Concert & Recital
The Basilica's Summer Organ Recital Series is held every Sunday in June through August each year in which recitals are given on both the Crypt and Upper Church organs. International players participate in the series and in 2009 the recitals will feature performers from the USA, Great Britain, Germany and France. 2009 will mark the 25th anniversary of the death of the great French organist Pierre Cochereau. This significant figure of the French Organ tradition, forever recognized as the 'Organist of Notre-Dame,' was not only an unrivalled improviser of his time, but also an important and influential musician; he was a Conservatoire Director devoted to the musical education of young people and remained continually committed to furthering the organ's artistic aesthetic in places where it was perhaps less appreciated.
The 2009 recital series at the Basilica will mark the 25th anniversary of his death by featuring music that he both wrote and improvised - music that has been transcribed into musical score by a number of contemporary players. All the performers in the series will present a different aspect of Cochereau's art, but will be united in making the series an effective hommage à Cochereau.
The programs will reflect the associations Cochereau enjoyed with the great Parisian churches he served - Saint-Roch, Saint-Sulpice and Notre-Dame -the music he played and indeed the teachers and friends he held in high regard.
For more information about the concerts at the National Shrine please contact the music office at 202-526-8300, ext. 120 or via email at muslit@bnsic.org. We hope that you will enjoy hearing the Basilica’s great organs at some point during the series.
