Organ Recital At Trinity, Oct. 5

Newtown’s Trinity Episcopal Church will host an organ recital by Bruce Neswick on Friday, October 5, at 7:30 pm. The recital will be part of the commemoration ceremonies for the 20th anniversary of Trinity’s Austin organ.

Bruce Neswick is a nationally-recognized concert organist with an incisive, vital and expressive style. He is also a superb improvisateur, and will conclude the recital with an improvisation on a theme chosen from suggestions submitted from the audience.

Mr Neswick is one of America’s major talents in the field of organ performance. His superb ability as an improvisateur is a craft only a few organists in the United States have made their specialty.

His refined skill at improvisation has won him three prizes – from the 1989 San Anselmo Organ Festival, the 1990 Boston American Guild of Organists’ national convention and the 1992 Rochette Concours at Conservatoire de Musique in Geneva, Switzerland. His compact disc recording, on the Raven label, features an improvised organ suite. He is frequently asked to include improvisations in his recitals and hymn festivals.

Mr Neswick is assistant organist-choirmaster for the girl choir at National Cathedral and director of the Cathedral Girls’ Choir at Washington National Cathedral. He is also the director of music at St Albans School for Boys and the National Cathedral School for Girls. These prestigious appointments follow tenures as organist and choirmaster at Christ Church Cathedral in Lexington, Ky., Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Geneva, Switzerland, and St Paul’s Cathedral in Buffalo, N.Y.

He has been commissioned to compose for several performers and churches throughout the United States, and his organ and choral music is published by Paraclete, Augsburg-Fortress, Selah, Vivace, Plymouth, Hope and St James’ presses. A great deal of his service music, hymns, descants and hymn-arrangements appear in hymnals found in churches of many denominations.

Mr Neswick graduated from Pacific Lutheran University in his native Washington state and from the Yale School of Music and Institute of Sacred Music.

Trinity Church recently underwent a $1.5 million renovation. Its landmark, picturesque location offers a beautiful and inspiring setting for what will surely be a memorable evening of organ music.

Trinity Episcopal Church is at 31 Main Street, in the center of Newtown. Admission is free but contributions are welcome and will benefit Music at Trinity. Call 426-9070 for additional information.