Organist Alexander Pattavina Will Perform Oct. 15

Performance Music at The University of Scranton will welcome back acclaimed N.Y.C. organist and composer Alexander Pattavina for a recital on Friday, Oct. 15. The recital will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue.

The concert is open to invited guests of Performance Music and all members of the University community. Admission is free and seating arrangements will include provisions for socially distancing between groups attending together.

At the recital, Pattavina will perform works by Bach, Dupre, Ireland, Swinnen and Widor on the Houlihan-McLean Center’s completely restored Austin Opus 301 symphonic organ. Since restoring the organ, Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga has made it a point to bring world-class organists to the University.

“We’re delighted to have Alex back. He’s not only an amazing organist, he’s also a truly nice guy, and the kids enjoy having him around,” Boga said. “What’s especially interesting is that he’s not only an organist, but also a composer and advocate for the organ and organ music – he’s so passionate and so articulate.”

“There’s just something about Paul Jacobs’ students; I want to know what his “magic pill” is. They’re like preachers for the organ,” Boga continued. “There’s something about how they craft these really interesting programs that have this way of all hanging together. They really explain to the audience in very interesting ways about how and why they crafted the program without being condescending.”

A native of Stoughton, Massachusetts, Pattavina is a recent graduate of The Juilliard School, having earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in organ performance under the tutelage of Paul Jacobs. He is the director of music at the Church of Saint Agnes in New York City. Pattavina is the first-place winner of the 2019 Albert Schweitzer Organ Festival. He also received first place in the 2014 L. Cameron Johnson Competition in Storrs, Connecticut, among other awards. Formerly, he worked as organ scholar of Christ Church in Bronxville, New York, under conductor Philip Stopford. An avid composer, his choral work, All in a Stable Cold and Bare (2016), is published by Hal Leonard.

The Houlihan-McLean Center’s Austin Opus 301 symphonic organ was built in 1910 by the Austin Organ Company of Hartford, Connecticut, for Scranton’s Immanuel Baptist Church. Restored and re-dedicated by the University in 2006, the organ is one of the few rare surviving original examples of early 20th-century organ building, possessing a total of 3,178 pipes, 45 ranks and four manuals. The instrument is maintained by artist/technicians from Emery Brothers/Dieffenbach organs.

All audience members must wear masks throughout the performance. University campus access and other health and safety information will be updated throughout the semester and can be seen on the Royals Back Together webpage. Please check Performance Music’s website, scranton.edu/music, within 24 hours of the recital for the most current information on audience COVID-19 mitigation measures (e.g., masking, vaccination, distancing, etc.).

For more information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music.