Christopher Ganza

Christopher Ganza began studying the organ at the age of nine with Ray Cornils, Municipal
Organist of Portland, ME. He was soon appointed organist at Corpus Christi Parish, and at the Universalist-­?Unitarian Church of Waterville, ME. He received the degree of Bachelor of Music in Church Music from St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN, studying organ performance and improvisation with John Ferguson and Catherine Rodland. He was the first organ scholar at the Church of St. Louis, King of France, under the supervision of Brian Carson. Christopher received the Master of Music degree from the University of Oklahoma, studying with John Schwandt. He is currently working towards a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree at the University of Oklahoma, studying organ performance and improvisation with John Schwandt, and choral conducting with Richard Zielinski.

Christopher has been awarded first prize in the Paul and Ruth Manz Scholarship Competition, the Albert Schweitzer Organ Festival National Competition, and the John R. Rodland Memorial Scholarship Competition.

Currently, Christopher is the Director of Music at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Oklahoma City, OK, where he directs the adult choir and cantors, serves as the parish organist, and the organist for St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School.

The American Guild of Organists’ National Competition in Organ Improvisation (NCOI) seeks to further the art of improvisation by recognizing and rewarding superior performance in the field. A flourishing tradition of improvisation is fundamental to a truly vital musical culture. The five semi-finalists below will play on Monday, June 23, 2014. Up to three finalists will advance from the Semi-final Round and compete in the Final Round, to be held Thursday, June 26, 2014.

Prizes – First Place: $3,000, funded by McNeil Robinson; Second Place: $2,000, funded by Dobson Pipe Organ Builders; Third Place: $1,500, funded by Pamela and Steven Ruiter-Feenstra; Audience prize: $1,500, funded by David and Robin Arcus.

Organist Maury Castro and organ restorer Sean O’Donnell will present a program on each of two 19^th century Hook organs: The conserved, all original 1861 E & GG at Sear’s Chapel, Brookline Mass and the H&H recently rebuilt and relocated to Church of Our Savior, Brookline, Mass.

The program will be free and open to the public.  The capacity of the churches is in excess of 200.

While the program will present ‘period appropriate’ music on each of these instruments, the strong focus will be on the vibrant role these instruments play in the current and future lives of these congregations.

The program will feature music by 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st century composes including Felix Mendelssohn, John Stanley, and Rachel Laurin.

The program will begin at 1:00 PM at Sears’ Chapel.

E. & G.G. Hook, Opus 307, 1861

E. & G.G. Hook, Opus 307, 1861

Sean O’Donnell & Associates, restoration, 2007

At 1:45 the group will move to Church of Our Savior, a few hundred yards away.

Hook & Hastings, Opus 1366, 1887

Hook & Hastings, Opus 1366, 1887

At 2:00, Mr. Castro will present the 2^ndhalf of his concert.

At the conclusion of Mr. Castro’s concert (approx. 2:45) both consoles will be open for interested musicians to explore.

Click here for more information.

Both churches are easily accessible from the T’s Greenline, with easy access to the hotel, Symphony Hall, and The First Church of Christ, Scientist.

Directions

The a Greenline “D-Riverside” train to the Longwood stop (the 2nd above-ground stop). Sears’ Chapel will be directly in front of you when you step off the train.  Walk to your right, around the stone wall, to find the entrance to the churchyard.

Join Us for Lunch!

The Sears family and the Congregation of Christ Church, Longwood, invite you to join us for a complimentary light snack and a cold drink in the beautiful and spacious churchyard at Sears Chapel on Monday afternoon before the program, starting at 11:30.

Gourmet food trucks from some of Boston’s leading restaurants will be on hand for those desiring lunch.

St Thomas Jamaica Plain

Recital programs by organists  Lois Regestein, Boston MA, and Dr. Jens Korndoerfer, Atlanta GA

First Church Unitarian houses Opus 171 (3-32), the organ made famous by Thomas Murray’s recording of Mendelssohn sonatas some years ago.  First Church was the home church of one of the Hook brothers.

St Thomas Aquinas houses Opus 160 (3-37), built originally for St. Paul’s Episcopal Church (now Cathedral) downtown and moved to Jamaica Plain in the 1890s.  This instrument is the largest extant pre-Civil War American organ in the United States.

Both programs are free and open to the public.  The programs will show the capabilities and versatility of the instruments.  Each organ has seven reed stops, outstanding flutes and remarkable choruses that  ‘skillfully balance cohesion with energy’ (Scot Huntington, Organ Historical Society convention handbook for Boston 2000).

9:30 – First Church, Jamaica Plain.  Brief introduction to both instruments followed by a recital by Lois Regestein.

10:15 – Walk three blocks to St Thomas Aquinas Church.

10:30 – Recital by Dr. Jens Korndoerfer

11:15 – Open console time at St Thomas and First Church.

Directions

Jamaica Plain is a section of Boston that is easily accessible from Copley Square via City Bus #39 from Back Bay Station, near the hotel.   At conclusion of the JP tour, visitors may return to the hotel on Bus 39 or transfer near a stop on the bus line to the Green Line T at Brookline Village, to join the afternoon Hook tour in Brookline.

