Before the concert at 2pm our Resident Organist, Randy Steere, will give a presentation on our Hauptwerk Virtual Pipe Organ. He’ll illustrate all the controls on the console, and explain how a Virtual Pipe Organ works and why it’s unique. You’ll have the opportunity to ask questions and hear some of the various sounds available on the 15 virtual organs available!
PROGRAM
St. Etienne, Caen, France (Cavaille-Coll)
SOWERBY, LEO
(1895-1968)
Comes Autumn Time
SOWERBY, LEO
Sonatina
II Very slowly
Sonnenorgel, St. Peter and Paul, Goerlitz, Germany (Casparini/Mathis)
HAMPTON, CALVIN
(1938-1984)
Five Dances for Organ
II At the Ballet
Temple Emanu-El, San Francisco, CA (EM Skinner Opus 497)
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH
(1685-1750)
Toccata in F Major, BWV 540
•INTERMISSION•
Sonnenorgel, St. Peter and Paul, Goerlitz, Germany (Casparini/Mathis)
MENDELSSOHN, FELIX
(1809-1847)
Sonata IV in B-flat, Op. 65 No. 4
I. Allegro con brio
II. Andante religioso
III. Allegretto
IV. Allegro maestoso e vivace
Temple Emanu-El, San Francisco, CA (EM Skinner Opus 497)
SHEARING, GEORGE
(1919-2011)
There Is A Happy Land
Jerusalem, My Happy Home
I Love Thee, My Lord
St. Etienne, Caen, France (Cavaille-Coll)
WILSON, ANNE
(b. 1954)
Toccata
Audio and video recordings of this performance in any capacity are strictly prohibited.
Hailed as a “skilled and stylish player” (The American Organist magazine), Nicole Keller serves as Chair of the Department of Organ at the School of Music, Theatre & Dance at the University of Michigan. She has earned a reputation for colorful, virtuosic performances praised by audiences and presenters alike. Ms. Keller has performed in historic venues including St. Patrick Cathedral, New York; Cathédrale Notre-Dame, Paris; Dom St. Stephan, Passau; St. Patrick Cathedral, Armagh, Northern Ireland; and The Kazakh National University for the Arts, Astana, Kazakhstan.
Ms. Keller’s appearances with orchestra include concertos, works for chamber orchestra, and large works involving organ, harpsichord, and piano. In recent seasons, she debuted world premieres for solo organ, chamber orchestra and vocal ensemble including works by Bálint Karosi, and Terrance McKnight and Pat Eakin Young. She also appeared with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in performances of the Saint-Saens Symphony No. 3 (“Organ”) and the Strauss An Alpine Symphony. She has extensive experience as a continuo player in performances of Bach’s St. Matthew and St. John Passions, Christmas Oratorio, and Mass in B minor and a host of baroque cantatas and chamber music.
Ms. Keller’s first CD recording, Those Americans, was released by the Raven label in 2024, music that paints a picture of the diverse landscape of 20th century American organ music. The album is praised as “an exciting programme...[where] Nicole Keller meets their considerable technical challenges with aplomb...” (Organists’ Review).
Nicole Keller received the Performer’s Certificate and the Master of Music Degree in Organ Performance and Literature at the Eastman School of Music under David Higgs (organ), Arthur Haas (continuo), and Gerre Hancock (improvisation). She received the Bachelor of Music Degree in Piano Performance from the Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music in Berea, Ohio, where she studied piano with George Cherry and Jean Stell and organ with Margaret Scharf.
