Organ festival returns with international musicians

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SALT LAKE CITY — The Eccles Organ Festival kicks off at the Cathedral of the Madeleine Sept. 11 with the return of international artists, after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. This year’s performance schedule includes Simon Johnson, master of music at Westminster Cathedral, London, England and Loreto Aramendi, the main organist of the Basilica of Santa María del Coro, San Sebastian in the Basque Country of Spain. The two artists were originally scheduled to perform during the 2020 season.

“This is now the first year in which we are going back to what has been our usual schedule,” festival director Gabriele Terrone said. “It will be, thanks be to God, a normal season of the organ festival.”

Performers from the United States will include Olukola Owolabi,  a professor of organ at the University of Notre Dame; Joshua Stafford, director of music ministries and organist at Riverside Presbyterian Church in Jacksonville, Fla.; Scott Dettra, director of music  at Church of the Incarnation, Dallas, Texas; and Adam Brakel, of St. James Cathedral in Orlando, Fla. The brass section of the Utah Symphony will return for a fourth year to perform a Christmas concert with Terrone.

The individual music programs have not been finalized yet, but with more than 700 years of organ music, “the chances of people hearing the same piece two years in a row is very low,” Terrone said. “We always offer substantial works, important pieces of the organ repertoire. The organ is one of the few instruments where you can span music from the 14th century until to music composed the day before yesterday. It offers a variety, a repertoire that is incomparable to other instruments.”

During the performances, live feed from the organ gallery will be projected onto a large screen to the side of the cathedral’s altar. In recent years the cathedral has upgraded its technology equipment to include multiple new cameras that show not just the hands but also the feet of the organists, Terrone said.

The festival is adding a third Open Gallery Night, where organ aficionados can visit the cathedral’s organ gallery and explore and play the Eccles Memorial Organ.  The open gallery nights are very popular and there is always a wait list, Terrone said.

Terrone encourages the readers of the Intermountain Catholic to attend the festival. “They can be sure they will receive a nice welcome at the cathedral, and it will be a wonderful opportunity to enjoy free performances of international caliber,” he said.

All Eccles Organ Festival performances and events are held at the Cathedral of the Madeleine and livestreamed on the festival’s YouTube channel. All performances are offered free of charge; no tickets or reservations are needed. Donations are welcome. Information and registration for the Open Gallery nights are available at ecclesorganfestival.com.

Thirty-minute organ recitals will also be offered at 5:30 p.m. on most Sundays from September through March. These will be performed by Terrone, new assistant cathedral organist James Goldrick and other local organists.

“These are additional opportunities to enjoy a shorter music selection before the Mass,” Terrone said.

Sept. 11 – Recital: Olukola Owolabi, University of Notre Dame, Ind.

Oct. 16 – Recital: Simon Johnson, Westminster Cathedral, London, England

Nov. 13 – Recital: Joshua Stafford, Riverside Presbyterian Church, Jacksonville, Fla.

Dec. 18 – Christmas Concert: Utah Symphony brass section and cathedral organist Gabriele Terrone

Jan. 8 – Recital: Scott Dettra, Church of the Incarnation, Dallas, Texas

Feb. 12 – Recital: Loreto Aramendi, Basilica of Santa María del Coro, San Sebastian (Basque Country)

Feb. 24 – Open Gallery Night

March 12 – Recital: Adam Brakel, St. James Cathedral, Orlando, Fla.

March 24 – Open Gallery Night

May 19 – Open Gallery Night

All events are at the Cathedral of the Madeleine, 309 E. South Temple, SLC. The recitals and Christmas concert will begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public. The Open Gallery Nights are all held at 7 p.m.; registration is required as space is very limited.