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CORTLAND, NY

Organ, Brass, and Choir Extravaganza!

Come and enjoy an evening of triumphant organ, brass, and choral music while surrounded by neo-Gothic splendor! St. Mary's Church, (46 N. Main St., Cortland), will host an American Guild of Organists Outreach Concert on Saturday, January 24th, at 7 p.m.

Our sanctuary was recently fully repainted and restored in time for the centennial of our building in 2013. We have some of the finest examples of stained glass in upstate New York, a resplendent white marble reredoes / high altar, and an acoustically reverberant worship space.

Our organ is an 1896 Morey & Barnes tracker-action, one of only two still in existence, in magnificent condition, with a stop-list that can enable an organist to play Baroque, Classical, Romantic, or 20th Century music. The original pump-handle is still attached to the wind chest, and still functions, in the unlikely event of a power outage!

Featured highlights of the concert will include a piece for organ, brass, and choir by local, nationally-published composer Lynn Arthur Koch; the talent of legendary organists Paulette Frye and (it is rumored) Jim Shultes as well, both for over three decades having graced their own individual congregations and the community at large with sensitive service playing, in addition to thrilling performances of great organ literature; an organ improvisation by Emmanuel Sikora, a recent graduate of Queens College and SUNY Binghamton, with Masters degrees in composition and conducting; St. Mary's Brass Ensemble, directed by Michael Poole; and St. Mary's Choir & guests, directed by Armand Di Scenna.

A splendid evening will be had by all --- this concert is free, and is sponsored by the Syracuse AGO. Come and enjoy some magnificent music with us, and then join us for refreshments afterwards to meet with the artists.