Master Organist Jon Riss Performs at South on November 5

Master organist Jon Riss will perform music for All Souls Day on South Presbyterian Church’s magnificent organ. The concert is November 5, at 1:00 pm. Suggested donation is $15.

All Souls Day is a time to remember those who have passed on, and the concert will reflect the day’s range of emotions, from the complex palate of John Weaver’s “Sine Nomine” and the simple beauty of early American hymn tunes arranged by jazz master George Shearing to the thunderous power of the most famous piece ever written for the organ, Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue in D minor,” which is often associated with Halloween.

The event is also a celebratory coming together of two local treasures—Riss, and South’s organ.

Riss is a Fellow with the American Guild of Organists– the Guild’s most distinguished level of professional certification. Also an award-winning conductor, Riss is known to many as the Director of Choral Activities at Hastings Schools and the Director of Music at Irvington Presbyterian Church. Yet his roots run deep at South Church. Riss is the grandson of the Rev. Dr. Paul Riss, associate minister of South Presbyterian Church in the late 1960s. South is also where his father, the Rev. Tim Riss, was confirmed.

South Church’s Austin organ is a treasure generations in the making. One of the largest organs in the county, it is a composite of four organs or divisions, plus a fifth chancel organ that is separate from the main organ and visible at the front of the church. The complex, three-manual instrument includes a fourth keyboard – the pedals – which are played with the feet. It has 2,728 pipes ranging in size from tiny 6″ pipes to the great 16′ pipes, whose deep, rumbling bass sound resonates so well in the wonderful acoustic space at South Church. The 32 stops or “sounds” include the only festival trumpet stop in the county and the exceptionally sweet sound of the Austin strings.

“This organ is the real deal – a fabulous, hand-crafted, vintage organ with a huge and beautiful sound that you can actually feel as well as hear!” said Shawn Hall, South’s former organist and Director of Music.

Built in 1898, the organ was originally installed in Central Presbyterian Church in Manhattan. It was relocated to South Presbyterian Church in 1928.

“South’s organ is a mighty instrument that resonates beautifully in the sanctuary,” said Riss. “I look forward to playing a program that shows off its wide array of tone colors. But above all, I look forward to playing this concert in the same church my grandpa once served more than a half-century ago!”