Last week, while scouting around for arts-related information about upcoming events, I discovered that the 2008-2009 season is going to be the “International Year of the Organ“, as proclaimed by the American Guild of Organists (AGO). There will nationally be a big push to feature organ music in greater prominence in recital/concert, increase awareness of the instrument and its capabilities, and build an expectation that attending a performance SHOULD be be a part of every music-lovers calendar. I hope that our own North Shore Chapter of the AGO will step up to the opportunity, especially on October 19, 2008 which will be an international one-day Organ Spectacular. (Yes, this is a bit early, but those of us who really enjoy organ music like to plan ahead!)
Coincidentally, last night I attended an organ recital at Faith Lutheran Church in Antioch IL. Performed in its new sanctuary (less than 2 years old), the program was part of its performing arts based concert series (one of their community outreach programs), similar to some of the churches in the Deerfield, Lake Forest, and Highland Park area.
The organist was Pastor Aaron Christie, an Associate Pastor at Faith. He earned a Master of Church Music with an emphasis in organ from Concordia University, Mequon, Wisconsin (’04), and serves at Faith as Director of Music, Director of the Sr. Choir, and Organist.
The program’s theme was “The Divine Service in Sound”, in which each of the ten pieces was reflective of a section of traditional church liturgy. As would be expected at a Lutheran Church, the talents of J.S. Bach were well represented, along with Dieterich Buxtehude, Felix Mendelssohn and others. Though every piece invoked a different atmosphere (corresponding to its liturgical equivalent), each piece was played brilliantly. In the tradition of organ recitals and concerts to present a closing piece which highlights a performer’s dexterity, the evening closed with the excellently-excuted “Toccata in D Major” by Marcel Lanquetuit”. (For those who are interested, the recital was recored and is available in MP3 format. The files have been Zipped to compress space, and allow a faster download. LINK)
Being of recent construction, the church and sanctuary are fully ADA-accessible with ample parking. The large sanctuary was designed with live performances and quality music in mind. As this was the fourth concert I’ve attended at Faith, I can attest that it is an excellent performance venue. The church is conveniently located in the NE corner of Route 59 and Grass Lake Road in Antioch [ MAP ].
Given the current and projected growth of NW Lake County, and the relative lack of quality performance venues in what is still largely rural and small-scale suburban area… the leadership of Faith Lutheran Church is to be commended to “planting” the arts in their growing community and making it accessible at no cost to the audience. Based on the last few years, those in the area who appreciate classical music will be well served!
Note: The next classical event at Faith will be a string quartet performing Franz Joseph Haydn’s “Seven Last Words of Christ” on Saturday Mar 15th at 7PM. You may call the church at 847-395-1660 for more information.
Lake County Performing Arts (LCPA) 
The King of Instruments
Posted by lakecountyperformingarts on February 24, 2008
Last week, while scouting around for arts-related information about upcoming events, I discovered that the 2008-2009 season is going to be the “International Year of the Organ“, as proclaimed by the American Guild of Organists (AGO). There will nationally be a big push to feature organ music in greater prominence in recital/concert, increase awareness of the instrument and its capabilities, and build an expectation that attending a performance SHOULD be be a part of every music-lovers calendar. I hope that our own North Shore Chapter of the AGO will step up to the opportunity, especially on October 19, 2008 which will be an international one-day Organ Spectacular. (Yes, this is a bit early, but those of us who really enjoy organ music like to plan ahead!)
Coincidentally, last night I attended an organ recital at Faith Lutheran Church in Antioch IL. Performed in its new sanctuary (less than 2 years old), the program was part of its performing arts based concert series (one of their community outreach programs), similar to some of the churches in the Deerfield, Lake Forest, and Highland Park area.
The organist was Pastor Aaron Christie, an Associate Pastor at Faith. He earned a Master of Church Music with an emphasis in organ from Concordia University, Mequon, Wisconsin (’04), and serves at Faith as Director of Music, Director of the Sr. Choir, and Organist.
The program’s theme was “The Divine Service in Sound”, in which each of the ten pieces was reflective of a section of traditional church liturgy. As would be expected at a Lutheran Church, the talents of J.S. Bach were well represented, along with Dieterich Buxtehude, Felix Mendelssohn and others. Though every piece invoked a different atmosphere (corresponding to its liturgical equivalent), each piece was played brilliantly. In the tradition of organ recitals and concerts to present a closing piece which highlights a performer’s dexterity, the evening closed with the excellently-excuted “Toccata in D Major” by Marcel Lanquetuit”. (For those who are interested, the recital was recored and is available in MP3 format. The files have been Zipped to compress space, and allow a faster download. LINK)
Being of recent construction, the church and sanctuary are fully ADA-accessible with ample parking. The large sanctuary was designed with live performances and quality music in mind. As this was the fourth concert I’ve attended at Faith, I can attest that it is an excellent performance venue. The church is conveniently located in the NE corner of Route 59 and Grass Lake Road in Antioch [ MAP ].
Given the current and projected growth of NW Lake County, and the relative lack of quality performance venues in what is still largely rural and small-scale suburban area… the leadership of Faith Lutheran Church is to be commended to “planting” the arts in their growing community and making it accessible at no cost to the audience. Based on the last few years, those in the area who appreciate classical music will be well served!
Note: The next classical event at Faith will be a string quartet performing Franz Joseph Haydn’s “Seven Last Words of Christ” on Saturday Mar 15th at 7PM. You may call the church at 847-395-1660 for more information.
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