Michael Unger, the First Prize Winner of the American Guild of Organists (AGO) 2008 National Young Artists Competition in Organ Performance (NYACOP), held in conjunction with the AGO national convention in the Twin Cities, Minnesota in June, 2008, is introduced in this video. The video features Mr. Unger's comments made while on location at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Rochester, New York, in February, 2008, during the recording sessions for his Pro Organo CD release, which is offered as a part of the First Prize Winner's benefits, along with two years of concert bookings as arranged by the Karen MacFarlane Agency in Cleveland, Ohio.

In the video, we hear Michael Unger playing the beginning section of the Fugue on "O Traurigkeit, O Herzeleid" by Johannes Brahms, and portions of the Toccata in D-flat Major, Opus 104, by Joseph Jongen. The organ featured in the new Pro Organo release, scheduled for August, 2009, was recorded on the newly-installed and newly-dedicated 3-manual Paul Fritts organ at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Rochester, New York.

For more information about the National Young Artists Competition in Organ Performance, also known as NYACOP, please contact the American Guild of Organists through their website www.agohq.org

The CD will be available through the AGO offices, as well as through Zarex Corporation's webstore www.zarex.com/bin and through a network of CD dealer distributors in the USA and Europe.

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In this video feature, we have an introduction and artist's profile on Marko Petricic (pronounced pet-RICH-ich), one of the youngest new artists to appear on the Pro Organo CD label. Marko tells us about his background, including his early experiences in his native Yugoslavia (now Serbia), and shares performances on the pipe organ of works by two French composers, and also plays a transcription of a well-known organ Prelude and Fugue by J. S. Bach on his first instrument, the bayan.

This feature also announces the release of Marko Petricic's first commercial CD recording, entitled "FRENCH ACCENT" (Pro Organo CD 7223), which is being released on the Pro Organo label on 25 April 2009. Marko's CD recording was made on a pipe organ known to organists as a landmark American Classic instrument built by Aeolian-Skinner, at First Presbyterian Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana. His new CD is an all-French organ program, including music of Franck, Guilmant, Widor, Duruflé, and Messiaen.

The pipe organ that Marko plays in this video was renovated by the Indianapolis organ building firm Goulding & Wood, and is located in All Saints Episcopal Church, 1559 Central Avenue, in Indianapolis. Thanks to Jason Overall of Goulding & Wood for making this venue available to us for the video taping. The bayan segment of the video was taped in Ruth Lilly Concert Hall, located within the building devoted to the music school at the University of Indianapolis.

This video segment was produced on 5 March 2009 by Pro Organo's principal producer, Frederick Hohman, with post-production at Zarex HD studio, South Bend.

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Gerre Hancock, one of the most recognizable of all artists active today in the concert organ and church music fields, is featured in a new DVD / CD which is due to be released in June 2009 on the American label Pro Organo (Item # CD7233), entitled "Praise the Eternal Light."

The DVD contains a 68-minute nine-movement organ symphony, spontaneously improvised by Gerre Hancock upon the 4-manual Austin pipe organ at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford, Connecticut. Each improvisation is a musical interpretation of a set of 3 adjacent stained glass windows in the nave of the Cathedral of St. Joseph. Each trio of windows depicts a chapter in the life and passion of Christ. There are 4 such tableaux on the East side of the Cathedral, and 4 on the West side. In addition to these 8, Gerre Hancock also improvises upon the window, known as the "Christ the King" window, which overlooks the organ in the rear gallery.

There is a great variety of styles and moods within the 9-movement improvisation. We hear various forms, including a free-form Toccata, a Scherzo, and a Prelude and Fugue. As often as not, Dr. Hancock draws upon plainchant and other sacred hymns, and he employs these as themes in the improvisations where their liturgical season is matched by the season depicted in the windows.

Gerre Hancock enjoyed a long and successful tenure as Organist and Master of the Choristers at Saint Thomas Church on Fifth Avenue in midtown Manhattan. Today he teaches organ and sacred music at the University of Texas at Austin.

The DVD offers a choice of stereo or 5.1 surround sound audio. The CD audio disc which is packaged with the DVD video contains the 9 stereo audio tracks that are heard in the video. This 2-disc product, entitled "Praise the Eternal Light," is scheduled for release worldwide in June, 2009. Advance orders are being received presently at Zarex (in the USA 800-336-2224). $20 plus shipping/ handling.

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Jeffrey Smith plays the Intermezzo (Andantino) from Organ Sonata No. 3, Opus 98, by Josef Rheinberger, on the Schoenstein pipe organ of Saint Paul's Parish, K Street, Washington, D.C.

