Organist from London’s Westminster Abbey to Perform in Sykes Chapel

Continuing the tradition of inviting the world’s most acclaimed organists to perform on the Dobson organ in the Sykes Chapel and Center for Faith and Values, James O’Donnell, organist and master of choristers at Westminster Abbey in London, will perform two organ concerts at The University of Tampa as part of its 2012-2013 Concert Artist Series.

The concerts are scheduled for Friday, March 1, at 6 and 8 p.m. The concerts are free and open to the public, but seating is limited. Doors will open 30 minutes before the concert.

Works included on the program are Toccata by the contemporary British composer Francis Pott; three choral preludes from J.S. Bach's Great Eighteen Chorale Preludes; Chorale No. 1 in E Major by César Franck; the “Serene Alleluias” from the Ascension Suite by Olivier Messiaen; and the Prelude, Adagio and Chorale Variations on the Theme of "Veni Creator," Op. 4 by Maurice Duruflé.

An internationally recognized conductor and organ recitalist, O’Donnell has given organ concerts all over the world, including the United States, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and throughout Europe.

O’Donnell studied organ at Jesus College, Cambridge, and was then appointed assistant master of music at Westminster Cathedral. In 1988, at the age of 26, he was promoted to the position of master of music. Under his direction, the choir of Westminster Cathedral won the Gramophone Record of the Year award and the Royal Philharmonic Society award, both unprecedented for a cathedral choir.

In January 2000, O’Donnell was named organist at Westminster Abbey, where he is responsible for the direction of the Abbey’s music at daily choral services as well as national occasions such as the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2011.

The 2012-2013 Concert Artist Series is sponsored by the UT College of Arts and Letters and the Sykes Chapel and Center for Faith and Values. For more information, contact caldean@ut.edu or go to www.ut.edu/sykeschapel.