Wednesday, June 28, 2017
8:00 – 9:15 p.m.
Cannon Memorial Chapel,
University of Richmond
36 Wilton Way, Richmond, VA 23173
This concert is cosponsored by Bliley Funeral Homes & John B. Herrington, III, M.D.
New York Polyphony; Bruce Stevens, organist
New York Polyphony
Praised for a “rich, natural sound that’s larger and more complex than the sum of its parts,” (National Public Radio) New York Polyphony is regarded as one of the finest vocal chamber ensembles in the world. The four men, “singers of superb musicianship and vocal allure,” (The New Yorker) apply a modern touch to repertoire that ranges from austere medieval melodies to cutting-edge contemporary compositions. Their dedication to innovative programming, as well as a focus on rare and rediscovered Renaissance and medieval works, has not only earned New York Polyphony critical acclaim, but also helped to move early music into the classical mainstream. Learn More
Bruce Stevens
Bruce Stevens has received accolades for his “artistic organ playing” in which “discretion, cleanness, clarity, and stylistic awareness are tempered by purely musical values…one of the few who is able to achieve expressivity in the romantic sense via agogic stresses and to do it without sentimentality.” (American Record Guide, 9/10, 2001) He is active as a recitalist in the U.S. and Europe and has performed recitals for 21 annual national conventions of the Organ Historical Society, for several regional conventions of the American Guild of Organists, and for national conventions of the American Institute of Organbuilders. Learn more
The Organ
In 1961 the German organ builder, Rudolph von Beckerath, prepared the drawings, and the University’s music director, Dr. John White, and the University organist, Professor Suzanne Kidd (later, Bunting) guided negotiations. Three German workmen from Hamburg installed the instrument in nine weeks. The organ has 1,200 pipes (40 ranks) of tin, lead and wood, the largest measuring 16 feet, the shortest being smaller and thinner than a soda straw. Robert Noehren played the dedicatory organ concert on Feb. 9, 1962.
Within a short time the von Beckerath organ became known to organists in Europe and America as one of the finest installations in the country. The organ is included in “A Collection of Noted Organs and Organists of the World,” by H.J. Winterton.
The Venue
Cannon Memorial Chapel,
University of Richmond
36 Wilton Way, Richmond, VA 23173