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CV NEWS FEED // The Diocese of Orange, California, has announced that Christ Cathedral’s annual concert series will feature a concert of French music debuting the church’s newly refurbished organ and another concert of Bach’s complete pipe organ works.
The Diocese reports that there is an extensive lineup beginning in November, when the new organ will be debuted, and the “Bach-a-thon,” highlighting talented local organists, will take place in March 2025.
The first concert will be held November 13, 2024, at 7:30 p.m., marking the debut recital of the cathedral’s 405-pipe, 8-rank Schoenstein & Co. pipe organ, an elite American organ company located in California. The organ had been in residential homes in both Southern California and New York before Christ Cathedral acquired it.
The November 13 concert will be in the cathedral’s newly dedicated St. Callistus Crypt and Chapel and will feature French music played by concert organist Steven Ball and sung by the cathedral’s music administrator, soprano Lauren McCaul. This concert will require tickets due to limited seating in the chapel.
The annual Christmas concert on December 13, 2024, at 7:30 p.m., will be a Lessons and Carols service, pairing Scriptural readings with choral Christmas repertoire and beloved carols.
The “Bach-a-thon” featuring Bach’s complete organ works will take place on March 3, 2025, highlighting the talent of organists from the Southern California Chapters of the American Guild of Organists. The concert will begin at 6 a.m. on March 3 and end at 1 a.m. on March 4.
On March 25, 2025, at 7:30 p.m., the Cathedral will host “The Annunciation: A Choral Adoration,” featuring Marian choral compositions and hymns. It will also feature the world premiere of a new hymn arrangement by Benjamin LaPrairie, associate director of music at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.
The season will end with the May 21, 2025, 7:30 p.m. concert: “Christ Cathedral’s Organ Scholars and Choral Scholars.” The concert will showcase the talent of the youth who are studying choral and organ music at the Cathedral.