This video was made in June, 1997 concurrently with a recordings session for the Pro Organo audio CD "Show Yourselves Joyful" [Pro Organo CD 7068], during the time when Jeffrey Smith served as the organist and choirmaster of Saint Paul's - K Street.

Although it is a small and intimate sanctuary, located just a few blocks from the famous "Watergate" and Foggy Bottom section of the nation's capital, this Episcopal parish has enjoyed a long reputation for the finest in church music from the Anglican tradition. Dr. Smith now serves as the organist and director of music at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco.

This video is a part of episode #15 from the Midnight Pipes television series, which was produced in the late 1990s, and which aired over several affiliates with public television in the USA.

Pro Organo audio recordings and Midnight Pipes videos, featuring classical and sacred pipe organ music can be found at www.zarex.com.

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Robert Plimpton made this video on August 17, 1998, during his years as Civic Organist to the city of San Diego. Here he plays the well-known 4-manual Austin pipe organ installed in the Spreckels Organ Pavilion at San Diego's Balboa Park. Mr. Plimpton plays one of his favorite works by his colleague / mentor from his days in Philadelphia, the Rhumba for Organ by Robert Elmore.

The Rhumba is in a style that calls to mind the jazz music of George Gershwin. The work mixes both classical and jazz / theatre organ elements. Mr. Plimpton reinforces the theatre organ aspects of the piece in his choice of registration, where he adapts the classic sounds of the Spreckels organ to give the impression of a theatre organ (in the middle, lyrical section).

If you listen carefully, you can hear the very unique outdoor acoustic of Balboa Park. Although there is no room ambience because the organ speaks into the outdoors, there is a delay echo, that rebounds after about 2/3 second as the organ sound returns from a reflection about 600 feet away in another area of the park.

The tradition of outdoor organ concerts started with the installation and completion of the organ pavilion about 1917. This tradition at Balboa Park continues to this day, with weekly free Sunday afternoon concerts and special evening concerts during the summer months.

The complete video from which this video is excerpted is Episode #13 of the Midnight Pipes tv series (produced by Frederick Hohman) and a VHS Hi-Fi home video may still be obtained from www.zarex.com. For details and purchase links, enter "9013" in the search box at www.zarex.com/bin .

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This is part two of a two-part video taken during the December, 1996, pipe organ re-dedication concert - played by Frederick Hohman - of a 1920s vintage Austin pipe organ at St. Mary's Church in Dayton, Ohio USA. The organ was restored through combined efforts of professional guidance by Peebles & Herzog of Columbus, Ohio and the labor of the people of St. Mary's Church.

The work being played is by Gaston Dethier, who once taught organ at the Juilliard School in New York City. This work, entitled "Christmas - Fantasy on Adeste Fideles" was composed about 1900 and was published in 1902.

This 15-minute organ work is a virtuoso piece that starts with a free fantasia, followed by pastorale quasi fantasia, and several variations, where textures and organ stop colors are contrasted.

The late organ virtuoso Virgil Fox made this piece familiar to concert goers beginning in the 1940s, however, in the recorded examples we have of this piece as played by Virgil Fox, extensive cuts were made, including material in both the simple pastorale sections as well as in some of the most difficult variations. Gaston Dethier was also not always credited as the composer of the piece in Fox's programs and recordings. The piece as seen in this 2-part video is played complete as published about 1902.

This video shows concert footage, but also incorporates many scenes, especially in the first of the two portions of the video as posted here, taken during the daylight hours just prior to the evening concert. These show the vintage stained glass windows and other religious art and statues that adorned the sanctuary at St. Mary's in December of 1996.

Frederick Hohman has recorded Dethier's "Christmas" on a CD audio recording on an organ in San Francisco, and it was released as Pro Organo CD 7040 entitled "A Saint-Saens Sort of Christmas." This CD is presently out of print. This performance of Dethier's "Christmas" was featured in episode #11 of the original Midnight Pipes television series, which was produced and aired between 1996 and 2000.

For information about seasonal concerts by Frederick Hohman, contact fred@zarex.com or www.frederickhohman.net

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This is part one of a two-part video taken during the December, 1996, pipe organ re-dedication concert - played by Frederick Hohman - of a 1920s vintage Austin pipe organ at St. Mary's Church in Dayton, Ohio. The organ was restored through combined efforts of professional guidance by Peebles & Herzog of Columbus, Ohio and the labor of the people of St. Mary's Church.

The work being played is by Gaston Dethier, who once taught organ at the Juilliard School in New York City. This work, entitled "Christmas - Fantasy on Adeste Fideles" was composed about 1900 and was published in 1902.

This 15-minute virtuoso organ work is a virtuoso piece that starts with a free fantasia, followed by a pastorale and then several variations, where textures and organ stop colors are contrasted.

