Baylor's Midwinter Organ Conference Set For Feb. 15-17

by Richard Veit

Baylor University will present its 10th annual Midwinter Organ Conference Feb. 15-17, with all events free and open to the public.
Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the McLane Organ, the conference will open at 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15, with a graduate recital by Baylor organ student Jason Farris in Jones Concert Hall in the Glennis McCrary Music Building. At 6:30 p.m., there will be a hymn festival in the sanctuary of Seventh and James Baptist Church, followed at 8 p.m. by Baylor organ majors performing "Organ Music of the 20th Century," featuring such composers as Vierne, Bonnet, Sowerby, Heiller, Litaize and Dupré. The organ concert will be held in Jones Concert Hall.
A recital called "Organ Plus" - featuring music for organ with trumpet, oboe, violin, harp, flute, and voice - will begin at 10:30 a.m. Monday, Feb. 16, in Powell Chapel at Truett Seminary. Organist Anthony Williams, winner of several significant competitions, will present a lecture-recital on "Organ Music of Black and African American Composers at 4 p.m. in Roxy Grove Hall. At 7:30 p.m. in Jones Concert Hall, organist Jeffrey Brillhart will perform music of Reger, Vierne and others, as well as his own keyboard and pedal improvisations.
The final day of the conference, Tuesday, Feb. 17, will feature three events - a recital by Anthony Williams at 4:10 p.m. in Roxy Grove Hall, a carillon recital by Herbert Colvin and Joyce Jones at 5:15 p.m. in the tower of Pat Neff Hall, and a performance by Baylor alum Bradley Welch, winner of the 2003 Dallas International Organ Competition, at 7:30 p.m. in Jones Concert Hall.
In addition to the public recitals, the Midwinter Organ Conference will offer workshops, discussions, master classes and lectures. For more information, call the Baylor keyboard division office at (254) 710-1417.