Saint Vincent Concert Series will present Pennsylvania Pipes! Three Pennsylvanian Organists in Concert at 7 p.m. Saturday, February 15 in the Saint Vincent Archabbey Basilica, Latrobe. Organists Donald Fellows, J. Christopher Pardini and Wesley Parrott will perform a variety of pieces.
Donald K. Fellows, a native of Glen Cove, New York, is organist and director of music of Saint Paul Cathedral and faculty member of the Department of Music of the University of Pittsburgh providing organ instruction. He is past chair of the Conference of Roman Catholic Cathedral Musicians, an organization in which he has been active since 1984. He is a former dean of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, and a former director of that organization’s Organ Artists Series. He earned the bachelor of music degree and master of music degree from the State University of New York at Fredonia in 1980 and 1987, respectively. He pursued further studies in Cambridge, England in 1985 in the Cambridge Choral Studies Institute.
J. Christopher Pardini maintains an active concert schedule as a concert organist both in the United States and abroad. Serving as organist and director of music at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral, Greensburg, Pardini earned the bachelor of music degree in sacred music from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, where he was an organ student of Donald McDonald and Eugene Roan. He also earned the master of music degree in organ performance and literature from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, where he was a student of David Higgs. The first-place winner in the 1998 San Marino Organ Competition, in San Marino, California, Pardini has also studied organ with Kenrick Mervine and Gavin Black, and organ improvisation with Gerre Hancock. In addition, he has studied voice with Paulo Faustini and Tracy Chebra, and choral conducting with James Jordan and Andrew Magill. He is also a lecturer of music at Saint Vincent College.
Wesley Parrott currently serves as organist at Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral, and as liturgical musician at Saint Francis De Sales Roman Catholic Church in Philadelphia. He is also a regular assistant organist performing on the Macy’s Grand Court Wanamaker Organ, Philadelphia.He holds degrees from The Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia; The University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee; and Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester, New York; and has been the winner of three U.S. national organ competitions. He has performed in such places as Longwood Gardens; Ocean Grove, New Jersey; The Kennedy Center; Washington National Cathedral; The Shrine of the Immaculate Conception; Chartres Cathedral, and major churches and Cathedrals in England during choir tours given by The University Choir (The University of the South). His recordings are available through the Organ Historical Society.
Tickets are $26 per person. Season tickets are $117 per person for six performances. Flex passes are $125 for any six admissions. For ticket information call 724-805-2177 or visit this link.