Two highly acclaimed German organists will test the mettle of the Chicago Theological Seminary's prized German Baroque organ during the CTS International Organ Festival, which begins April 18. The performing line-up for the five-week festival was announced today by Thomas Wikman, Organist and Artist-in-Residence at the seminary.
The festival will comprise five Sunday-afternoon concerts by five different artists. A free-will donation will be taken. The artists are: well-known organist and conductor Wikman; Lutheran Cantor Jonathan Oblander; Bavarian virtuosi Johannes Skudlik and Franz Hauk; and prize-winning international recitalist Douglas Cleveland.
All concerts will begin at 4 p.m. in Graham Taylor Hall on the 2nd floor of the Chicago Theological Seminary at 5757 S. University Ave. Each concert will last approximately one hour and will be followed by a wine and cheese reception in the seminary's beautiful cloister.
The seminary's brilliant Reneker Organ is a mechanical-action instrument built by Karl Wilhelm. "It resembles organs built in Germany in the late 17th and early 18th centuries," said Wikman, "– a period of organ building which has never been surpassed."
Graham Taylor Hall, with its exquisite stained-glass windows and carved woodwork, is an outstanding example of Gothic architecture. Said Wikman, "the stone walls and floor and high ceiling make for excellent acoustics. And the organ case itself is a work of art."
Concert Schedule
Sunday, April 18: Thomas Wikman
Organist and Artist-in-Residence, Chicago Theological Seminary. Founder and Conductor Laureate, Music of the Baroque. Choirmaster, Chicago's Church of the Ascension.
Sunday, April 25: Johannes Skudlik
Titular Organist, Cathedral of Maria Himmelfahrt, Landsberg am Lech, Bavaria. Founder and director, Landsberg Oratorio Choir and Con-Brio Chamber Orchestra of Munich.
Sunday, May 2: Jonathan Oblander
Cantor, Grace Lutheran Church, River Forest., IL. Music director, Grace Church Cantata Vespers Series.
Sunday, May 9: Douglas Cleveland
Organist-Choirmaster, St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, Evanston, IL. Assistant Professor of Organ, Northwestern University.
Sunday, May 16: Franz Hauk
Organist-Choirmaster, Liebfrau Münster in Ingolstadt. Kulturamt (ministry of culture), Ingolstadt. Co-founder, Bayerische Jungend Orchesterakademie.
The Reneker Organ (pdf)
