Sarah Svendsen to present recital, workshop
The Royal Canadian College of Organists (RCCO) presents Sarah Svendsen, organist and music educator, in a recital performance of organ works and a childoriented workshop with the pipe organ.
Her recital, which it today at 7 p.m. at St. Peter’s Cathedral in Charlottetown, will include orchestral transcriptions of Bach, Mozart and Grieg, plus Langlais and Messaien, all virtuosic works. Admission is a free-will offering.
The children’s one-hour workshop at Park Royal United Church in Charlottetown on Nov. 17 at 11 a.m. will showcase her second mission: her dedication to and avid support of organ/music education for all ages. As an adjudicator and organ instructor, Svendsen has been heavily involved in inner-city arts education in the Toronto DARE Arts Program and is co-founder/performer in the Organized Crime Duo, which aims to introduce children to the pipe organ, its repertoire, and the love of music.
This free workshop will include an introduction to the pipe organ and children’s improvisation, with a mini concert of ‘kidfriendly’ music, allowing time for hands-on experience at the organ console.
Svendsen, who is from New Glasgow, N.S., is a graduate of the Yale School of Music, a past laureate of the RCCO National Organ Playing Competition and soloist with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. Her accomplishments range from tours in Europe, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada to performances with the St. Paul’s Cathedral Sunday Organ Recital Series in London, England, and the Copenhagen International Organ Festival in Denmark, as well as recordings with the CBC and the Luminato Festival.
Currently pursuing a DMA in organ performance at her alma mater, the University of Toronto, Svendsen already holds her master’s degree in organ plus the Yale Institute’s Church Music Diploma.