PHOENIXVILLE — St. John’s Lutheran Church, 355 St. John’s Circle, is hosting concert organist Felix Hell on Sunday, Oct. 13, at 4 p.m.
Hell, a native of Germany, is one of the most sought-after concert organists in the world. He has been featured as a recitalist and concerto soloist in more than 850 concerts throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. The American Organist raved that he “sets standards that older and honored players would struggle to equal.”
Hell is known for his diverse and innovative programming, drawing upon a repertoire encompassing five centuries. Furthermore, he has received global recognition for his marathon performances of the entire organ works of J.S. Bach, which encompass about 250 compositions and close to 20 hours of performance time. He has since performed the complete Bach cycle four times, most recently in 2013 in Seoul, South Korea.
Hell holds positions of Organ Artist Associate at Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church in Manhattan, Distinguished Artist in Residence at the United Lutheran Seminary in Gettysburg, and Adjunct Professor of Organ at the Sunderman Conservatory in Gettysburg, Pa. In 2011, Hell was appointed a Distinguished Visiting Artist at Kosin University in Busan, South Korea.
Hell’s discography includes 10 CDs. His most recent recording features music for Organ and Symphony Orchestra by Barber, Guilmant and Jongen. His recordings are frequently broadcast throughout the United States and across the world; he has appeared on television globally.
His project “Music Across America” allows him to travel with his own Touring Organ, performing organ concertos and recitals in spaces that do not house pipe organs, liberating the instrument from its historic confines.
Hell is an avid supporter of new music for organ and frequently collaborates with composers.
Hell studied at the Juilliard School in New York, the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia (BM), and the Peabody Institute in Baltimore (AD, MM, DMA). In 2007, he received Johns Hopkins University’s prestigious Outstanding Graduate Award.
The concert is part of the 2024-2025 concert series at St. John’s and is offered as musical outreach to the community. No tickets are required but a free-will offering, with a suggested $10 donation, will be received.
