Virtuoso Organist Todd Wilson Debuts at the Kimmel Center Kicking Off Master Musicians Organ Series October 20
October 3, 2007
"...a fabulous virtuoso with fleet feet, a prodigious memory and technique to burn" -The Plain Dealer
One of America’s most talented and respected concert organists, Todd Wilson will make his Kimmel Center debut performing on The Fred J. Cooper Memorial Organ in Verizon Hall on Saturday, October 20 at 3pm as part of the Master Musician Organ Series. Wilson is Director of Music and Organist at The Church of the Covenant (Presbyterian) in Cleveland, OH., where he heads a program of choirs as well as a concert series. He also serves as Chairman of the Organ Department of The Cleveland Institute of Music. He has performed in major cities throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan, including concerts at Symphony Hall in Birmingham, UK, Los Angeles’ Walt Disney Concert Hall, Chicago’s Orchestra Hall, among others. His program will include: Ives’s Variations on "America;" Bach’s Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor; Conte’s Soliloquy; Bizet’s Carmen Suite; Duruflé’s Scherzo, Op. 2; Reubke’s Sonata on the 94th Psalm.
An Artist Chat will take place with Todd Wilson and Michael Barone, host of American Public Media’s "Pipe Dreams," prior to his recital in Verizon Hall.
This concert is the first in the Master Musicians Organ Series scheduled for the Kimmel Center Presents 2007/2008 season sponsored by Citi. The next concert in the series will be Hector Olivera on Saturday, February 16, 2008 at 3pm.
Tickets for Todd Wilson are priced at $19 and $28 and can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online at www.kimmelcenter.org, or at the Kimmel Center box office, open daily from 10am to 6pm and later on performance evenings. (Additional fees may apply.) For group sales call 215-790-5883.
A limited number of $10 tickets are available for every Kimmel Center Presents performance at the Kimmel Center. Tickets go on sale the day of the event and can be purchased at the Kimmel Center box office beginning 2.5 hours prior to curtain time and 11:30am for matinees. Limit one ticket per person.
"Gifted with an affinity for the grand romantic style, he presented his showy program with dignity, taste and skill. His performance, a feat of imagination and endurance, won a spontaneous standing ovation." —The Plain Dealer about Todd Wilson
Growing up, Todd Wilson discovered his love for music as an active member of the men and boys choir of Trinity Church in Toledo. He received both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Music from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati where he studied organ and piano. Wilson currently holds several other esteemed titles including Organ Curator of the recently restored Norton Memorial Organ in Severance Hall, home of the Cleveland Orchestra. He also teaches at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio.
Wilson has performed in concert halls around the globe, and he has won several prestigious national and international competitions for his organ playing including: the Grand Prix de Chartres in France, the Fort Wayne Competition, the Strader National Competition and the national competition sponsored by the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles. He also holds the record for the highest national exam score from the American Guild of Organists. A highly sought-after adjudicator, he has served on the jury of numerous national and international competitions.
With over a dozen recordings under his name, his most recent releases include Live from Severance Hall and a live recital of American music from the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. (2005). In 2003, he released an album called Music for Cello and Organ, recorded with his daughter.
Kimmel Center Presents 2007/2008 season is sponsored by Citi. Support for the Mellon Jazz Series comes from The Bank of New York Mellon. The Great Orchestra Series is supported by ARC Wheeler. Additional support is provided by the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Deloitte. American Airlines is the Official Airline of Kimmel Center Presents. Toyota is the Official Vehicle of Kimmel Center Presents Mellon Jazz, Mellon Jazz Up Close and World & Pop. NBC-10 is a Media Partner for Kimmel Center Presents, and additional media sponsors include WDAS, WRTI, WJJZ, Afro-Pop, WXPN and WXPN's Kids Corner 20th Anniversary.
The Kimmel Center also receives support from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, The William Penn Foundation, The Wachovia Foundation, Verizon Foundation, PNC Foundation, The Philadelphia Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, and the Philadelphia Music Project and Dance Advance, Initiatives of The Pew Charitable Trust administered by The University of the Arts.
Free in the Plaza programming and subsidized tickets offered to the community and social service groups for $10 are made possible through the Wachovia Gateway to the Arts Community Access Program, supported by a generous grant from Wachovia Foundation.
KIMMEL CENTER PRESENTS SPONSORED BY CITI
Saturday, October 20, 2007 | 3pm
Verizon Hall
Master Musicians Organ Series
Todd Wilson, organ
IVES: Variations on "America"
BACH: Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor, BWV 582
CONTE: Soliloquy
BIZET: Carmen Suite (arr. Edwin. H. Lemare)
DURUFLÉ: Scherzo, Op. 2
REUBKE: Sonata on the 94th Psalm
The Master Musicians Organ Recitals are generously supported by the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.
FREE AT THE KIMMEL EVENTS:
Saturday, October 20, 2007 | 11pm
Commonwealth Plaza Stage
Two of a Kind
Trick or Treat! Nationally-acclaimed husband and wife duo, Two of Kind return to the Kimmel Center for a special Halloween show with singing, movement, puppets, sign language and more!
Saturday, October 20, 2007 | 1:30pm
Commonwealth Plaza Stage
Symphony in C Chamber Ensemble
Members of the Sympony in C Orchestra perform classical selections prior to the Todd Wilson recital in Verizon Hall.
Saturday, October 20, 2007 | 2:15pm
Verizon Hall
Artist Chat with Todd Wilson
Listen as Michael Barone, host of American Public Media’s "Pipe Dreams" interviews organist Todd Wilson prior to his recital in Verizon Hall.
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