1967 Schlicker organ at Plymouth Congregational Church, Seattle, Washington

He’s absolutely the best tonic for any time of year. On our next Pipedreams program, we anticipate the coming of spring and celebrate the March birthday of arguably the world’s finest composer, Johann Sebastian Bach. Drawing on some exclusive-to-Pipedreams recital recordings from the American Guild of Organists Convention in Seattle, you’ll hear James David Christie at Saint Alphonsus Church, Christa Rakich at Saint Mark’s Cathedral, Paul Jacobs at Epiphany Episcopal, and Robert Bates at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma. Also James Kibbie at University of Michigan, Peter Sykes in Reykjavik, Iceland, and Bill Chouinard at the Wooddale Church in Minnesota. It’s a Prelude in C, a Concerto in G, and other music sent Vom Himmel hoch, from heaven above. American organists recorded in recital in Seattle, Eden Prairie, Ann Arbor, and Reykjavik celebrate the change of seasons and honor one of history’s all-time greats. We offer Bach for Springtime, this week on Pipedreams.

It’s about knowing both sides, when to hold back in thoughtfulness and when to rush impetuously forward, to know the heart of a piece beyond just the muscle. On our next Pipedreams, eight very aware young talents, recent award winners in a national competition, show us their stuff and tell us their dreams. The names of Michael Costello, Jeeyen Son, Svetlana Fiahkretdinova, Cara Dye, Todd Fickley, Tom Trenney, Grace Renaud, and Frederick Teardo may still be new to you but among them likely are some of the heroes of tomorrow. Whether in sweet serenity or soulful soaring, eight twenty-something young artists prove that the future’s been well-provided for by the talents they are husbanding today. Bask in their glow, Rising Stars, this week on Pipedreams.

The idea of the pipe organ may be old, but those who are excited about playing it certainly are not!