An ‘audience spellbound’: Kansas City festival brings three free hours of organ music

Some of the area’s finest musicians will be pulling out all the organ stops at the the French Organ Music Festival XI Aug. 27 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. The free, three-hour festival will feature music by Dupré, Gounod, Duruflé and other French masters who have written spectacular music for organ.

Mario Pearson, principal organist and director of music for the cathedral and also chairman of the festival, is the mastermind who came up with the idea for the festival 11 years ago.

“I have to pinch myself because I cannot believe where the time has gone,” Pearson said. “It takes so much work to put on the festival, but I have such a wonderful team to help me produce it each year. It’s all worth it when I see the audience spellbound by the organists.”

As he has in years past, Pearson has lined up a remarkable group of organists for this year’s festival. The program will begin with Peiyao Yu, who has a doctorate in piano and is assistant organist at Country Club Christian Church.

“Peiyao is an interesting person,” Pearson said. “She’s a KU student, who already has a doctorate in piano performance, and became interested in the organ. She’s just a firecracker at the console.”

Yu will perform “Méditations sur le Mystère de la Sainte Trinité” by Olivier Messiaen, known for his psychedelic, mystical music. It should be a mind-blowing start to the festival. Yu will also play “Variations on a Noël” by Marcel Dupré.

Trevor Good is also a student at the University of Kansas, where he is studying organ performance under James Higdon and the illustrious French organist Olivier Latry. He’ll perform the Suite , Op. 5 by Maurice Duruflé.

Tom Vozzella is organist and director of music at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church and a festival mainstay. He’s returning to perform the Mass No. 1 by Léon Boëllmann. Vozzella is also bringing one of his choir members from St. Andrew’s for other selections.

“Tom and Lauren Auge are going to do a couple of pieces by Gounod and Massenet,” Pearson said. “Tom’s program is a little more on the Romantic side of things. He is such a creative musician.”

Paul Turner, who is pastor at Immaculate Conception, is also a highly regarded organist. He’ll be playing a work by Jean Langlais that depicts episodes in the life of Christ.

“I helped Father Turner with the registrations for the Langlais,” Pearson said. “He’s doing all three movements from Langlais’ ‘Poèmes Evangelique.’ The final movement, ‘Les Rameaux,’ is really flashy, and Father Paul plays it so well.”

Yet another KU student taking part this year is Audrey Pickering, who is pursuing a master’s degree in organ performance. She is also director of music at Peace Lutheran Church.

“This is the second time Audrey will play the festival,” Pearson said. “Last time she played music by Jehan Alain, and this time she’ll be playing his Organ Suite. She’s a fine, fine organist.”

Alain was not only a magnificent composer but also a war hero. A French partisan during World War II, at the age of 29 he was mortally wounded in a shoot-out with German soldiers. The tragedy cut short the life of a composer whose music is some of the most unique in the repertoire.

Jan Kraybill always concludes the festival in grand style, and this year is no different. She had the brilliant idea of playing an organ transcription of Saint-Saëns’ “Carnival of the Animals.” Hearing all the animals portrayed on the organ should be a delight.

“Jan is such a brilliant organist,” Pearson said. “She has such a gift, not only technically, but her registrations and everything is so well thought out. I’m quite sure the audience will rise to their feet again at the end of that performance.”

Audience members can view Pearson’s excellent program notes and close-ups of the organists on a large video screen. This year, he’s adding a video screen to make them more accessible to everyone in the cathedral. There is no French café this year because the cathedral is building a new parish center, which is also causing parking headaches, but Pearson says not to worry.

“We’re a construction zone at the cathedral, so there is limited parking,” Pearson said. “But there is free parking available in the parking garage east of Broadway and 12th, next to the Folly Theater. The parking is free, but you need a bar code to exit. The bar code is available on our web site, kcgolddome.org.”

The festival schedule

The festival runs from 2 to 5 p.m. Aug. 27 at Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, 416 W. 12th St. Free. kcago.com.

2-2:30 p.m, Peiyao Yu

2:30-3 p.m. Trevor Good

3-3:30 p.m. Thomas Vozzella and Lauren Auge

3:30-4 p.m. Paul Turner

4-4:30 p.m. Audrey Pickering

4:30-5 p.m. Jan Kraybill

You can reach Patrick Neas at patrickneas@kcartsbeat.com and follow his Facebook page, KC Arts Beat, at www.facebook.com/kcartsbeat.