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Mellichamp to present pipe organ concert April 30 (4-19-04) Piedmont College's first organ concert series will end where it began, with a concert of classical and modern works performed by Dr. James Mellichamp, vice president of the college and dean of the school of arts and sciences. The free concert at 7:30 p.m., April 30, in the Center for Worship and Music will include music by French, German, American and British composers. Mellichamp opened the concert series in February 2003 with the inaugural concert to celebrate the completion of the college's Sewell Pipe Organ. Named for Charles K. Sewell of Marietta, Ga., a member of the Piedmont Class of 1954 and former member of the Board of Trustees, the Sewell Organ includes 3,675 pipes and was built by Casavant Frères of Canada. "This first organ concert series has been a great success," Mellichamp said. "Audiences were treated to a wide-variety of music by some of the country's top organists, including Colin Andrews and Janette Fishell, who performed together in September; Diane Bish, a true virtuoso with a world-wide following; Wilma Jensen, who is known as the 'Dean of American Organists'; and Louise Bass, who accompanied last year's Great Composers Concert with our chorale. We look forward to bringing many similar organists to Demorest to perform in the future." In addition to his duties as vice president for academic affairs and dean of the school of arts and sciences, Mellichamp is a professor of music at Piedmont and has performed in organ concerts across the U.S. and in Europe. Working with the Casavant company, he designed the new Piedmont organ with a variety of musical ranks so that it can accurately portray the music from a range of countries and different time periods. For his April 30 concert, Mellichamp has selected works spanning the 18th to the 20th century by composers including Myron Roberts, Jehan-Ariste Alain, Claude Balbastre, Joseph Rheinberger and Maurice Duruflé. The concert also will include J.S. Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor," which even those unfamiliar with organ works will recognize as the dramatic theme to Lon Chaney's silent film, "Phantom of the Opera." -30- |
The Piedmont
Chorale features more than 100 singers from the northeast Georgia area.