Lincoln Organ Showcase is a program component of the Lincoln Chapter of the American Guild of Organists

2010-2011 Season Programs How do I obtain tickets? Showcase Board Showcase founded in 1981 How is Showcase organized? Who has performed on LOS?

2010-2011 Season Programs

Sunday, October 3, 2010 -- 3:00 p.m. David Hurd, Organist General Theological Seminary New York City, New York Holy Trinity Episcopal Church 6001 A Street Lincoln, Nebraska

The only time the International Congress of Organists was held in the United States (Philadelphia 1977), a young organist from New York City was awarded the First Prize in Organ Performance by a panel of distinguished international judges. The next day, another panel of distinguished judges from around the world, again operating in the blind, awarded the First Prize in Organ Improvisation--and the winner was the same young American organist. David Hurd, then Music Director at the Church of the Intercession (Episcopal) in Harlem, within the space of a couple of days had walked away with the two most prestigious organ prizes in the world at the time.

Two decades later David Hurd is widely recognized as one of the foremost church musicians and concert organists in the country, with a long list of awards, prizes, honors and achievements to his credit. He studied both at the Preparatory Division of the Juilliard School and at Manhattan's High School of Music and Art. Later he attended Oberlin College in Ohio, graduating with a music degree in 1971, and went on for further study at the University of North Carolina and, back in New York, at the Manhattan School of Music. His organ teachers have included Bronson Ragan, Garth Peacock, Arthur Poister, and Rudolph Kremer.

Since 1976, David Hurd has worked at The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church in New York City, first as Director of Chapel Music and later also as Professor of Church Music and Organist. In the late eighties, three other seminaries awarded him honorary doctorates for his contributions to church music.

David Hurd is the composer of dozens of choral and organ works published by a number of major houses. He was Vice Chairman of the Standing Commission on Church Music of the Episcopal Church for a number of years.

As a concert organist David Hurd enjoys increasing recognition both at home and abroad. He has performed throughout North America, and has been a featured artist at both national and regional conventions of the American Guild of Organists. In 1981 he was invited to perform at the Internationaal Orgelfestival Haarlem, which meets in Gouda, the Netherlands, during which he received the diploma for improvisation at the Stitchting Internationaal Orgelconcours.

For relaxation David Hurd may take a break from composing and from the organ, but not from music. He loves to play recorders, and is accomplished on instruments from Sopranino through Contrabass. Evenings, when not on the road performing, may well find him practicing with the Chelsea Winds, an ensemble he helped found in 1993.

"He shapes music with the structural insight of a composer and executes it with the boldness of an improviser....Hurd played with incisive rhythmic drive and imagination." (The Boston Globe)

"Every so often a performer comes along to remind us that the romantic impulse is not dead in music, that playing can be both intellectually rigorous and emotionally satisfying. Such a performer is organist David Hurd....It was an impressive display of virtuosity." (The Kansas City Star)

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Sunday, November 7, 2010 -- 3:00 p.m. Hans Davidsson, Organist Eastman School of Music, Rochester, New York St. Mark's On the Campus Episcopal Church 13th & R Streets Lincoln, Nebraska Organ Specs

Hans Davidsson received his Soloist Diploma from the Conservatory of Göteborg, Sweden in 1985, having studied with Hans Fagius. A special interest in early music led to three years study with Jacques van Oortmerssen at the Sweelinck Conservatorium in Amsterdam and post-graduate research on North German Baroque organ music focused on Matthias Weckmann for the University of Göteborg. In September 1991, his thesis Matthias Weckmann: the Interpretation of his Organ Music (writing, edition and recording) was defended and he became the first doctor of music performance in Sweden. Since 1974 he has given regular recitals in the Scandinavian countries including tours to England, Germany, the Netherlands and in the USA. In 1986, he was appointed organ teacher at the School of Music, Göteborg University and appointed organ professor in 1988. Since 1989, he was responsible for the establishment of an organ center for research in performance practice and a program of organ instruments which was built according to historical principles (such as a full-grown North-German baroque organ, which was inaugurated in 2000). From 1995-2000, he was the director of the Göteborg Organ Art Center, GOArt, and he is currently its General Artistic and Research Director as well as the Artistic Director of the Göteborg International Organ Academy. In 2001, he was appointed Professor of organ at the Eastman School Music, Rochester, NY, USA, and Project Director of the Eastman Rochester Organ Initiative (EROI). In 2001 he was awarded the ÅForsk research prize (the Research Foundation of the ÅF Group), one of Sweden's most distinguished research awards, and in January 2004 he was awarded the King's medal, the highest national award in Sweden, for "significant accomplishments in musicology and music, primarily in the fields of organ research and organ education".

