Spreckels Organ Society

Evening concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. starting June 23. All performances free of charge.

Monday, June 23 features Anthony Newman, America’s foremost Baroque interpreter described by Wynton Marsalis as “The High Priest of Bach.”

Monday, June 30 brings Monte Maxwell, Chapel Organist and Director of Chapel Music and the Midshipmen Symphony Orchestra at the United States Naval Academy, with special guests Navy Band Southwest.

Monday, July 7 features R. Jelani Eddington, award-winning theatre organist who has toured throughout the world.

Monday, July 14 highlights Wyatt Smith, passionate rising star of the organ world and graduate student at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, joined by soprano Priti Gandhi.

Monday, July 21 brings back San Diego favorite Robert Plimpton, San Diego Civic Organist Emeritus and resident organist at the First United Methodist Church, known for his impressive mastery of the Spreckels Organ and his contagious laugh, along with special guest Marco Labastida, tenor.

Monday, July 28 brings Sven Ingvart Mikkelsen from his native Denmark, where he is the organist at Frederiksborg Castle Church in Hillerød.  Joining Mikkelsen is Jens Romer, also from Denmark, who will perform on the bombarde.

Monday, Aug. 4 brings a special performance by a trio of organists who create a Bridge to the Next 100 Years of excellent organ music: Thomas Mellan, Carol Williams, and Frederick Swann. Thomas Mellan has been named the outstanding music undergraduate at the University of Southern California while still in his freshmen year. He last performed on the Organ Pavilion stage in 2011 as one of that year’s outstanding young organists in San Diego. Carol Williams as San Diego Civic Organist is a past master of audiences and performances on the Spreckels stage. Frederick Swann is revered as past president of the American Guild of Organists, leader of music at New York City’s famous Riverside Church, and in later years at the Crystal Cathedral in Orange County. This is a substitution program for Stewart Wayne Foster, who regrets the need to bow out of this scheduled performance.

Monday, Aug. 11 features Kimberly Marshall, performer, scholar, and Professor of Music at Arizona State University where she oversees the graduate organ studio.

Monday, Aug. 18 brings the always-popular Silent Movie Night featuring Scottish organist Donald McKenzie accompanying two silent film classics: Chasing Choo Choos with Monty Banks (1927, 23 min.), a madcap, runaway train adventure, and One Week (1928, 22 min.), a Buster Keaton comedy classic in which newly married Buster is given a build yourself house by his uncle…and one week to build it.

Monday Aug. 25 features the festival season finale, Come Dancing! with San Diego Civic Organist Carol Williams and special guests, the Moonlight Serenade Orchestra.