The Peoria Chapter of the American Guild of Organists is pleased to present the inaugural concert of a multi-year endowment to promote the development of 21st-century organ literature.  Dr. John C. Orfe will perform an organ recital at Westminster Presbyterian Church on Friday evening, March 31, at 7:30 pm.  The program will feature a world premiere by Dr. Orfe alongside works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, Camille Saint-Saëns, and Sir James MacMillan.

Sir James MacMillan, whose choral anthem “Who Shall Separate Us” was memorably sung at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, is represented by his brilliant and colorful stand-alone Toccata.  Johannes Brahms’ stand-alone Fugue in A-flat minor is a distillation of highly expressive (and highly advanced!) contrapuntal study.  Camille Saint-Saëns, justly celebrated for his “Organ” Symphony, proves equally excellent in his music for solo organ, here represented by the Prelude and Fugue in E-flat major, Op. 99, No. 3.  Of particular significance on the program is Johann Sebastian Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 538 (“Dorian”), whose scope, architectural design, and virtuosity exceed Bach’s more famous piece in the same key.

Admission to this concert is free. However, free-will offerings will be accepted for the continued support of the Peoria AGO Chapter.

“What goes through your mind as you sit in the sanctuary and look around?

As I sit in my pew and look up at the cross with the wonderful light illuminating it, I am reminded of why I am at Westminster on this particular day. The cross reminds me that Christ died for me and, in a sense, I am to do the same in my daily life. The brightness of the cross illustrates for me the brightness of living my life in the way of Christ.”