PORTLAND — Portland Municipal Organist James Kennerley will present a live-streamed concert from Merrill Auditorium at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, presented by the Friends of the Kotzschmar Organ. This is the first artistic performance in the hall since its closure in March due to the Coronavirus pandemic, and the first-ever live-streamed concert for the recently-turned 112-year-old Kotzschmar Organ.
The concert will include beloved work of the master of organ composition, Johann Sebastian Bach. Kennerley will present “Back with Bach,” a re-imagined Bach program for an online audience. The concert was to be a rescheduled in-person event to replace the previously canceled March 20 annual Bach Birthday Bash. Kennerley will be live in the auditorium and bring Bach favorites to all Kotzschmar fans logging onto the free concert.
Kennerley said, “I can’t wait to share the music of J.S. Bach in my concert, “Back with Bach,” live-streamed from the mighty Kotzschmar Organ in Merrill Auditorium. The program features his greatest hits, selected to show off the myriad colors and sounds and the 7,101 pipes of the Kotzschmar Organ. Bach’s music has the power to inspire, to haunt and to transform us. His organ music reflects the very best of what we as a human race are capable of. Now, more than ever, we need this source of beauty and truth in our lives.”
Kennerley, is an award-winning keyboardist, conductor, composer and tenor. Hailing from Great Britain, he has performed at major music venues throughout the U.S. and Europe, including Carnegie Hall and the Royal Albert Hall.
Attendees are asked to reserve their free access at PortTIX.com. Reservations are required in order to receive the live-stream link prior to the event. The musical selections can be found on the concert page of the Kotzschmar Organ website, https://foko.org/event/bach/.
The Kotzschmar Organ (www.foko.org), dedicated in 1912, is one of only two municipal organs in the U.S. with a municipal organist. Housed in Merrill Auditorium, the Kotzschmar offers an annual concert series featuring guest artists from around the world.
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