Celebratory Summer Concerts of Organ and Brass and Brown Bag Organ Concerts at Church of the Transfiguration

Contact: Sharon Tingley

Phone: 774-722-9569
sharont@gdaf.org

Celebratory Summer Concerts of Organ and Brass and Brown Bag Organ Concerts at the acoustically resplendent Church of the Transfiguration at the Community of Jesus

“The E.M. Skinner organ is a masterpiece of balance and harmonics, voicing, scale and color . . . breathtaking!” -The Organ Historical Society

Organ and Brass
Orleans, MA – Internationally acclaimed concert organists SharonRose Pfeiffer and James Jordan are joined by the Orleans-based Gabriel V Brass Ensemble to present celebratory summer concerts at the acoustically resplendent Church of the Transfiguration located at the Community of Jesus at Rock Harbor, Orleans, July 17 & 18. As the sun sets over Rock Harbor, guests are invited to enjoy a selection of brass and organ works by Vaughan Williams, Charles Ives, James Curnow and more.

Brown Bag Organ Concert Series
Orleans, MA -- A series of free, fun-for-all, half hour concerts on the E.M. Skinner pipe organ at the Church of the Transfiguration, Thursdays, July 16 – August 27. Buy a brown bag lunch, or bring your own, and enjoy a respite from the hectic workday or crowded beaches.

CONCERT TIMES, LOCATION, TICKETS
Summer Concerts of Organ and Brass, Friday and Saturday, July 17 & 18 at 7:30pm at the Church of the Transfiguration, Community of Jesus, Rock Harbor, Orleans (5 Bay View Drive). Tickets are $25 general ($20 Seniors) and FREE for students and youth under 18. Tickets can be purchased at the door, by calling 508-240-2400, or online at www.gdaf.org.
Brown Bag Organ Concerts are Free and held Thursdays July, 16-August 27 at 12pm.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Gabriel V, a brass ensemble of fifteen artists-in-residence at the Community of Jesus, offers the best in fanfare and solo brass works, presenting distinctive programs from classics of the Venetian School to contemporary works, as well as audience favorites such as elegant jazz and holiday fare.

Gabriel V collaborates frequently with Gloriæ Dei Cantores choir, and has toured extensively in the U.K., Europe, and Russia, and by invitation performed works by Gabrieli for the 900th anniversary celebration of Saint Mark’s Basilica in Venice, Italy. They have performed in numerous cities throughout the U.S. from New York to San Francisco.

Gabriel V has been featured in recordings with Gloriæ Dei Cantores, highlighting their extensive and exciting repertoire. They are currently preparing for a recording at Mechanics Hall later in July. For more information, visit www.gdaf.org.

SharonRose Pfeiffer has concertized extensively throughout the United States and Europe, including organ solos, recitals and radio broadcasts in New York City, at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, Wheaton College in Illinois, and also in France. The winner of a Fulbright scholarship, Dr. Pfeiffer spent a year in Toulouse, coaching with the late composer and organist Xavier Darasse, and researching organ restorations in southern France. During that year, she won first prize in the prestigious Concours Internationale des Arts Renaissance. On a concert tour of southern France, one reviewer described her playing as “exuberant…profoundly sensitive.” (La Dépêche)

A native of Ridgefield, New Jersey, Dr. Pfeiffer began her career as a church musician at the age of 13. She has served as organist/choirmaster for several major churches, implementing and developing extensive choir programs. Currently, she is an Artist-in-Residence for Gloriæ Dei Artes Foundation, and a director of the Community of Jesus youth choirs. Dr. Pfeiffer received her Bachelor of Music degree from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, summa cum laude. She earned her Masters Degree and Doctorate in organ performance at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, where she was teaching assistant to David Craighead in organ and to Arthur Haas in harpsichord. During her time in Rochester, she was also Instructor of Organ and Harpsichord at Nazareth College, and Music Consultant for the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester.

James Jordan has performed as an organ accompanist and soloist throughout the United States and Eastern and Western Europe. Cited as performing both “authoritatively and sensitively” by the Boston Globe, and as a “superb performer,” by the American Record Guide, Jordan earned his Bachelor of Music Degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, studying with Robert Anderson. As a student of David Craighead, he received his Masters Degree, Doctorate and Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. He has published in the American Choral Review and was contributing author to American Sacred Choral Music – An Overview and Handbook (Paraclete Press, 2001). Dr. Jordan has done extensive work in Gregorian Chant as a member of the Gloriæ Dei Cantores Schola, studying under the late Dr. Mary Berry. He has also been featured on numerous Gloriæ Dei Cantores recordings as well as solo organ recordings, including Olivier Messiaen: The Mystical Colors of Christ, with David Chalmers and SharonRose Pfeiffer.

About the Organ
The landmark E.M. Skinner Organ is the only organ in the world that is built in a “surround-sound” configuration with pipes suspended in mahogany cases over the two side aisles of the church. Built by Nelson Barden & Associates of Boston, the organ is a museum-quality restoration and expansion of components from seventeen twentieth-century organs of the E.M. Skinner Organ Company. When completed, it will include 150 ranks and over 12,000 pipes.