Construction Area Ahead

Since I have a restless baby who doesn't always last in nursery (despite the best efforts of nursery workers!) I often get to spend time in the Catacombs. A recent benefit of that has been a chance to view the rapidly progressing construction. For those of you who don't make it down there, below are some pictures of the restroom construction.

Here are a few pictures I snapped a couple Sundays ago:

And some more recent pictures of the construction that were shared with me:

And, in case you haven't had a chance to make it up to the choir loft, here are some pictures that I took the Sunday after the dedicatory concert:

Only A Few More Days

With the dedicatory concert drawing near, I thought I'd share a press release about Paul Jacobs, the organist who will be performing. Isn't it exciting to look back at where we started and see where God has brought us?

On September 12 Mr. Jacobs will perform in a free concert on Friday, September 12, at 7:30 p.m. at Tenth Presbyterian Church located at 17th and Spruce Streets. The church’s new instrument is a four-manual Walker digital organ, the gift from former U.S. Surgeon-General and former church elder, C. Everett Koop, donated in memory of his wife Betty and their son David. Tenth Church celebrated its 175th anniversary in 2004 with a grand concert free to the public at the Kimmel Center, and it is in the same spirit that the church invites Philadelphia to this event.

Jacobs will reintroduce the Prelude and Fugue in B Minor, an unpublished prelude and fugue for organ by Samuel Barber, which received its only performance in 1928 by organist Carl Weinrich at The Curtis Institute of Music. Music historian Barbara Heyman discovered the Barber work at the Library of Congress in 1984, as part of the research for her award-winning biography-Samuel Barber: The Composer and His Music. Impressed by a recent performance by Mr. Jacobs, Dr. Heyman asked whether he would be interested in performing it. About the prelude and fugue, Mr. Jacobs comments, “Through this richly chromatic work, Barber seems to carry the listener beyond Brahms and Reger, into a new, personal realm of expression.” Both Heyman and Koop plan to be in attendance at the Philadelphia concert.

At 31, Paul Jacobs is widely acknowledged for reinvigorating today's organ scene with a fresh performance style and an "unbridled joy of music-making" in performances throughout America, as well as in Europe, South America, Asia, and Australia. In 2003 he became one of Juilliard's youngest faculty appointments and the following year was named chairman of the Juilliard organ department. Mr. Jacobs studied at The Curtis Institute of Music, where he doubled-majored in organ with John Weaver and harpsichord with Lionel Party, and subsequently at Yale University, where he studied with Thomas Murray.


Friday, September 12, at 7:30 p.m.

Tenth Presbyterian Church, 17th & Spruce Streets
Philadelphia, PA

Paul Jacobs, organ

Prelude and Fugue in B Major, Op. 7 - Marcel Dupré (1886-1971)

Trio Sonata in E Minor, BWV 528 - Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

Prelude and Fugue in B Minor (1928) - Samuel Barber (1910-1981)

Pageant - Leo Sowerby (1895-1968)

Fantasia and Fugue on Ad nos, ad salutarem undam- Franz Liszt (1811-1886)


Admission is free. For more information, call 215.735.7688

Goodbye Organ!

After years of service, Tenth’s organ was disassembled and removed from the choir loft. This means we are one step closer to hearing the new Koop Memorial Organ! Don’t forget that the dedicatory concert is September 12!

Here are some pictures of the old organ prior to being disassembled:

And here are some pictures of it being disassembled:

Music to Our Ears

As you may have heard at Tenth last Sunday, Dr. C. Everett Koop committed to the campaign funds to purchase a new 4-manual, 90-rank equivalent Walker digital organ. In a forthcoming e-newsletter, you will have the opportunity to read more about Dr. Koop and what motivated him to make this commitment to Tenth.

To whet your appetite, below is a picture of an organ similar to the one that will soon be gracing the choir loft. If a picture is worth a thousand words, I think it’s safe to say a song will be worth a million—just wait until we get to hear the new instrument!