St. Bartholomew's Conservancy to Present The Philadelphia Orchestra

St. Bartholomew's Conservancy presents The Philadelphia Orchestra in a concert of organ compositions from Bach to Saint-Saëns, Elgar to Beach - Monday, June 29, 2020, at 7:00 p.m. at St. Bartholomew's Church, 325 Park Avenue, New York. David Robertson will conduct. Paolo Bordignon, St. Bartholomew's Organist and Choirmaster, will perform on the largest pipe organ in New York City (12,400+ pipes), including its "Celestial Division" housed in the newly restored St. Bartholomew's Great Dome.

The repertoire will include selections and excerpts of compositions for organ and orchestra from the 16th - 20th centuries - works by the French and Belgian composers Gigout (a pupil of Saint-Saëns), Jongen, Fauré ("Pie Jesu" from Requiem), Duruflé (whose musical training spanned the Rouen Cathedral to Notre Dame), Saint-Saëns (the finale of his Symphony No. 3, "Organ"); Gabrieli's late 16th century Canzon in Double Echo; a late work by American composer Amy Beach, Prelude on an Old Folk Tune; Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1; and two works by Bach, including Leopold Stokowski's orchestration of the master's Little Fugue in G minor. Full concert repertoire is listed below.

General Admission Tickets begin at $75, and can be purchased online at www.stbconservancy.org/phil-orch-organ-concert or by phone at 212-710-9694.

With this performance by The Philadelphia Orchestra, the spirit of Leopold Stokowski returns to New York. In 1905, St. Bartholomew's Church, located at the time on Madison Avenue, brought the then unknown conductor from Europe to New York to become its Organist and Choirmaster. Stokowski's arrival in the City prompted noteworthy changes in musical performance, beginning with adding female voices to a church choir.

The St. Bartholomew's Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ, a superb example of the American Classic Organ, is the largest in New York City and among the largest in the world. A full history of the instrument is available at: www.stbarts.org/music/pipe-organ/. Completed in 1930, St. Bartholomew's Church on Park Avenue is likewise an outstanding example of the work of architect Bertram G. Goodhue. The building's main entrance is through the renowned Triple Portal, designed in 1903 by Stanford White of McKim, Mead & White, and inspired by the porch of France's Abbey Church of St. Gilles-du-Gard, one of Medieval Europe's grandest pilgrimage destinations. Its bronze doors and friezes are the work of distinguished American sculptors Philip Martiny, Herbert Adams, and Andrew O'Connor, the last in collaboration with sculptor Daniel Chester French. The interior contains works by architectural sculptor Lee Lawrie and mosaicist and muralist Hildreth Meière, whose work can also be seen at Rockefeller Center and Temple Emanu-El. In 2016 St. Bartholomew's Church and Community House were designated a National Historic Landmark.

The Gala evening will also feature a cocktail reception and post-concert dinner honoring Dr. Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel and Mutual of America Financial Group for their support of the restoration and preservation of the St. Bartholomew's site. For more information, contact The JFM Group at StBConservancy@thejfmgroup.com or go to www.stbconservancy.org/gala-organ-concert.