Organ, Sacred Music, and Historical Keyboards
EROI 2016: “Breath for Singing: The Organ and the Human Voice”
EROI Festival 2016
“Breath for Singing: The Organ and the Human Voice”
October 26–28, 2016
The Eastman Rochester Organ Initiative (EROI) will hold its 2016 EROI Festival October 26–28 at the Eastman School of Music, Rochester, NY. With the theme of “Breath for Singing: The Organ and the Human Voice,” EROI 2016 will consider conceptual, historical, and practical aspects of the interaction of organ and voice. Among conceptual aspects we will explore the cognitive and psychological benefits of group singing within religious communities. While supporting and encouraging congregational singing is perhaps the most ubiquitous of roles for the organ, comparatively little historical attention has been devoted to this aspect of the organ art. The organ also has a long history of alternating with the choir (the schola cantorum or Kantorei), the organ becoming another voice in such a liturgical dialogue. Both of these roles for the organ will be considered historically through lectures and demonstrations by leading organists and musicologists, examining various repertories of chant, chorales, metrical psalms, and hymns—with the organ as the central focus. Practical considerations of hymn accompaniment will be illustrated through lecture demonstrations and master classes involving Eastman organ students and nationally recognized organists who have developed special artistry in techniques of hymn-based improvisation. The opening keynote lecture on Wednesday, October 26 will be given by Robin A. Leaver (Emeritus Professor, Westminster Choir College), with a hymn festival to follow, featuring a festival choir comprised of Rochester-area church choirs, all led by James E. Bobb (St. Olaf College), Aaron David Miller (House of Hope Presbyterian Church, St. Paul, MN), and Peter DuBois (Third Presbyterian Church, Rochester, NY). The hymn festival will include the premiere performance of a new hymn commissioned for this conference, with text by Thomas Troeger and music by Nico Muhly. Other highlights include a Moravian Singstunde, using an organ built in the style of David Tannenberg, and two evening recitals by Eastman organ faculty.
Download the 2016 schedule and brochure
Wednesday, October 26
Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester
| 3–5PM | Conference Registration |
| 3:30–4:30PM | Recital on Italian Baroque Organ by Eastman students and faculty Public admission: Free with paid Gallery admission |
| 5PM | Keynote Lecture: Robin A. Leaver (Professor Emeritus, Westminster Choir College) |
| 6:15PM | Dinner at the Memorial Art Gallery |
Third Presbyterian Church, Rochester
| 8PM |
Hymn Festival Organists: James E. Bobb (St. Olaf College), Aaron David Miller (House of Hope Presbyterian Church, St. Paul, Minn.) Festival Choir from Rochester-area churches Free admission |
Thursday, October 27
Hatch Recital Hall, Eastman School of Music
| 9AM-Noon | Paper Session
Chair: Betsy Marvin |
| Noon–1:15PM | Lunch on your own in downtown Rochester |
Christ Church, Rochester
|
1:15-3:30PM |
Lecture-demonstrations This session will focus on the historical use of the organ in alternation with voices in the liturgies of the Western church. Chair: Kerala Snyder (Eastman School of Music) France: Robert Bates (University of Houston) Italy: Edoardo Bellotti (Eastman School of Music) Germany: Frederick Gable (University of California, Riverside) |
First Presbyterian Church, Pittsford
| 4:30PM | Moravian Singstunde Organizer and lecturer: Nola Reed Knouse (Director, Moravian Music Foundation) Organist: Jack Mitchener (Mercer University) |
| 5:45PM | Catered dinner |
Sacred Heart Cathedral, Rochester
| 8PM | Concert of chant and chant-inspired organ repertoire, including alternation practices, featuring Edoardo Bellotti, Nathan Laube, Stephen Kennedy, and the Christ Church Schola Cantorum Public admission: $15 regular/$10 student; tickets available at the door |
Friday, October 28
Third Presbyterian Church
| 9AM-Noon | Master classes with Eastman Organ students
James E. Bobb: Leading nontraditional/multicultural hymnody from the organ James E. Bobb, Aaron David Miller, Rick Erickson (Christ the King Lutheran Church, Houston, Texas): Improvising introductions and accompaniments to congregational hymns |
| Noon-2PM | Lunch on your own in downtown Rochester |
Christ Church
|
2-5PM |
Lecture-demonstrations Chair: Roger Freitas (Eastman School of Music) Frederick Gable: The organ and congregational song in 17th-century Hamburg Kerala Snyder: The organ and congregational song in 17th-century Lübeck Jacob Fuhrman (Eastman School of Music): Metrical psalms in 18th-century Netherlands Derek Remeš (Eastman School of Music): The chorale in Germany after J. S. Bach |
| 5:15PM | Conference banquet at Max of Eastman Place, Miller Center, Eastman School of Music |
Christ Church
| 8PM | Concert featuring David Higgs and William Porter playing organ repertoire based on chorales, metrical psalms, and hymns, including congregational singing Public admission: $15 regular/$10 student; tickets available at the door |
Saturday, October 29
Christ Church and the Memorial Art Gallery
| 9AM-Noon | Open console |
