The Tabernacle organists and an organist from The Cathedral of the Madeleine will perform together during Classical 89′s Organ Fest XV on Friday, Aug. 30, 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., in the Salt Lake Tabernacle, 50 N. West Temple.
The concert, which is free, showcases organists from the Salt Lake Tabernacle — Richard Elliott, Andrew Unsworth, Linda Margetts, Joseph Peeples and Brian Mathias — and organist for The Cathedral of the Madeleine, Gabriele Terrone. Their participation is according to an announcement on the Tabernacle Choir’s website, thetabernaclechoir.org.
The concert, which began in 2008 and is now in its 15th year, is a gift to the community from Classical 89, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the organists. The location alternates each year between the Tabernacle and the Cathedral of the Madeleine.
The recording of this concert will be broadcast on Classical 89 (KBYU-FM, 89.1) on Sunday, Sept. 29, at 12:30 p.m and 9 p.m., according to Classical 89 website, classical89.org.
Classical 89, which is a production of BYUradio, is available on the radio over the air on the following frequencies: 89.1 FM for most of the Wasatch Front; 89.5 FM for Spanish Fork and southern Utah County; 106.9 FM in Levan, Utah; 96.1 FM in Milford, Utah; 100.3 FM in Cedar City, Utah; 100.7 FM in Ivins, Utah; and 102.3 FM in Preston, Idaho.
It’s also available online at www.classical89.org, on a smart speaker by asking it to play Classical 89 or KBYU-FM or on the Classical 89 mobile app.
See “Parking for Assembly Hall and Tabernacle Events” on ChurchofJesusChrist.org for information on parking and construction areas around Temple Square. Currently, the plazas northwest corner of Temple Square are open.
About the Tabernacle organ
The Tabernacle pipe organ has five manuals, or keyboards, and 206 ranks of organ pipes and is among the world’s largest instruments. Its golden pipes are made from wood staves fashioned from Utah timber and still add to the sound of the famous instrument today.
More performances on the Tabernacle, Conference Center organs
There are also daily organ recitals on Temple Square. The 30-minute recitals are at noon Monday through Saturday and at 2 p.m. on Sunday. The recitals have been in the Conference Center since May due to construction and maintenance work on the Tabernacle organ. They will be in the Conference Center through Sept. 2 and return to the Tabernacle on Sept. 3. See the thetabernaclechoir.org/daily-organ-recital for links to the weekly program.
Previously, the Tabernacle organists performed a weekly “Piping Up! Organ Concerts at Temple Square” series that was streamed online. The series ended in November 2023, and past performances are available on the Tabernacle Choir’s YouTube channel on the “Piping Up! Organ Concerts at Temple Square” playlist or by searching #pipingup on the choir’s channel.
The next in the Organ Virtuoso Series will be on Friday Sept. 20, at 7:30 p.m., and will feature organist Seth Bott, who is currently serving as director of music and organist at St. James Episcopal Church in Midvale, Utah, and works in the school of music at the University of Utah as a collaborative pianist. He has been a guest Tabernacle organist and has participated in the daily recital series. The native of Castle Dale, Utah, has a doctor of musical arts degree in organ performance at the University of Kansas and Master of Music and Bachelor of Music degrees in organ performance and pedagogy from Brigham Young University.
The previous concerts this year in the Tabernacle Organ Virtuoso Performance Series featured Diane Meredith Belcher in May and Tabernacle organist Linda Margetts in February.
The Tabernacle Organ Virtuoso Performance Series started in 2022 and was created to showcase the Tabernacle organ and world-renowned organists.
