Wichita State is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the construction of the Marcussen organ and Wiedemann Hall during the 2016-2017 season of the Rie Bloomfield Organ Series.
The great Marcussen organ was designed and built on-site by the legendary firm Marcussen & Søn of Aabenraa, Denmark. It was the first Marcussen instrument to be built on North American soil. The organ builders worked with architects to design Wiedemann Hall around the specifications of the organ to present the instrument in its “ultimate acoustical glory.”
The building’s superb acoustics keep it in demand as the primary recital and concert hall for the WSU School of Music and draws renowned organists from around the world for recitals and recordings.
One such organist, David Briggs, artist-in-residence at St. James Cathedral in Toronto, kicked off the Rie Bloomfield series on Sept. 27. Briggs was followed by a Nov. 15 gala concert of music, sculpture and dance. Performing were Lynne Davis, WSU’s Robert Town Distinguished Professor of Organ, and College of Fine Arts professors Ted Adler (sculpture) and Nick Johnson (dance).
The final performance of the celebratory series is slated for 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 18, and will feature international concert organist Douglas Cleveland, the John Delo faculty fellow in organ at the University of Washington School of Music. Cleveland will perform a concert of organ favorites.
