Paul Jacobs, organist 12/03/06

Sunday, December 3, 2006
3:00 P.M.
Mead Memorial Chapel

Fine musical instruments regularly turn up in the Performing Arts Series: a Guadagnini or Stradivarius violin, a beautiful harpsichord, or a particularly elegant flute, for example. Yet there is another fine instrument right here atMiddlebury, all the time: the Gress-Miles organ in Mead Chapel, recently refurbished and enhanced. Paul Jacobs, chair of the organ department at Juilliard, brings this remarkable device soaring to life. Still in his 20s, he has already established himself as one of the world’s most important players of the King of Instruments. “The full house was ringing with cheers even before the final chordwas released.”—American Organist.

Performing Arts Series Director Paul Nelson commented, "Last spring Emory Fanning told us that we really should put an organist on the Performing Arts Series as soon as possible; the Gress-Miles organ in Mead Chapel was recently enhanced and refurbished, ready for recital performances. He had, he said, a short list of suggested players. Then serendipity took over.

Only a couple of days later, the Rev. Terence Gleeson of St. Stephen’s Church saw us before a recital by Paul Lewis and mentioned that he knew a brilliant New York organist, the chairman of the organ department at the Juilliard School and artist in residence at Christ and St. Stephen’s Church, who would love to come to Middlebury to play a recital. This artist happened to be on Emory Fanning’s list,

so we called him right away, left a message on his answering machine, and a day later heard from him. What date had we in mind? It was late in the booking season, so we went for broke and suggested the single ideal date, December 3. Paul Jacobs remarked that, from September to Christmas, that date was the only one he had free.

One is used to reading press materials for artists, which always praise them. But the volume and voice of the reviews of Paul Jacobs’s playing surpasses most. He will play a program of works by J. S. Bach, Mendelssohn, Max Reger, John Weaver,and César Franck."

Tickets: $15/12/5. http://go.middlebury.edu/tickets or 802-443-MIDD (6433).

Concert Program:

BACH Sinfonia from Cantata No. 29

BACH Trio Sonata in G Major, BWV 530
     I.  Vivace
    II.  Lento
   III.  Allegro

MENDELSSOHN Sonata No. 1 in F Minor, Op. 65
    I.  Allegro moderato e serioso
   II.  Adagio
  III.  Andante Recitativo
  IV. Allegro assai vivace

 Intermission

WEAVER Fantasia for Organ

FRANCK Prelude, Fugue, et Variation, Op. 18

REGER Fantasia and Fugue on BACH, Op. 46

Artist Biography:

Paul Jacobs, organist

Paul Jacobs, chairman of the organ department at New York’s prestigious Juilliard School at Lincoln Center, was appointed to the Juilliard faculty in 2003 at the age of 26 making him one of the youngest faculty appointments in the school’s history. He has, as The Plain Dealer in Cleveland noted, “risen to the top of his field with unusual speed.”

Paul Jacobs came to national attention as a concert organist in 2000 when he twice performed the complete organ works of J.S. Bach in 14 consecutive evenings, in New York City and Philadelphia. Later in the year he trumped that achievement by performing the complete works again in a spectacular 18-hour non-stop marathon in Pittsburgh. In 2000 he was a featured performer for the national convention of the American Guild of Organists in Seattle and in 2004 was a featured artist at the organization’s national convention in Los Angeles. In 2005 he will be a featured performer at the national convention of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians held in New York City.

A recitalist possessing a huge repertoire, Paul Jacobs has memorized the complete organ works of Brahms, Franck, and Duruflé, much Messiaen, most of Bach, and a vast range of other organ literature. In 2002 he performed the complete organ works of Messiaen in a series of nine-hour one-day marathons in six American cities: Chicago, Washington DC, Atlanta, San Francisco, Minneapolis, and Seattle, and has more recently repeated the extraordinary performance in New York City. He has performed throughout the United States as well as in South America, Asia, Australia, Canada, and Europe.

The Chicago Tribune has called Paul Jacobs "one of the most supremely gifted young organists of his generation," and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel has reported that he is “Hailed as the next great American organist.” Paul Jacobs’ prominence at a relatively early age can be attributed to his natural ability to communicate with his audiences and his “charismatic showmanship and unflagging exuberance”(The Wall Street Journal).

Mr. Jacobs has been a featured artist on Public Radio International's "Pipedreams," Bavarian Radio, Brazilian Arts Television, ABC television’s World News Tonight, NPR’s Morning Edition, and Minnesota Public Radio. He has captured first prizes in numerous competitions, including the 1999 Fort Wayne National Organ Competition, and the 1998 Albert Schweitzer National Organ Competition. He is the first organist ever to be honored with the Harvard Musical Association's prestigious Arthur W. Foote Award. At Yale University, he was awarded numerous honors including the Dean's Prize and the Faculty Prize of the Institute of Sacred Music. His debut recording was released in 2004 on the JAV label and features an unedited release of an all-Bach program.

Paul Jacobs began studying the piano at the age of six and the organ at age 13. By the age of 15 he was appointed head organist of a parish of 3,500 families in his hometown of Washington, Pennsylvania, continuing his organ studies with George Rau and his piano studies with Susan Woodard. He received a full scholarship to study at the Curtis Institute of
Music in Philadelphia and graduated as a double major, studying organ with John Weaver and harpsichord with Lionel Party. He subsequently received the Master of Music degree and Artist Diploma from Yale, studying organ with Thomas Murray. In 2005 he was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Yale School of Music, along with violinist Syoko Aki and composer Daniel Asia.

The organist was be featured in a full Easter Sunday program on “St. Paul Sunday” broadcast nationally and internationally by American Public Media on Easter 2006, which will be repeated in 2007, and 2008. In July 2007 he will be a judge at the St. Albans International Organ Competition in England, the oldest such competition in Europe.

For more info, please contact: Phillip Truckenbrod Concert Artists, www.concertartists.com or JAV Recordings, www.greatorgancds.com

Press Quotes

"A New Prince for the King of Instruments" -- Minnesota Public Radio

"One of the world's most celebrated organists" -- Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

"Paul Jacobs, who at just 29 is among the organ's youngest and most accomplished champions...Mr. Jacobs' performances have stirred a renaissance of appreciation for organ music among critics andaudiences not typically engaged by the instrument." -- American Public Media

"One of the most supremely gifted young organists of his generation." -- Chicago Tribune

"Charismatic showmanship and unflagging exuberance." The Wall Street Journal

"An exceptional musical experience....supple technique and
vivid interpretive imagination." -- The New York Times

"If there is such a thing as an organ prodigy, Paul Jacobs seems to be it...a major-league talent." -- Gramophone

"Jacobs has established himself as one of the most innovative and inspiring organists at work today." -- Tulsa World

"Paul Jacobs has set the organ world on fire with his uncanny mastery. A phenomenon...charismatic performance style and exceptional technique." -- The News & Observer, Raleigh NC

"Radiant playing...staggering talents." -- Newsday, New York

"We crowded into the chapel to hear Paul Jacobs dazzle us with memorized performances....Mr. Jacobs was the very embodiment of the music. The full house was ringing with cheers even before the final chord was released." --  The American Organist, 2005 convention review