Sunday, November 27, 2005, at 7:30 PM

David Higgs, Chair of the Organ Department at the Eastman School of Music, makes his Walt Disney Concert Hall debut in an evening recital on Sunday, November 27, at 7:30 p.m. His performance is the third of five concerts presented by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association in the 2005/2006 Organ Recital Series.

Higgs’ recital presents a varied program ranging from early to modern music, German to American, and from master (Bach) to student (Kittel). The performance begins with Bach’s Fantasy and Fugue in G minor, BWV 542, Schumann’s Canon in B minor, Franck’s Pièce héroïque, Conte’s Soliloquy, and Bolcom’s Free Fantasia on “How Firm a Foundation” and “O Zion Haste.” It is interesting to note Higgs’ selection of Pièce héroïque, which was also performed by his teacher, Frederick Swann, during the debut concert of the Walt Disney Concert Hall organ on September 30, 2004. The second half continues with Lefébure-Wely’s Boléro de concert, Op. 166, Kittel’s Two Preludes (from 16 Grosse Praeludia), and finishes with Duruflé’s Suite, Op. 5.

Upbeat Live pre-concert events take place one hour prior to each concert in BP Hall at Walt Disney Concert Hall and are free to all ticket holders. For this concert, musicologist Thomas Neenan hosts a conversation with organist David Higgs.

A visual centerpiece in the auditorium of Walt Disney Concert Hall, the organ was designed by architect Frank Gehry and built by Rosales of Rosales Organ Builders. The 6,134 pipes range in size from a pencil to a telephone pole, and are voiced with a wide dynamic range from super pianissimo to a breathtaking fortissimo. The specially curved wood façade pipes that comprise the Violone and Basson basses were made of solid, vertical-grain Douglas fir and installed by Glatter-Götz Orgelbau, Germany. Behind the façade are three levels of pipes, including metal pipes made of tin and lead alloys and wood pipes made of Norwegian pine.

The Organ Recital Series continues on January 15, 2006 with Diane Meredith Belcher and finishes on April 23, 2006 with John Scott.

One of America’s leading concert organists, DAVID HIGGS is the chair of the organ department at the Eastman School of Music. He has inaugurated many important new instruments including those of St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Vienna; the Meyerson Symphony Center, Dallas; and the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola in New York City. Higgs appears frequently at major national and international organ festivals and conventions, including three national and eight regional conventions of the American Guild of Organists, as well as national conventions of the American Pipe Organ Builders Association and the Organ Historical Society. Recent and upcoming concerts include solo recitals at Grace Cathedral (San Francisco), Washington’s National Cathedral, Jacoby Symphony Hall (Jacksonville, FL), First Congregational Church in Los Angeles, Furman University (Greenville, SC), Vilnius University in Lithuania, this evening’s appearance in Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a regional convention of the American Guild of Organists in Colorado Springs. A native of New York City, Higgs held his first position as a church organist at age ten. He earned the Bachelor and Master of Music degrees at the Manhattan School of Music, and a Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music. His teachers have included Claire Coci, Peter Hurford, Russell Saunders, and Frederick Swann. In New York City, he was Director of Music and Organist at Park Avenue Christian Church, and later Associate Organist of the Riverside Church, where he also conducted the Riverside Choral Society. After moving to San Francisco in 1986, he became Director of Music and Organist at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Berkeley, and Organist/Choir Director at Temple Emanu-El in San Francisco. He was appointed to the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music upon graduation from that institution, and was later the Director of Church Music Studies at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley. He was appointed to the faculty of the Eastman School of Music in 1992, and since that time his students have won major competitions and hold many of the top positions in the United States.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, under Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen, presents the finest in orchestral and chamber music, recitals, new music, jazz, world music and holiday concerts at two of the most remarkable places anywhere to experience music — Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. In addition to a 30-week winter subscription season at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the LA Phil presents a 12-week summer festival at the legendary Hollywood Bowl, summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and home of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. In fulfilling its commitment to the community, the Association’s involvement with Los Angeles extends to educational programs, community concerts and children's programming, ever seeking to provide inspiration and delight to the broadest possible audience.

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

Sunday, November 27, 2005, at 7:30 PM

WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL, 111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles



DAVID HIGGS, organ



BACH Fantasy and Fugue in G minor, BWV 542

SCHUMANN Canon in B minor

FRANCK Pièce héroïque

CONTE Soliloquy

BOLCOM Free Fantasia on “How Firm a Foundation” and “O Zion Haste”

LEFÉBURE-WELY Boléro de concert, Op. 166

KITTEL Two Preludes (from 16 Grosse Praeludia)

DURUFLÉ Suite, Op. 5



An Upbeat Live pre-concert event takes place one hour prior to the concert in BP Hall at Walt Disney Concert Hall, and is free to all ticket holders. Musicologist Tom Neenan hosts a conversation with organist David Higgs.

Tickets ($16-$43) are on sale now at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office, online at LAPhil.com, or via credit card phone order at 323.850.2000. A limited number of $10 rush tickets for seniors and full time students may be available at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office two hours prior to the performance. Valid identification is required; one ticket per person; cash only. Groups of 12 or more may be eligible for special discounts for selected concerts and seating areas. For all information, please call 323.850.2000.

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