The historic 1883 Hook & Hastings OPUS 1144 pipe organ has been the star of many concerts since its installation at Holy Communion Episcopal Church. Currently, plans are being made for a Christmas-themed concert to be held on Saturday, December 16th. This event will feature Max Yount, organist, at the beautifully restored Hook and Hastings organ of 1883. The concert will be equally divided between music for the solo organ, and music in which the organ will accompany Kay Schultz, trumpeter, and two talented high-school-age violinists in splendid arrangements of carols for the season. Schultz is a long-time orchestra musician and educator, and a member of Madison-based Ladies Who Swing. Sarah Sites, violinist, comes to us from Woodstock IL; Jack Klug, violinist, is from Lake Geneva.

Yount will play a variety of selections from the great organ music of the past. Central is the finale of Mendelssohn’s Organ Sonata, Opus 65, no. 4, in which a brilliant fugue rises to a heroic climax. Moving to the earlier time of Bach, the 18th century, we will hear Bach’s ever popular “In Dir ist Freude” (In Thee is Joy), which is often a postlude to Christmas Eve worship; and his meditative chorale prelude on “Nun komm’, der Heiden Heiland” (Savior of the nations, Come), BWV 659. Two of Bach’s French contemporaries, Nicolas LeBègue and Louis-Claude Daquin will be heard in old French carols with variations — pieces of pure charm, which organists play during the Advent/Christmas season. Moving to music of an earlier time, Yount will perform a series of dances from the 16th century, which reflect an international store of rhythmic steps and languages — German, French, English, Alsatian and Hungarian.

Kay Schultz and her trumpets will sound a big call to attention with the opening sinfonia of Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s Te Deum, which is baroque style at its most splendid; and she will close the program with a virtuosic arrangement of “Joy to the World” by Christine Harmon. Also, she will play brilliant arrangements of “Bring a Torch, Isabella” and “O Holy Night.”

Jack Klug, violin, will perform a lovely arrangement of “Lo, How a Rose e’er Blooming,” and Sarah Sites, violin, will play an expressive arrangement of “I Wonder as I Wander”. It will be a beautiful program.

This concert is scheduled to begin at 4:30pm on Saturday, December 16th at 320 Broad Street in Lake Geneva. Advance tickets are available for $30. To obtain tickets, an order link can be found on the church’s website events page: https://wwwholycommunionlakegeneva.com/general-1-2. Please direct any questions to the church office at 262-248-3522.