For much of my adult life, if it was summer, I would be taking the opportunities to gather with my colleagues at an organists convention (American Guild of Organists = AGO) or church musicians conference (Association of Lutheran Church Musicians = ALCM). I’ve also attended conventions of the Royal College of Canadian Organists (RCCO) and the Association of Anglican Musicians (AAM).
This summer (as well as last) all in-person conferences like this have had to be cancelled and replaced by virtual performances. Last year the American Guild of Organists presented AGO Organfest, Beauty in the midst of chaos.
Here is what is written on the Organfest website. This year’s theme is Beauty endures.
The backbone of OrganFest is a collection of performances from all seven AGO regions, presented on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings. These programs will also include mini-documentaries highlighting some of our colleagues, as well as an improvised silent movie accompaniment, a featured young organist, and the winner of the National Competition in Organ Improvisation.
Today was the opening day of AGO Organfest, which began with a celebration concert by Raúl Prieta Ramírez at the outdoor Spreckels organ at San Diego’s Balboa Park.
Raúl Prieto Ramírez is the San Diego Civic Organist, in which capacity he presents more than 55 concerts per year, most of them played entirely from memory. His career is primarily that of a concert artist with a busy schedule that takes him to major festivals and concert halls around the world. He is also regularly invited to give masterclasses on both sides of the Atlantic. His performances have been described as “sizzling,” “iconoclastic,” “impeccable,” and “transcendent.”
Here are some screenshots I took from today’s performance. Now anyone can enjoy these performances— just go to the Organfest website.
As is the “norm” nowadays for virtual performances, there are lots of varied camera angles and close-up shots of the organ keyboards and pedals. Although Raúl’s performance is technically dazzling, the sound of an outdoor organ may not be so satisfying as compared to a pipe organ in a cathedral with ambient acoustics. Still the concert is stunning—the playing as well as the visuals—and I look forward to other concerts this week.
Beauty endures…
Speaking of beauty, today was also a graduation celebration for Sophia Stark, daughter of Darel and Georgine Stark, long-time collaborators in musical productions. It too was virtual (via Zoom), but I was happy to be there nevertheless. The only thing I missed was having an in-person party at the Starks’ apartment, where I have had eaten many goodies in the past!
