Office of the Chaplains and Religious Life News, August 16, 2005

University Organist Mark Steinbach will be performing a recital of 20th century composers as part of the International Organ Festival of the Netherlands on August 20th at 8:15 PM at the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam.

Mr. Steinbach will also perform a midnight organ concert during orientation on "Labor Day Eve," Sunday, September 4th, in Sayles Hall. Midnight organ concerts are a tradition at Brown.

About Mark Steinbach

Mark Steinbach has been University Organist at Brown University for over 10 years. He also teaches through the applied music program and serves as Visiting Assistant Professor in the music department at Brown. He also serves as organist and choirmaster of historic St. Paul's Church in Wickford, Rhode Island.

Mr. Steinbach earned the Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Kansas, and the Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from The Eastman School of Music. As a Fulbright Scholar he studied at the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna. He was the first place winner in the Ottumwa, Iowa National Organ Competition, and the Rochester and Kansas City Chapters of The American Guild of Organists Young Artist Competitions.

Mr. Steinbach has performed in Boston, New York, Washington D.C., San Francisco, Austria, Germany, and Italy. He has premiered new works including Dan Pinkham's Odes at the Regional American Guild of Organists convention in Worcester, MA and Jesse Peckham's Mattern Mass at St. Barnabus Church in Greenwich, Ct.

The Sayles Hall Organ

The Sayles Hall organ is the largest remaining Hutchings-Votey organ of its type. Built by the Hutchings-Votey Organ Company of Boston, it was given to Brown in 1903 by Lucian Sharpe, class of 1893, in memory of his parents. To receive the organ, which weighs about 25 tons and has more than 3,000 pipes ranging from two to 32 feet in height, the old gallery in Sayles Hall was replaced by a new one with a projecting center.

The first recital on the organ was given at Commencement in 1903 by eminent Belgian organist Chevalier August Wiegand. In 1949 the organ was completely renovated, which involved the installation of a new console laid out by the Schantz Organ Company. The last restoration was done by the Potter-Rathbun Company of Cranston, R.I., in 1990; the restored organ was rededicated on Commencement Weekend of 1992 with a performance of a new work by Stephen Scott ’69 M.A. by then University organist Wayne Schneider.

Brown celebrated the 100th birthday of the organ in September 2003 with a concert featuring University Organist Mark Steinbach and the Brown University Chorus, and a recital and master class given by noted British organist David Briggs.