February 6, 2006—Numerologists might have some interesting things to say about the fact that Johann Sebastian Bach turns 321 on 3/21/06. But music, not mysticism, will be the focus when students from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music present a celebratory evening of the composer's organ and chamber music Tuesday, March 21, at 8 p.m. in Warner Concert Hall. Michael Barone '68, a senior executive producer at Minnesota Public Radio and the host and producer of American Public Media's radio program Pipedreams, will be the master of ceremonies for the free, public event. The entire concert will be broadcast live on Cleveland's classical station 104.9 FM-WCLV and simulcast online.

The showcase instrument for Bach's birthday party concert is Oberlin's Warner Concert Hall pipe organ, built in 1974 by D. A. Flentrop in the northern European style of the 18th century. A three-manual instrument with forty-four stops and four couplers, its 3,400 pipes are housed in a painted case made of handcrafted solid African mahogany, with the Prestant pipes of each division comprising the facade. Most of the required performances for organ majors take place in this hall, and the concert's program features seven outstanding soloists from Oberlin's organ studies program. The first five listed below study with Professor of Organ James David Christie; the last two are students of Professor of Organ David Boe:

• Daniel Tappe '06 from Germany will perform Bach's Chorale Prelude: Vor deinen Thron;
• Songsun Lee '06 , an artist diploma student from the Republic of Korea, will perform the Trio Sonata V in C Major;
• Balint Karosi AD '05; MM '07 from Hungary, will perform the Prelude and Fugue in G Major;
• Jakub Bukowczan '07 , an artist diploma student from Poland, will perform the Chorale Prelude: Allein Gott in der Höh sei Her;
• James Feddeck BMus '05; MM '06 from Scarsdale, New York, will perform the Chorale Prelude: Schmücke dich;
• Jonathan Wessler '06 from Peoria, Illinois, will perform the Fugue on the Magnificat; and
• Yoon-Jin Hwang '07 from the Republic of Korea will perform the Fantasie and Fugue in G minor.

Three ensembles from Oberlin's historical performance program are also slated to perform on period instruments, and Professor of Musicology Steven Plank will add his commentary to that of Barone's during the concert.

The concert will also be recorded for possible future use on Barone's Pipedreams program, which is the only radio program in national syndication that explores the art of the pipe organ, embracing everything from period-appropriate instruments and repertoire from the 17th and 18th centuries to contemporary scores, new installations, works with orchestra and other instruments--even the theater organ. The national offering of Pipedreams began in 1982, an outgrowth of a regional-only show, The Organ Program, which Barone started in 1969, shortly after being appointed music director at KSJR-FM in Collegeville, the cornerstone station of what in the past 38 years has grown into the present Minnesota Public Radio system. Pipedreams can be heard on 104.9 FM-WCLV on Sunday evenings at 11 p.m.

"We've never programmed anything quite like this before," says David Boe. "J.S. Bach has been the focus of numerous programs over the years--we've presented all-Bach recitals and he has been the central figure in several sessions of the Baroque Performance Institute--but what distinguishes this event is the fact that it is our first live broadcast of an all-Bach program, and is hosted by our esteemed alumnus Michael Barone."

Barone, a music history major at Oberlin who took applied studies in organ with Emeritus Professor of Organ Haskell Thomson, has returned to campus several times since graduating in 1968, including a visit in 1992 to record student performances and interviews for a subsequent pair of Pipedreams broadcasts. He also produced a show featuring Finney Chapel's Kay Africa Memorial Organ when it was dedicated in September 2001, and contributed, from Minnesota, to an intermission feature during the live broadcast of that event.

"Inevitably, aspects of the campus have changed since I was a student," says Barone. "Fortunately, the talent and enthusiasm of the Conservatory students remains as I remember it."

A blanket invitation to Oberlin's birthday party for Bach extends to all members of the Oberlin community and beyond. "Warner Concert Hall seats 645," Boe adds, "We hope every seat is filled for this marvelous celebration of Bach and his music."

Organ Studies at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music
The Oberlin Conservatory of Music stands in the very first rank of organ schools internationally, and has long been recognized as one of the world's leading centers for organ instruction. Oberlin has graduated professional musicians who serve with distinction as university organists, professors, and church musicians. The organ program is designed to help students develop excellence in performance and to give them a broad understanding of repertoire and performance practice through a flexible curriculum that includes private lessons, studio classes, and repertoire courses. In addition, the Conservatory offers a year-long course that covers the history of the organ and its literature as well as an improvisation course. The organ collection at Oberlin includes some of the very finest instruments from several of the world's best builders. The Kay Africa Memorial Organ in Finney Chapel was designed and built in 2001 by C.B. Fisk, Inc. in the best of the late-Romantic tradition, based on the symphonic style of the great French organbuilder, Aristide Cavaillé-Coll. The D.A. Flentrop organ in Warner Concert Hall was designed and built in 1974 in the northern European style of the 18th century, and the John Brombaugh organ, found in Fairchild Chapel, was modeled on the late Renaissance and early Baroque style of North Germany.

Founded in 1865 and situated within the intellectual vitality of Oberlin College since 1867, Oberlin is the oldest continuously operating conservatory in the United States. A primarily undergraduate institution, Oberlin is renowned internationally as a professional music school of the highest caliber and has been called a "national treasure" by the Washington Post.