At St. Olaf, we are blessed to have a magnificent 67-rank pipe organ. This fall, it will be showcased in a series of recitals on Wednesday afternoons, immediately following the noon Mass. Come hear the organ thunder with might and whisper gently as talented organists showcase a variety of repertoire.
Wednesday Organ Recitals run from October 20 through May 18, and will be approx. 30-40 minutes long. Freewill donation.
Samuel
Backman: 1/19/21 Organ Recital
Program
Fugue sur le Thème du
Carillon des Heures de la Cathédrale de Soissons, Op. 12 Maurice Duruflé (1902-1986)
Legende, Op. 29 Gerard
Bunk (1888-1958)
Prelude and Fugue in G
Major, BWV 541 J.S.
Bach (1685-1750)
Finale, from Symphony No. 6, Op. 42 Charles-Marie Widor
(1844-1937)
Biography
Samuel currently serves as Director of Sacred Music at Holy Cross
Catholic Church, where he chairs a multi-faceted music program across three
campuses, functioning as principal organist and conductor of the Holy Cross
Choir, St. Helena Singers, and Tenebrae Choir. Samuel also serves as
coordinator and host of an annual series of musical performances at Holy Cross.
In addition to his primary role as a musician, he oversees various dimensions
of the parish’s liturgical life. Prior to his employment at Holy Cross, he held
positions at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Golden Valley, MN; the Cathedral
of Saint Paul in Saint Paul, MN; Saint Philip’s Episcopal Church in Ardmore,
OK, Saint Paul’s on the Green Episcopal Church in Norwalk, CT, and the
University Church at Yale in New Haven, CT.
An active performer, Samuel and has been featured as an organ recitalist
for conferences hosted by the American Guild of Organists and the Church Music
Association of America. His performances have also been featured on Pipedreams,
a National Public Radio Broadcast service hosted by Michael Barone. He is also
a composer and arranger of music for choir, organ, piano, and chamber ensembles
and his compositions have been published by Paraclete Press. Most recently,
Samuel composed a two-act musical entitled Moonshine
Abbey with a script by Fr. Kyle Kowalczyk.
Sam holds degrees from Saint Olaf College (B.M.), the Yale School of
Music (M.M.), and the University of Oklahoma, (D.M.A.) He completed his organ
studies in performance and improvisation with John Ferguson, Catherine Rodland,
Martin Jean, Damin Spritzer, and John Schwandt, and he studied conducting with
Anton Armstrong, Christopher Aspaas, Maguerite Brooks, and Timothy Mahr. Samuel
is a recipient of many distinguished scholarships and awards, including Saint
Olaf College’s G. Winston Cassler Scholarship, Yale University’s Mary Baker
Award for excellence in organ accompaniment, the Lutheran School of Theology at
Chicago’s Ruth and Paul Manz Scholarship Competition, and nomination to Pi
Kappa Lambda, a national honor society for music.
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