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Sunday, February 27, 2011 -- 3:00 p.m. Carla Edwards DePauw University, Greencastle, Indiana North American Martyrs Catholic Church 1101 Isaac Drive Lincoln, Nebraska Organ Specs

Carla Edwards is Professor of Organ at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. She received a Bachelor of Music degree with highest distinction from the University of Kansas, a Master of Music degree from the University of Alabama and a Doctor of Music degree in Organ Performance from Indiana University. Her organ studies have been with Larry Smith, Delores Bruch, James Moeser, Catharine Crozier, Robert Noehren, Michael Schneider, Mary Lou Nowicki, and Warren Hutton. Edwards has performed in the United States, England, Finland, and Italy, and her performances have been broadcast on the nationally syndicated radio program Pipedreams. In the fall 2007, she was featured as a soloist with the Virginia Symphony, and in the summer 2007, performed for the National Organ Historical Society Convention in Indianapolis, IN. She appeared as a convention artist at the 1993 AGO Regional Convention in Indianapolis, the 1994 National AGO convention in Dallas, the 1997 AGO Regional Convention in Evansville, the 2001 AGO Regional convention in Ft. Wayne, IN., and she was a soloist at the 2008 AGO National Convention in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Dr. Edwards has recorded two CDs for Calcante Recordings, Ltd, two recordings with the DePauw University Band and a recent CD of works for Soprano and Organ with Prof. Caroline Smith from DePauw University. She has just completed a CD recording (spring 2010) on the DePauw University Kresge Auditorium organ built by Wolff & Associées Ltée. from Laval, Quebec Canada. Dr. Edwards will be a featured soloist at the AGO Region V Convention in 2011.

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Friday, May 20, 2011 -- 7:00 p.m. Andrew Kotylo, Organist Trinity Church On the Green New Haven, Connecticut First-Plymouth Congregational Church (UCC) 20th & D Streets Lincoln, Nebraska

Andrew Kotylo is a concert organist whose musicality and eclectic repertoire--from transcriptions to Bach--enable him to create exciting, audience-friendly programs. He has concertized throughout the United States and in England, including performances at regional and national conventions of the American Guild of Organists that have earned critical acclaim. He has been twice featured on American Public Media's Pipedreams.

A native of Binghamton, New York, Andy is finishing his doctoral studies in organ performance at the Indiana University School of Music, Bloomington, Indiana, where he has served as an Associate Instructor in music theory. He previously earned the Bachelor (with high distinction) and Master of Music degrees from Indiana in 1999 and 2003, respectively. His teachers have included Carolyn Albaugh, the late M. Searle Wright, Christopher Young, Larry Smith, and John Schwandt. He is writing his doctoral document on the life and organ works of Searle Wright, and has been assisted in his research by a grant from the American Guild of Organists National Library at Boston University given by the widow of the concert organist, E. Power Biggs.

In June of 2008, Andy was honored with the second prize in the American Guild of Organists' National Young Artists Competition, held in Minneapolis. He has also been a first-place winner in several other competitions within the United States, including the Ottumwa (Iowa) Undergraduate Competition, the Arthur Poister National Competition, and the San Marino Competition. He was also a semi-finalist in the 2000 A.G.O. NYACOP (Seattle, Washington) and finalist in the 2005 Jordan International Competition (Columbus, Georgia).

