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Trinity Episcopal Church 44 East Market St. Bethlehem PA  18018-5989 610-867-4741

Music and The Arts at Trinity Church
Concert Series
2003-2004

Marilyn Mason	Palm Sunday April 4, 2004 - 8:00 p.m. Marcel Dupre - The Stations of the Cross with poetry by Paul Claudel Marilyn Mason, organist Jack Vickrey, reader	Marilyn Mason in Dresden/font>
This event co-sponsored by the Lehigh Valley Chapter of The American Guild of Organists
Photos taken at the reception following the concert
The great American organist-composer, M. Searle Wright visits with Marilyn Mason following her recital.
		Clint Miller, Searle Wright, and Marvin & Polly Beinema following the Marilyn Mason recital.
Lorenz Maycher, Jack Vickrey, M. Searle Wright, and Marilyn Mason

Among the important influences on the American organ scene in the second half of the 20th century, Marilyn Mason certainly has made a lasting impact in her distinguished career as concert organist, lecturer, adjudicator, teacher, organ consultant, recording artist, and by the nearly 75 organ works she has commissioned. Her name commands immediate recognition among organists today, confirming her impact more than 50 years after she made her debut. Dr. Mason is University Organist, Professor of Music, and Chairman of the Organ Department of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Her affiliation with Michigan began in 1944 as she began her undergraduate studies there under Palmer Christian, later completing her M.Mus degree. And, except for a year spent in France, where she studied under Nadia Boulanger (analysis) and Maurice Durufle (organ), and time studying for her Doctor of Sacred Music degree at Union Theological Seminary in New York, she has spent her entire career in Ann Arbor. Dr. Mason has been consistently recognized by the faculty, first, as an undergraduate, she was awarded the Stanley Medal, the highest award given to any music major. Later, in her teaching career, her colleagues presented her with the Distinguished Faculty Award and music alumni awarded her the first Citation of Merit. During her time at Michigan, annual summer and fall organ music conferences have become regular highlights, organ tours abroad to see and hear historic organs, and the installation of the Marilyn Mason organ in a specifically built recital hall. This organ, built by C. B. Fisk, is a replica in the spirit of the instruments of the 18th century organ builder, Gottfried Silbermann, whose organs Bach knew well. Dr. Mason has performed on every continent, save Antarctica. She was the first American woman to play in Westminster Abbey, the first woman organist to play in Latin America, and the first American to play in Egypt. She has served as judge at nearly every major organ competition in the world. Her dedication to modern organ music is evidenced by the names of influential composers who have written for her: Albright, Bolcom, Cook, Cowell, Creston, Diemer, Haines, Jackson, David Johnson, Jordan, Krenek, Langlais, Lockwood, Near, Persichetti, Sowerby, Wyton, and Young. Dr. Mason recently completed a recording of the complete works of Johann Pachelbel for the Musical Heritage Society. In 1987, Dr. Mason was awarded the degree Doctor of Music honoris causa from the University of Nebraska. She was honored as the "1988 Performer of the Year" by the New York Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.    Jack Vickrey was born in Chicago, Illinois, but was raised in Riverside, a Chicago suburb, where he attended public schools (and also the local Episcopal church, St. Paul's).   He was in the U.S. Army from June '43 to February '46; overseas in Belgium and Germany from Nov. '44 to August '45.   His collegiate education: a year at the University of Michigan (1942-43), and later at the University of Chicago (Ph.B. 1949, M.A. 1952) and Indiana University (Ph.D. 1960).   He taught in the English departments of Rutgers University (1957-1961) and Lehigh University (1961-95).   His academic specialties at Lehigh were 1) Anglo-Saxon Language and Literature and 2) History of the English Language.  He has published about thirty articles, mostly on Old English poems (principally Genesis, Exodus, The Seafarer, and Beowulf), and continues work on other papers.   For many years Jack has given poetry readings to academic and other audiences, sometimes with, sometimes without, the accompaniment of music.  He has collaborated with Carol Thompson, harpist, in many presentations of poems, ranging from Anglo-Saxon to modern English; several years ago they made a CD "Wild Swans" with poems of G. M. Hopkins, Tennyson, (Dylan) Thomas, and W. B. Yeats.

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All concerts are free and open to the public. For more information on the concert series and other musical activities at Trinity Episcopal Church, please contact Lorenz Maycher, director of music, at 610-867-4741, or by e-mail at Lorenz@trinitybeth.org