Juilliard Organists Perform in Short Hills

Community Congregational Church in Short Hills presents an organ concert by Patrick Kreeger and Gregory Zelek, two exciting young organists from The Juilliard School, on Sunday, April 10 at 5:00pm. Set in the church’s beautiful sanctuary, the concert will feature works by J. S. Bach, Cesar Franck, Julius Reubke, Carl Maria von Weber, and Pierre Cochereau, spanning repertoire from the 17th century to the 20th century and showcasing the magnificent music written for the organ throughout its history. The Community Church organ, built in 1965 by Austin Organs, Inc., was modeled after the famous cathedral organs of Europe, offering a dazzling palette of sounds, timbres, and dynamics.

Both Patrick Kreeger and Gregory Zelek study with Paul Jacobs, professor and Chair of the Organ Department at The Juilliard School in New York City, and are recognized as two of the most talented young organists in the country. Kreeger, currently a C. V. Starr Doctoral Fellow at Juilliard, has already developed an impressive international career, performing at esteemed venues such as Carnegie Hall, St. Patrick’s Cathedral (NYC), Musée d’Augustin (France) and numerous other venues in the US, UK, France, Italy, and Denmark. Zelek, currently a graduate student and Kovner Fellowship recipient at The Juilliard School, has been praised for his “effortless facility on the instrument” (South Florida Classical Review) and has performed at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, the Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall, and many other prestigious venues throughout the country. He was named one of the top “20 Under 30” organists by The Diapason magazine in 2016, a feature which selects the most successful young artists in the field, and has won multiple competitions, including first prize in the Rodgers North American Classical Organ Competition in 2012.

The concert is presented as part of the church’s Community Arts Series, a program that seeks to provide a wide variety of quality arts programming to the community. The Series has attracted touring opera companies, baroque ensembles, chamber musicians, and more. General admission tickets ($10) will be sold at the door.

Community Congregational Church is located at 200 Hartshorn Drive, Short Hills, NJ 07078. Visit CommunityChurch.org for more information on the concert, the Community Arts Series, and Community Congregational Church.