One of Andy's greatest passions is church music, particularly within the context of liturgical worship. In August 2008, he joined the music staff of Trinity Church ("on-the-Green") in New Haven, Connecticut where he is full-time assistant organist/choirmaster under music director Walden Moore. He has also served Highland Park Presbyterian Church, Dallas, Texas as organist; St. Paul's Cathedral (Episcopal) in Buffalo, New York as assistant organist/choirmaster; the Church of the Nativity (Episcopal) in Indianapolis, Indiana as music director/organist, and St. Thomas Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Bloomington, Indiana as organist. Andy was the recipient of the 2005 Ruth and Paul Manz Church Music Scholarship, awarded to a musician pursuing a career in sacred music.

Among Andy's many repertoire interests is the organ duo repertoire. He has performed in collaboration with Tom Trenney, and together they made the world première recording of Stephen Paulus's Paean for Pro Organo. Andy also enjoys teaching and has participated as a faculty member for A.G.O. “Pipe Organ Encounters” in Rochester (Eastman School of Music) and Detroit. He recently finished a two-year term as Dean of the Bloomington chapter of the American Guild of Organists, and currently serves on the board of the New Haven chapter.

"Mr. Kotylo masterfully presented a diverse program much to the delight of the audience, which gave him a standing ovation." (American Guild of Organists Regional Convention, Binghamton, NY) --- Paul Elsener - The American Organist (Oct 1, 2001)

"Monday morning culminated in a recital by regional competition winner Andrew Kotylo...It was obvious to all who heard him that he is destined for a fulfilling career." (American Guild of Organists Regional Convention, Buffalo, NY) --- David Bond - The American Organist (Oct 1, 1997)

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Sunday, June 12, 2011 -- 3:00 p.m. Vidas Pinkevicius, Organist Vilnius University, Lithuania Grace Lutheran Church 2225 Washington Lincoln, Nebraska

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Lincoln Organ Showcase Board

Director:	Christopher Marks
Treasurer:	Sinda Dux
Secretary:	William Long
Ticket Director:	Christopher Marks
Publicity	Brent Shaw
Board Members:	Dan Ahlin Mark Miller C. Richard Morris
Ex-officio:	James J. Lytton, ChM

Showcase founded in 1981

In 1981, Lincoln Organ Showcase was founded as a way to unite the efforts of various churches and academic institutions into one recognizable series. In the past 25 years, the arts scene in Lincoln has changed considerably, with more events available than ever before. In that time, Showcase has presented over 100 artists in more than 20 locations in Lincoln and surrounding communities.

How Showcase is organized

Lincoln Organ Showcase is a standing subcommittee of the Lincoln Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. As such, Showcase falls under the chapter's 501(c)3 status, and can legally solicit tax-deductible contributions to support the series. Showcase is run by a board of volunteers. A chair or co-chairs, treasurer, secretary, and ticket chair are key officers.

The series co-sponsors concerts with participating churches and institutions. Host sites are scheduled on a biennial basis, and each one contributes to the series financially. Once the sites are selected, the board helps to schedule the artists. Often the host site has already chosen an artist to perform in their venue. Showcase tries to schedule a diverse group of artists each year -- artists who will provide concert goers with a variety of musical styles over the course of the season.

Each participating church (or institution) is allowed unlimited free single-admission tickets for their members (or students) for the concert at that church or institution.

In the effort to foster interest in the organ among young people, admission to the concerts is FREE to young people under the age of 12. Complimentary season tickets are offered through private instructors to junior high and high school piano or organ students. A ticket is also given to the chaperone/driver who brings the student to the concert.

Tickets for Showcase are very reasonably priced so that no one will be discouraged from attending concerts. With the rising cost of travel and artist fees, Showcase has had to step up its fundraising efforts to keep pace. Our supporters have responded admirably, and with their continued support, Showcase looks forward to the next 25 years!

Who has performed on LOS?