Internationally acclaimed concert organist and recording artist Damin Spritzer brings her artistry to the spectacular organs of St. James Cathedral. Dr. Damin Spritzer is Area Chair and Associate Professor of Organ at the University of Oklahoma and holds degrees from the University of North Texas, the Eastman School of Music, and the Oberlin Conservatory.
She has performed at historic churches and instruments in Iceland, Germany, France, England, Brazil, Israel, Italy, and Norway, and been honored to contribute to convention performances and lectures for the American Guild of Organists, the Organ Historical Society, and the Anglican Association of Musicians. Spritzer’s acclaimed fifth CD, recorded in England, as the first American and first woman to record at Hereford Cathedral. It received five stars from Organists’ Review, which said, “Damin Spritzer’s performance is spellbinding – and her wide-ranging program notes are fascinating…on so many levels this CD impresses as a serious undertaking.” Her sixth CD, recorded in England, will be released this fall.
Alsatian-American composer René Louis Becker (1882–1956) was the topic of her doctoral research, leading to three world premiere recordings of Becker’s music in France at Saint-Salomon-Saint-Gregoire, Pithiviers, the Cathédrale Sainte-Croix, Orléans, and the Kimball organ of St. John’s Cathedral, Denver. The fourth CD, “Fantasia,” was a collaborative project with trombone. Future recording projects are planned in France and the United States.
Concert length is approximately 90 minutes, including intermission.
Program:
Improvisation sur le “Te Deum” – Charles Tournemire
Claire de Lune – Claude Debussy, trans. Alex Cellier
Fantasie und Fuge über Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern – Johanna Senfter
Piece d’Orgue, BWV 572 – Johann Sebastian Bach
Chaconne in D minor, BWV 1004 – J. S. Bach, arr. H. Messerer
INTERMISSION
Elegy – Mary Howe
Three Psalm Preludes, Set I, Op. 32: III (Psalm 23) – Herbert Howells
Symphony No. 7: Allegretto – Ludwig Van Beethoven, arr. Damin Spritzer
Rhapsody in D Minor – Alec Rowley
Te Deum – George Baker
For more information and tickets (suggested donation of $20; $12 student/senior; or pay what you can), visit https://www.stjames-cathedral.org/music/concerts/2023-10-27-Damin-Spritzer.aspx.