The Cornell Organs see many concerts each semester, featuring in the Midday Music for Organ series (a counterpart to the Music Department's Midday Music offering in Lincoln Hall) and a host of larger-scale evening recitals. Visiting Organists and Cornellians alike, led by our University Organists Annette Richards and David Yearsley, put all our instruments through their paces, and are fortunate to add the beautiful French-Romantic style Juget-Sinclair organ at St Luke's Lutheran Church, Collegetown to the series on occasion too... In addition to the now-regular fixtures of the Halloween Spooktacular, Christmas concerts and end-of-semester Midday Musics featuring as many Cornell organists at the console as possible, find here a selection of highlights from recent years.
Fall 2019
The Cornell Baroque Organ helped Professor of Music David Yearsley treat the audience to 'Transalpine', an exploration of Agostino Steffani's Europe, whilst DMA candidate Michael Plagerman explored early-20th-Century performance practice in America with the aid of the Aeolian-Skinner for his lecture recital; midday recitals meanwhile ranged from the 16th Century Germany of Schlick and Hofhaimer in Anabel Taylor to the 21st Century of Judith Bingham and Cecilia MacDowall in Sage Chapel.
Fall 2018/ Spring 2019
This year saw Christophe Mantoux join the Cornell organists for a spell of concerts, teaching, and masterclasses, with concerts of Titelouze, Daquin and Couperin on the Baroque Organ, and brilliant Franck, Messiaen and Alain on the Aeolian-Skinner. The Spring semester also saw Nathan Laube at the console in Anabel Taylor for a recital of JS Bach's Clavierubung III, whilst The Cornell Chamber Singers were joined by organist Michael Plagerman for a special Evensong in Sage Chapel. Midday recitals meanwhile included a 'Concert of Birds' on the Italian organ, Elgar on the Aeolian-Skinner, and Brahms' chorale preludes at St Luke's in Collegetown.
Fall 2017/Spring 2018
Fall 2017 saw University Organist Annette Richards at the baroque organ celebrating 'women at the organ in the shadow of Martin Luther' for Reformation 500, whilst the Aeolian Skinner was kept busy with performances of contemporary organ duets, Bernstein's Chichester Psalms with the Cornell Chorale, and an accompaniment to Asta Nielsen's Hamlet, with Dennis James, Michael Tsalka and Marija Bosnar. The Spring semester welcomed visiting organists Michael Unger and Bine Bryndorf to the baroque organ, for recitals of sparkling 17th-Century German repertoire. Midday recitals ranged from the Iberian peninsula to a celebration of the Bach/Marchand Dresden 1717 tricentennial.
Fall 2016/ Spring 2017
Visiting organists Philipp Christ and Thomas Gaynor performed recitals at Anabel Taylor, which also saw DMA organist Jonathan Schakel at the console for both the Cornell Chamber Singers/Cornell Early Music Lab performance of Schutz' Historia der Geburt Jesu, and Schakel's own DMA recital. The organs of Sage Chapel entertained at Midday programs, ranging from virtuosic Reubke and Liszt, to an Elizabethan extravaganza on the Italian organ.