Organist Emily Roy premieres at the Grand Halle

It’s not often that a highly trained classical musician performs publicly for the first time on a superior instrument, but pipe-organ enthusiasts will have the opportunity to experience such an occasion at 7:30 p.m., April 29, at the Grand Halle on Broad Street.

Organist Emily Roy will be presenting her first full-length recital, performing music by Buxtehude, Sweelinck, Bach, and Mendelssohn on the richly resonant Adam Stein pipe organ. Making the performance doubly meaningful for Roy is that the Grand Halle is where she attended her very first organ recital.

“ I have always been attracted to the power, majesty, and beauty of the pipe organ,” said Roy, who is director of music at three Johnstown area parishes, adding that she feels a sense of privilege in leading people in worship from the organ.

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Dedicating the program to the teachers who have guided her thus far, Roy will celebrate mentorship with musical selections that draw connections between musicians who were inspired by their teachers. The program opens with a bold work by Dietrich Buxtehude — “Prelude, Fugue, and Chaconne.” Buxtehude provided inspiration to the young J.S. Bach, whose “Prelude and Fugue in e minor” reflects the music of his teacher. The closing work on the program will be Mendelssohn’s “Organ Sonata No. 2.” Mendelssohn was responsible for the revival of the music of J.S. Bach which had lain dormant for nearly one hundred years. The program also includes twentieth century works by Jean Langlais and Ralph Vaughan Willliams.

Roy holds a professional music director certification through the Sacred Music Institute of America, is a member of the Johnstown Symphony Chorus and the Schola Cantorum Sancti Andreas. She will perform on the Halle’s Adam Stein pipe organ, which is historically significant, listed in the Organ Historical Society’s Pipe Organ Database, and one of only a handful of Adam Stein organs still in operating condition. Built more than 120 years ago by a German immigrant in Baltimore, Maryland, the organ is infused with the concepts of German organ construction. Its sound is rich and colorful and highly resonant within the lively acoustical environment of the Grand Halle.

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“The Adam Stein is truly a treasure in our town,” said Roy. “I’m thrilled to provide an opportunity for people to hear it.”

Tickets may be purchased in advance by going to GrandHalle.com or calling 814-254-4033. Special pricing is available for seniors and students. Ticket discounts are available for the purchase of four or more tickets to either the Emily Roy performance or the Three Rivers Saxophone Quartet program in June 1 or for both programs.

The Grand Halle on Broad Street is at 306 Broad St., Johnstown. For more information go to GrandHalle.com or call 814-254-4033.

This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Organist Emily Roy performing on Adam Stein pipe organ