Items of Interest August 15, 2011 Issue

‘Pipe organ encounters’ in Boston

Sentinel Staff

The Mother Church played host July 17 to the opening recital in a week-long series of performances, lectures, and demonstrations in Boston. This was part of a summer educational outreach program for teenage musicians, under the title “Pipe Organ Encounters (POE),” arranged by the American Guild of Organists in eight cities across the nation.

Twenty-three-year-old concert organist Nathan Laube, a native of Chicago, whose performances have thrilled audiences across the United States and in Europe, played works by Liszt, Mendelssohn, Bach, and Julius Reubke, and received a standing ovation from the 400 people in the Extension of The Mother Church.

Laube described The Mother Church organ as “absolutely extraordinary—a unique instrument.” In the US, he said, “we’re accustomed to large organs, and pushing the limits of organ design. This one has an incredible tonal color palette and a great deal of beauty within individual voices. Though enormous, it’s a poetic instrument. You can achieve a beautiful, compelling sound, and never have to struggle to find it.”

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