Friends of The Kotzchmar Organ will present the debut of James Kennerley, the 11th Municipal Organist of Portland, Maine.
James will take us on a tour of some of the greatest music of the world, including celebrated orchestral overtures by Wagner, Rossini, and Bernstein transcribed for organ solo.
We’ll also hear works by César Franck, “father” of the French symphonic organ tradition, and a piece by former Municipal Organist, Edwin Lemare that achieved worldwide fame as one of the most popular songs of the day. Also featured on the program is a piece by contemporary British composer, Jonathan Dove, as well as one or two surprises!
“I wanted to make sure that I used every sound the mighty Kotzschmar has to offer.” James says, “With five keyboards and literally hundreds of thousands of possible sound combinations, I realized that the world was my oyster! I’ve come up with a varied program that includes many of my favorite pieces as well as several new arrangements that have been composed especially for this concert.”