An Overview of Russian Organ Music
This presentation includes an historical overview of organ development, composers, repertoire, and major organ schools in Russia, from the Middle Ages through the present. Participants are also introduced to specifications and façades of important Russian pipe organs, including Cavaillé-Coll’s last instrument, located in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory. The session concludes with a short performance featuring organ masterworks by Russian composers such as Mikael Tariverdiev and Valeri Kikta.
Katya Gotsdiner-McMahan
Katya Gotsdiner-McMahan, born in Russia, holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in organ and musicology from the Moscow Conservatory, and a Master of Music from the University of Kansas. She has performed at concert halls and churches in Moscow and throughout Russia, and in Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United States. She has been featured on Russian state radio and television, and has performed and lectured about Russian organ music at UCLA, the University of Kansas, and in Amsterdam. She is currently organist at First Presbyterian Church of San Luis Obispo, California where she is a founder and director of an organ concert series. On the Central Coast of California, she performs piano, organ, harpsichord, and celesta with the Lompoc Valley Master Chorale, North County Chorus, Symphony of the Vines, Santa Maria Philharmonic, San Luis Obispo Wind Orchestra, and San Luis Obispo Opera.