First Church Unitarian Jamaica Plain

E. & G.G. Hook, Opus 171, 1854/60

St Thomas Aquinas Church Jamaica Plain

E. & G.G. Hook, Opus 160, 1854

George S. Hutchings, Opus 551, c. 1898

Old North Church

Program Announcement

Join us at 4:00 PM for late afternoon demonstrations of the organ at St. Stephen’s Church, followed by a Glass Harmonica demonstration.  At 4:45, venture to nearby Paul Revere park to listen to Change Ringing by the Old North Ringers.  Small groups are welcome at the Edes and Gill Colonial print shop.  At 5:15, we’ll proceed to Old North Church for an organ demonstration and short concert.

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Mark Miller

Mark Miller believes passionately that music can change the world. He also believes in Cornell West’s statement, “Justice is what love looks like in public.” Mr. Miller’s dream is that the music he composes, performs, teaches, and leads will inspire and empower people to create the beloved community. He is assistant professor of church music at Drew Theological School and lecturer in the practice of sacred music at Yale University. He also is minister of music at Christ Church in Summit, New Jersey. Since 1999, he has led music for United Methodists and others around the country, including that for the 2008 General Conference. His choral anthems are best-sellers for Abingdon Press and Choristers Guild, and his hymns are widely published. He received his Bachelor of Arts in music from Yale University and his Master of Music in organ performance from The Juilliard School.

God of our weary years

God of our silent tears

Thou who hast brought us thus far on the way

These powerful words, penned by James Weldon Johnson in 1921 and spoken at the 2009 inauguration of President Obama, are part of the sacred heritage of the African American musical canon. We owe a great debt to both the known and unknown bards who fought back oppressive cruelty and systematic degradation by composing incredible songs of resistance and joy. In this service filled with engaging congregational singing there will be both familiar and new works, many by composer Mark Miller, which seek to capture the love of God and demand for justice found in the best African American hymnody. Organ, piano, and percussion will energetically demonstrate how the music can be most effectively supported within this genre.

Jonathan Wessler serves as the Assistant Organist at St. Paul’s Church and Choir School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His duties include accompanying the famous Choir of Boys and Men at Mass, teaching music theory and handbells in the Choir School, and directing the St. Paul Parish Choir and the Schola Cantorum. In 2011 he received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in organ performance from the Eastman School of Music. He previously earned the Bachelor of Music degree in organ performance from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the Master of Sacred Music degree from the University of Notre Dame. He has studied with Sherry Seckler, Christiaan Teeuwsen, David Boe, Craig Cramer, and William Porter. In addition, he has performed in master classes for Marie-Louise Langlais, Daniel Roth, Olivier Latry, Michel Bouvard, Hans Fagius, and Jon Laukvik. Jonathan holds the Colleague certificate from the American Guild of Organists and was a finalist in the 2007 Arthur Poister Organ Competition. He has served as the principal continuo player for the Peoria Bach Festival in Peoria, Illinois, where he also has been a featured performer on the organ and the harpsichord. Jonathan is a six-year alumnus of the acclaimed Lutheran Summer Music Academy and Festival. He lives in Quincy with his wife, Joy, and their children, Julia and Matthew.

John Robinson is the Director of Music at St Paul’s Church, Harvard Square. There, he is responsible for the training and direction of The Choir of St. Paul’s in daily sung Mass, and oversees thriving Church and School Music departments. In serving the liturgy at St Paul’s Church, this renowned choir of boys and men performs music ranging from Gregorian Chant, to Modern and Contemporary repertoire. Through liturgies, concerts and special events, the Choir maintains a presence both in Harvard Square and further afield. St. Paul’s Choir School, where the boys are educated is the only Roman Catholic boys Choir School in the USA, and therefore a National treasure. The daily round of sung liturgy provides the perfect training ground for young singers. Prior to his work at St. Paul’s, Mr. Robinson worked and received his education in England. Having initially been a chorister and organ pupil of Dr. Roy Massey at Hereford Cathedral, John became Organ Scholar at Canterbury Cathedral and subsequently at St John’s College Cambridge, where he worked with both Dr. Christopher Robinson and Dr. David Hill. Whilst at Cambridge, he accompanied the world famous choir of St John’s College on tours, broadcasts and recordings as well as in the daily round of sung services in the College Chapel. At Cambridge he won first prize in the Brian Runnett Organ competition, and in the Plymouth National Young Organists’ Competition. On graduating he was appointed Assistant Organist of Carlisle Cathedral, and subsequently Assistant Organist of Canterbury Cathedral. Since taking up the position, Mr. Robinson has played an active role in directing Catholic Youth Music festivals both at St. Paul’s and further afield, and has acted as advisor to a number of Church music appointments. As an Organist, Mr. Robinson’s recordings are available on the Priory, Hyperion, Herald, York Ambisonic and Syrinx labels.