Batavia native featured in ESO's 'Fountains of Rome' concerts
Organist Jonathan Rudy, a native of Batavia, will appear with the Elgin Symphony Orchestra in its "Fountains of Rome" concerts this weekend.
Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 11-12, at the Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin.
Rudy will perform Saint-Saëns' majestic Symphony No. 3, Organ Symphony. Saint-Saëns said of the piece, "I gave everything to it I was able to give. What I have here accomplished, I will never achieve again."
The music was used to create the popular song, "If I Had Words," featured in the movie "Babe."
Perfect for the family or your favorite valentine, the program also includes lush, passionate and beautifully melodic works like Dukas' "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," highlighted in Disney's "Fantasia"; Liadov's ethereal "Enchanted Lake," and Respighi's romantic "Fountains of Rome."
"Fountains of Rome should stir memories for those of you who've seen any of the great fountains in the old city," said music director and conductor Andrew Grams. "The Sorcerer's Apprentice will definitely make those who've watched Disney's 'Fantasia' see great waves, and you all will be overwhelmed by the sheer power and excitement of the Organ Symphony."
Grams will give a preconcert chat one hour before the concert. Tickets are $30-$65. Student tickets cost $12. There is convenient free parking or valet service. Saturday concertgoers are invited after the performance to "Mingle with the Musicians" at the Elgin Public House. For tickets, call (847) 888-4000 or visit www.elginsymphony.org.
About Rudy
Jonathan D. Rudy is recognized by colleagues and audiences for excellence as a performer, church musician, improviser, educator, and conductor. Rudy's recent concert appearances, including recitals, master classes, competitions, and dedicatory/commemorative events, have included locations all across the United States.
Rudy is a laureate of several performance competitions and most recently won First Prize and the Audience Prize at the American Guild of Organists 2014 National Young Artists Competition in Organ Performance, the Guild's premiere young organist competition. He was also a finalist in the National Organ Playing Competition in Fort Wayne, as well as the Second Prize Winner of the Regional Competition for Young Organists (Quimby Competition) in 2011. He received the Immanuel Organ Scholar Award in 2009 (Evanston) in recognition of excellence in performance and sacred music, as well as high praise and prizes during competitions hosted in Detroit, Bloomington, Indiana; Wheaton and Glen Ellyn.
In addition to appearances as organist and church musician, Rudy maintains a career as a conductor. He studied choral conducting at Indiana University with Dr. William Gray and Dr. Richard Tangyuk, and regularly leads choral and instrumental ensembles. He has served as conductor for the Valparaiso University Men's Chorus, the AGO Bloomington Choralfest Ensemble, and the choral and instrumental ensembles at his church positions.
Rudy received his master's degree in organ and sacred music at Indiana University, where he studied organ with Janette Fishell, improvisation and sacred music with Bruce Neswick, and pursued minors in music theory and choral conducting. He completed his undergraduate degree at Valparaiso University, studying organ and sacred music with Lorraine Brugh and Karel Paukert. While at Valparaiso, he was initiated into Pi Kappa Lambda, the national music honors society, and received the Reidenbach Award in Church Music. In his early years he studied organ with Karl Bruhn and piano with his mother, Melinda J. Rudy.
Rudy currently serves as music director at First Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Cookeville, Tennessee. He tutors students privately and maintains an amateur recording studio. Rudy has served as organist at Central Presbyterian Church, Terre Haute, Indiana; as associate instructor of music theory and aural skills at Indiana University, and as dean and member-at-large of the American Guild of Organists Bloomington Chapter (Region V).