Friends of Music 50th Anniversary

BECKERATH ORGAN RECITAL

Sunday, November 6 at 4:00pm

St. Stephen's Church

119 Main Street, Millburn

Suggested $15 cash donation at the door.

Join us as we celebrate over 50 years of our beautiful Beckerath organ with special guest artist, French organist Johann Vexo, Organist of the Choir at Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, followed by a reception and an opportunity to meet the artist.

Mr Vexo’s program, carefully chosen to demonstrate this instrument’s unique qualities, will include virtuoso works by J.S. Bach, Buxtehude, Händel, and Mozart.

This organ recital, originally scheduled for April of 2020, is the long-awaited final performance of our 50th Anniversary Beckerath Organ Recital Series. St. Stephens has been sharing this exceptionally fine instrument with the greater community by presenting an organ recital series each year since the organ was installed.

John Schucker, organist for the parish, says that plans to invite Mr. Vexo from Paris developed immediately after the devastating fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in April of 2019. Unfortunately, this final program meant to celebrate the organ’s important anniversary in 2020 had to be tabled till now due to the corona virus pandemic. Finally, the parish is excited to complete it’s celebration, two and a half years later.

Designed and built for the interior of St. Stephen’s Church by the celebrated German organ builder Rudolf von Beckerath, the 1970 tracker organ takes its primary inspiration from the golden age of 17th and 18th century North German organ building in the time of Bach and Buxtehude. It’s full mechanical (tracker) key action is faithful to the earlier organs. More modern additions include a swell division for greater versatility, with electricity supplying the wind pressure to activate the pipes.

The St. Stephen’s Beckerath organ has proven a delight to play and a revelation to hear. Designed to be heard in this outstanding example of the 19th-century Gothic revival church architecture, it has become a major cultural resource, drawing an audience from throughout the state and concert organists from across America and Europe.

Johann Vexo was born in the French city of Nancy, close to the borders of Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany. Influenced by the rich musical and cultural heritage of this part of Europe, Johann’s training and performance career developed rapidly and at age 25 he was appointed Choir Organist at the Cathedral of Notre Dame, Paris. Soon thereafter he was also appointed Organist of the Cavaillé-Coll organ of the Cathedral in Nancy. He is also Professor of Organ at the Conservatory as well as the Superior Music Academy in Strasbourg.

Johann Vexo began his organ studies with Christophe Mantoux at the Strasbourg Conservatory where he was awarded Premier Prix in organ. He continued at the Paris Conservatory where his teachers included Michel Bouvard and Olivier Latry for organ and Thierry Escaich and Philippe Lefebvre for improvisation.

He has performed extensively throughout Europe, the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and Russia including performances in Auckland, Chicago, Geneva, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Montréal, Munich, New York, Saint Petersburg, San Francisco and Vienna. Known for his generous, supportive, and captivating teaching style, Mr. Vexo has taught master classes at Rice University, the Curtis Institute of Music, the University of Michigan.

Johann Vexo has made several recordings of French classical and German romantic music on historic French organs. His most recent recording, performed on the great organ of Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, was released on the JAV label. He has over 50 performance videos featured on YouTube.

Johann Vexo is represented in North America exclusively by Phillip Truckenbrod Concert Artists, LLC.

“Vexo, choir organist at Notre-Dame in Paris and organist of Nancy Cathedral, is clearly a rising star. He certainly played to this particular instrument’s strengths…and his very physical approach to playing was borne out in wonderfully rhythmic music-making, the kind you feel as well as hear. He clearly sensed, and expressed, the dance at the heart of nearly all baroque music. These were performances that belied any notion of organ playing as dull or dutiful or pompous.”

Scott Cantrell, The Dallas Morning News, April 2016

“…superbly conceived…but also greatly enjoyable…superb understanding of style and flawless technique…sumptuous. Those who were able to attend the Kincoppal-Rose Bay event were treated to a wonderful afternoon of music making, being briefly transported to the delightful world of French music of a period when its artistic creativity was of the highest order.”

Kelvin Hastie, The Sydney Organ Journal, Australia, 2017

“Phenomenal playing; meticulous, imaginative, creative, delightful. The audience absolutely loved him!”

Russell Weismann, St. Jane de Chantal Catholic Church, Bethesda, MD, 2015

St. Stephen's Organ recitals are made possible by the financial support of the Friends of Music. The St. Stephen’s Friends of Music group is dedicated to sharing the gift of beautiful music with the wider community. As you are able, please consider supporting the series as a Friend of Music with a tax deductible donation. 

Please make checks payable to:

St. Stephen's Church - Friends of Music

PHILANTHROPISTS $300+

BENEFACTORS $200 - $299

PATRONS $100 - $199

SPONSORS (as able)