This organ (IV/61), built over the span of ten years (1824-34), made Aloys Mooser (1770-1839) internationally famous.
It’s our responsibility to project the best of the organ world to the public, especially those who are still unaware of the delights and majesty of the pipe organ