Ursinus hosts its very first Heefner Memorial Organ Series guest artist of the year this Sunday, October 6, in Bomberger Auditorium. The event will run from 4:00-5:00 pm, featuring a wide range of repertoires by guest artist Mina Choi.
The Heefner Memorial Organ Series started with the installation of the organ itself in 1986. Named after the Heefner family who donated it, the organ is “one of the largest and most prominent in the area, and it was important to Mr. Heefner that it be heard and to attract people to the college for performances in order to share the gift of music with the campus community and also the greater community,” commented Alan Morrison, the College Organist at Ursinus. Several artists have been featured here at Ursinus, both well-renowned and local. Each concert has free admission, is hosted on Sunday afternoons at 4:00 pm, and kept to an hour to avoid people having to drive home after dark. Morrison shared, “We have hosted the world’s greatest organists through the years and in more recent times we have focused on our vast wealth of local talent.” For this upcoming event, a local from Doylestown, PA was selected.
Choi, an avid organ player since middle school, excitedly shared some sneak peaks for the upcoming performance, saying, “It will have some pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach, that’s a Baroque period, and then I will play some romantic music by Brahms and Elgar.” The focus of her performance is to make songs easily recognizable for the audience while also introducing some new music to unfamiliar listeners. “I hope it will be fun and they can kind of hum along and sing with the tune!” remarks Choi.
When asked why someone should attend her performance, Choi answered passionately, “There is something very special about live performance. There is something different when you actually see a performer make music, and especially for an organ, there is a whole multi-dimensional process for you to enjoy the work.”
Ursinus will host two more concerts this year in February, bringing in more talent and music for students to enjoy. Morrison will celebrate his 30th anniversary at Ursinus with the February 2 concert, and local organist Vincent Ryan will be featured February 16. We hope to see you there!