Featuring
The Worcester Organ, Mechanics Hall's tracker pipe organ known as
The Hook Organ or The E. & G.G. Hook (Opus 334, 1864)
Organ performances at Mechanics Hall feature the historic Worcester Organ, built in 1864 by Elias and George Hook of Boston. Produced by Mechanics Hall and the Worcester Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, these special performances present the very best organ musicians from throughout the northeast and showcase rising star talents in the organ world.
Upcoming Performances
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
12:00PM
Three Brilliant and Diverse Young Musicians Share their Art on the 1864 Hook Organ at Mechanics Hall
Alexander Straus-Fausto ~ Cecily DeMarco ~ Malik Jardine
Music Composed for the Organ & Orchestral Music Transcribed for the Organ
FREE ADMISSION - No registration required
Open to the public
Bring your own “brown bag” lunch or lunches available for purchase
About the Artists
Alexander Straus-Fausto
Completing his master’s degree in organ performance at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, Alexander Straus-Fausto from Kitchener, Ontario is studying under the direction of Dr. Martin Jean. He completed his Bachelor of Music at McGill University Schulich School of Music and his secondary school studies at Michigan’s Interlochen Arts Academy. He has also studied with Dr. Alcée Chriss, Hans-Ola Ericsson, Dr. Isabelle Demers, Dr. Jonathan Oldengarm, Christian Lane, Rachel Laurin, Tom Bara, Dr. Peter Nikiforuk, and Joe Carere. While still a teenager, Straus-Fausto undertook a Canada Council- funded summer 2019 concert tour of the UK, playing in historic churches and cathedrals, and in 2024 he anticipates returning for concerts at St. Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. Straus-Fausto is a member of The Diapason’s “20 under 30 class of 2023,” which recognizes young artists under the age of 30 who have made significant contributions to the field of organ performance. Straus- Fausto was one of ten semi-finalists in the Longwood Gardens International Organ Competition 2023.
Malik Jardine
Malik is organ scholar at Trinity Church Wall St. He started lessons at 13 at his home church with Jennifer Shephard at the Church of the Resurrection in Queens. That also was the first church where he played a full service subbing for the organist. In 2018, He met William Randolph, Previous Music Director at Church of the Intercession in Manhattan, and studied with him until his untimely death in 2021. After that, he studied with organist Vince Carr, Director of Sacred Music at Our Lady of The Lake.
Malik started school for music in 2022 at Borough of Manhattan Community College, and was accepted into their Applied studies program, which now gave him the ability to Study with organist, Dr. Nathaniel Gumbs, Director of chapel music at Yale University. Malik will transfer to Brooklyn college, after getting his Associate's Degree. Malik was interim Organist/Music Director at many churches in Queens/Brooklyn.
Cecily DeMarco
Labeled a "Rising Star" by the American Guild of Organists, Cecily DeMarco (b.2000) is Organ Scholar at Hitchcock Presbyterian Church in Scarsdale, NY. She is a graduate of The Juilliard School where she earned her Bachelor of Music Degree. Currently, Cecily is in the Master of Music program at Juilliard and will continue to study with world renowned, Grammy award winning artist, Paul Jacobs.
Cecily has performed on both the east and west coasts, but most frequently in New York and Florida, appearing at venues such as St. Patrick’s Cathedral (NYC), Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church (NYC), Columbia University (NYC), Bethesda by the Sea (Palm Beach), and Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church (Fort Lauderdale).
In 2021, Miss DeMarco competed and won first prize in the New York City Chapter of the Regional Competition for Young Organists (RCYO), and proceeded to also win first prize in the Northeast Regional Competition. Because of this win, she participated as a “Rising Star” in a winner’s concert at the 2022 American Guild of Organists National Convention in Seattle, Washington.
Thursday, April 25, 2024
6:30 PM
Join us on Thursday, April 25th, for a spectacular night of musical performances at Beyond the Frames: A Musical Celebration!
This two-hour concert celebrates the addition of our three newly unveiled portraits and honors the portrait subjects:
William & Martha Brown, Frederick Douglass, and Sojourner Truth.
Reserve your tickets now for this once-in-a-lifetime event. Admission is “pay as you can.”
The Mechanics Hall “family” of musical organizations:
Worcester Youth Orchestras
Worcester Chamber Music Society
Worcester Chorus Women’s Ensemble of Music Worcester
Mechanics Hall’s own:
Many Voices Youth Singers
Principal Organist, Peter Krasinski
Tenor, Christon Carney
Special Guest Organists:
George Davey, Tedde Gibson, Nathaniel Gumbs, Nicole Keller, and Wolff von Roos
About The Worcester Organ
The E. & G. G. Hook (Opus 334, 1864), installed in 1864, dominates the Great Hall. American organ builders Elias and George Hook, brothers from Boston, constructed the 52-stop, 3,504-pipe instrument, which is often referred to as the "Worcester Organ." Today, the Hook organ is the oldest unaltered four-keyboard pipe organ in the Western Hemisphere located at its installation site.
Restored in 1982, the Hook Organ since then has become one of the most popular and respected organs in the United States. It has been featured numerous times on National Public Radio, performed in several recordings, and has been featured on television and in a major motion picture, as well as in a music video starring Michael Crawford, the original "Phantom of the Opera."
SEE THE SPECIFICATIONS OF THE HOOK ORGAN
READ MORE ABOUT THE HOOK ORGAN AT HOOKORGAN.ORG
Peter Edwin Krasinski | Mechanics Hall Principal Organist
Peter Edwin Krasinski is a conductor, organist, and music educator, who delivers imaginative performances that elevate and inform diverse audiences. His Bach playing has been hailed in the press as “sublimely spiritual,” and his improvisations have been called “stunning” and “seamless.” Along with regular concert appearances Mr. Krasinski specializes worldwide in live, improvised silent film accompaniment. He has premiered the art in major venues in North America, Europe, and Asia and has received a number of prizes for his performances, including the First Prize in Improvisation from the American Guild of Organists National Competition.
Well respected in both the secular and sacred genres of his field, Mr. Krasinski has taught music at both public and private institutions in the greater Boston area and is broadly recognized as a motivating consultant for the pipe organ community. A past dean of the Boston Chapter of the American Guild of Organists (AGO), he currently also serves as the house organist for the Providence Performing Arts Center. In addition, he is organist at First Church of Christ, Scientist in Providence RI, and accompanist at Beth El Temple Center in Belmont, MA. Recently, he presented Master Classes at the Sibelius Academy, Helsinki, Finland.
Mr. Krasinski holds both a Bachelor of Music Degree in Music Education and Organ Performance and the Master of Sacred Music Degree from Boston University
Mechanics Hall • 321 Main Street, Worcester, MA 01608 • Info: 508-752-5608 • Tickets: 508-752-0888