DEERFIELD — Organ music will float through the halls of The First Church of Deerfield on Sunday during a special organ concert by solo New York organist Michael T.C. Hey.
Admission to the weekend’s event, which starts at 3 p.m. and is sponsored by the Springfield chapter of the American Guild of Organists, has a suggested donation of $10 at the door. The concert is part of The Brick Church Music Series at The First Church of Deerfield’s 2016 and 2017 season.
Proceeds will be used to help fund the church’s various activities, including its music department. The First Church of Deerfield is at 71 Old Main St. in Old Deerfield.
Artistic director of the organ concert Jean Pitman Turner said Hey’s musical ability on the instrument includes “all kinds of music,” though noting the “vast amount of recital music for the organ that isn’t necessarily sacred.”
The New York musician will perform his concert on the historic church’s gold, mechanical, 1890s “tracker organ,” which was built by the Tennessee organ company Richards, Fowkes & Co. Today, the organ stands proudly at the forefront of the church’s spacious auditorium.
“Our organ is built in the baroque style, like Bach would have played in Europe,” Turner said, adding that it’s also beautiful to look at.
“We’ve had organists from Germany, Canada, New York City and the Northeast play our organ,” the artistic director continued. “They all say it’s a gem of an instrument — it’s a beautiful sound, and has great clarity, sound and warmth.”
Turner said Hey is a five-year Juilliard School graduate — where he received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music — who plays “flashy and exciting” organ music.
According to the musician’s website, “Hey’s musical output is greatly inspired and informed by numerous other art forms, especially by classical and modern dance.”
Currently Hey is the assistant director of music and an organist at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, where he “performs for thousands of people each year,” Turner said.
Venues the New York musician has been invited to perform at, among other locations, include Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, both in New York, the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia and the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.
Among his accomplishments, Hey was featured as organ soloist in the New York City Ballet’s newly commissioned work “Acheron.”
Musical selections Hey will play Sunday include works by J.S. Bach, Mendelssohn, Mozart and Debussy.
A reception follows the concert. For more information, contact Turner at 413-774-2657.
Other concerts that will be held at the church through the end of this year and into 2017 include the Adaskin String Trio, who’ll perform next month on Nov. 6; violinist Sirena Haung, who’ll perform along with pianist Pi-Hsun Shih, Feb. 12, and another organist, Patricia Snyder, performing March 26.
A flier for the music series relates that all concerts will be held on Sundays, and will start at 3 p.m.
You can reach Andy Castillo
at: acastillo@recorder.com
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On Twitter: @AndyCCastillo