The noontime organ recital series returns in September! On the third Wednesday of each month, at 12:30pm following the Noon Mass, short recitals of 35-45 minutes feature talented local organists and our infinitely expressive 67-rank Lively-Fulcher pipe organ (no recital in March 2024). Recitals are free of charge (donations welcome) and the public is most welcome. Some recitalists also offer brief spoken program notes to guide the listening experience. The organ is capable of a kaleidoscope of different sonorities. Come experience how it can move you!
RECITAL PROGRAM:
Introduction and Passacaglia (from Organ Sonata No 8, Op.
132) – Josef Rheinberger (1839-1901)
Homage a Langlais: Song of Peace in a Time of War – Mary
Beth Bennett (b.1954)
Lux Solis (from Aspects of Light) – Brenda Portman (b.1980)
Three Impressions on ‘Kingsfold’, Op. 75 – Rachel Laurin
(1961-2023)
I. Prélude en Canon (Prelude in Canon)
II. Berceuse (Lullaby)
III. Cloches (Bells)
Final (from Organ Sonata No. 1, Op. 42) – Alexandre Guilmant
(1837-1911)
BIO - Samuel Holmberg is the Organist and Associate Director of Music at
The Basilica of Saint Mary, Co-Cathedral of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and
Minneapolis. He directs the Missa Choralis Series, coordinates the
cantor and psalmist ministry, and plans The Basilica’s weddings. Prior to
his appointment at The Basilica, he held positions at St. Peter Cathedral in
Marquette, Michigan and at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul, Minnesota. He
is the Adjunct Professor of Organ at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint
John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota, where he teaches undergraduate
students in the music department and graduate students in the School of
Theology. He serves on the executive board of the Twin Cities Chapter of the
American Guild of Organists (TCAGO).
A graduate of the Eastman School of Music and Luther College, Samuel
holds degrees in organ performance, literature, and sacred music. His principal
teachers include David Higgs, William Porter, Dr. Gregory Peterson and Dr. Lynn
Trapp. He studied improvisation and repertoire with visiting Professors Michel
Bouvard (Paris Conservatoire) and Edoardo Bellotti (Conservatories of Trento,
Italy and Trossingen, Germany). He is a former co-chair of the Eastman
Rochester Organ Initiative (EROI), a global center for organ performance,
research, building and preservation. Further study was in a program for select
undergraduate students at the Yale School of Music and Institute of Sacred
Music.
Samuel has performed throughout the United States and Europe. He
has recorded for Minnesota Public Radio in solo and ensemble roles and has been
featured on Pipedreams, a radio program supporting the art in sacred and
concert venues. He has given the world premiere of several newly commissioned
works, including works by Philip Moore, David Briggs, and Stephen Paulus. He
holds memberships with the Conference of Roman Catholic Cathedral Musicians,
the American Guild of Organists, the Organ Historical Society, the National
Association of Pastoral Musicians, and the North American Branch of the Herbert
Howells Society in the UK.
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