‘Bach and Beyond’ concert to feature 10 organists at Aurora’s Marmion Abbey
The 25th annual “Bach and Beyond at the Marmion Abbey” concert will feature 10 area organists playing one of the area's finest pipe organs. The concert will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 26, in the Abbey Church, 850 Butterfield Road in Aurora.
An offering donation is welcome. The annual concert is sponsored by the Fox Valley Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.
The program will feature six major organ works by J.S. Bach as well as two works by contemporaries of Bach, Georg Bohm and Karl Heinrich Graun. The congregational hymn “Now Thank We All Our God” also will be sung.
• Adam Gruber, organist at First Presbyterian Church in Waukegan, will perform “Sinfonia,” arranged by Alexandre Guilmant (1837-1911) from Cantata 29 “Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir” (“We Thank You, God, We Thank You”).
• Nicholas Hansen, director of parish music and organist at St. John Lutheran Church in Sycamore, will play J.S. Bach’s “Fugue in G Minor.”
• Bach’s choral prelude, “Wenn wir in höchsten Nöten sein” (“When in the Hour of Utmost Need”) from the “Orgelbüchlein” will be performed by organist Ethan Schueler.
• Larry Baade, organist at St. Paul Lutheran in Addison, will be accompanied by Kevin Lange singing “Courage, My Heart” by Georg Böhm (1661-1733).
• Anthony Adduci, an eighth-grade home-school student, will play Bach’s choral prelude, “In dir ist Freude” (“In Thee is Gladness”), (BWV 615) with text by Johann Lindermann (1549-1631). He is studying under organist Dan Pollack.
• Naomi Rowley, a retired organ instructor from Aurora University, will perform the “Allegro” from Concerto in G Minor by Karl Heinrich Graun (1704-1759).
• Steven Wente, music director and organist at First St. Paul’s Lutheran in Chicago and a professor emeritus of music at Concordia University in Chicago, will play Bach’s choral prelude, “Wir gläuben all’ an einen Gott” (“We All Believe in One True God”) (BWV 680) with the hymn by Martin Luther (1483-1546).
• Mark Downey, director of music ministries and organist at St. Charles Episcopal Church, will play Hymn #637 “Now Thank We All Our God” by Johann Crüger (1598-1662) with text by Martin Rinckhart (1586-1649).
• Seth Luna, director of music ministries and organist at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Glen Ellyn, will perform Bach’s choral prelude, “Machs mit mir, Gott, nach deiner Güt” (“Deal with me, God, According to your Kindness”) (BWV 957) with text by Johann Hermann Schein (1586-1630).
• Kevin Lange, organist at Gary Memorial United Methodist in Wheaton, will Bach’s “Prelude and Fugue in A Minor” (BWV 543).
For more information, call AGO program chairman Karl Bruhn at (630) 879-7655 or email karl.bruhn.ago@gmail.com.
The Fox Valley Chapter of the American Guild of Organists promotes the organ in its historic and evolving roles, to encourage excellence in the performance of organ and choral music, and to provide a forum for mutual support, inspiration, education, and certification of Guild members.