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.
The Westfield Center presented its annual conference April 4–6, in Tacoma, Washington, in collaboration with Pacific Lutheran University. Arriving in the Puget Sound area a day before the conference to explore a bit and visit friends, I was treated to the sight of Mt. Rainier aglow in the evening over the streets of downtown Tacoma.
One of the most famous organbuilding "schools" in
Italy was founded in Venice during the first part of the eighteenth century by
Pietro Nacchini, a monk from Dalmatia.1 He established a factory and built over
300 organs mainly for the territories of the Republic of Venice,2 and for the
Vatican State, which at the time comprised the largest portion of central
Italy.Although his designated successor was Francesco Dacci, with no doubt his most famous pupil was Gaetano Callido, born in Este, near Padova, who established hi
In our field, there are many great teachers at the ends of the careers, but happily there are equally great young people taking their positions and continuing their traditions