The late organ virtuoso Virgil Fox made this piece familiar to concert goers beginning in the 1940s, however, in the recorded examples we have of this piece as played by Virgil Fox, extensive cuts were made, including both the simple pastorale sections as well as some of the most difficult variations. Gaston Dethier was also not always credited as the composer of the piece in Fox's programs and recordings. The piece as seen in this 2-part video is played complete as published about 1902.

This video shows concert footage, as well as many scenes - taken during the daylight hours just prior to the evening concert - showing the vintage stained glass windows and other religious art and statues that adorned the sanctuary at St. Mary's in December of 1996.

Frederick Hohman has recorded Dethier's "Christmas" on a CD audio recording on an organ in San Francisco, and was released as Pro Organo CD 7040 entitled "A Saint-Saens Sort of Christmas." This CD is presently sold out and out of print. This performance of Dethier's "Christmas" was included in episode #11 of the original Midnight Pipes television series, which was produced and aired between 1996 and 2000.

For information about seasonal pipe organ concerts by Frederick Hohman, contact fred@zarex.com or visit www.frederickhohman.net

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Robert Murray plays violin, Melba Williams plays harp, and Neal Campbell plays the Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia, in an excerpt - the middle and final portions - of The Sleep of the Infant Jesus, by the impressionistic French composer Henri Busser.

This work is often heard in a version for cello, harp and organ, but adapts well to the violin in place of the cello.

This video comes from episode 14 of the Midnight Pipes television series. A VHS Hi-Fi home video of this episode may be acquired from Zarex Corp. at www.zarex.com. It is item #9014.

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Frederick Hohman plays his transcription of Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite on the Murray-Harris pipe organ in Stanford University's Memorial Church.

To purchase the complete video (about 30 minutes), which features all 3 of the organs at Stanford University's Memorial Church, and which also features fine performances by Robert Bates, link to http://www.zarex.com/bin and enter 9009 in the Search Box to pull up the details. The video is available only as a VHS NTSC format product.

The organ score played in this video of Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy, from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite, is published, along with transcriptions of the other 7 movements of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite, and the score is available for purchase from Wayne Leupold Editions. Link to http://www.wayneleupold.com for details.

Mr Hohman has transcribed and recorded all 8 movements of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite upon the Pro Organo CD entitled "SympHohmania" - Pro Organo item CD 7077. This is still in print and available at the Pro Organo webstore located at www.zarex.com/bin

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British organist, Simon Nieminski, the organist for St Mary's Metropolitan Cathedral in Edinburgh, is seen playing the opening of Max Reger's Symphonic Fantasy and Fugue, Op 57, in this sneak preview made during his recording sessions at First Baptist Church of Abilene, Texas in May, 2008.

Simon offers a few comments on the occasion, the organ, and what he misses about the UK when he comes to America.

The Pro Organo CD is available now, and features music by Max Reger, Marcel Dupre, Frederick H. Wood, Dietrich Buxtehude and Andre Raison.

The recording is to be the premiere CD made on the new 4-manual pipe organ at First Baptist Church of Abilene, Texas, built by the Little Rock, Arkansas firm of Nichols & Simpson.

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Stuart Forster plays the Scherzo in G minor by Enrico Bossi on the Schoenstein Organ at First-Plymouth Congregational Church in Lincoln, Nebraska. This video was taped during recording sessions for Stuart Forster's new Pro Organo CD, entitled "Symphonic Quest" (Pro Organo CD 7228), recorded in August, 2008 and released in November, 2008.

The Lied Organ (built by Schoenstein & Co., San Francisco) at First-Plymouth Congregational church is considered by many to be a modern American Symphonic pipe organ, but it actually plays all eras of the organ literature very well. It has four-manuals, and many divisions. There are actually two organ cases to this organ: one in the front of the chancel, just behind where the choir is seated, and another in the rear gallery. You see images of both of the cases and facade pipes in this video. The console is movable and has been moved to the front center of the Chancel for this video.

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Princeton University Organist Eric Plutz plays a lively organ transcription of Aram Khachaturian's Sabre Dance from the ballet "Gayane" on the Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ at Princeton University Chapel.

This performance is contained as one track of Eric Plutz's new Pro Organo audio CD, entitled "Carnival" - Pro Organo CD 7227, being released in November 2008.

Eric Plutz's "Carnival" CD is a program of symphonic organ transcriptions, and includes many symphonic favorites, including Dvorak's "Carnival Overture" and Camille Saint-Saens' "Carnival of the Animals." In "Carnival of the Animals," Eric is joined by Princeton University Professor Emeritus John V. Fleming, as Professor Fleming reads the verses of Ogden Nash that correspond to the various musical movements of the Saint-Saens work.

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