Renowned Organist Karol Mossakowski Crosses the Globe for NYC Debut at The Brick Presbyterian Church

Brick Presbyterian Church launches its 2024–25 Worship & Arts concert series with a recital by world renowned organist Karol Mossakowski on Tuesday, October 29 at 7:00 PM at The Brick Presbyterian Church, 1140 Park Avenue, Manhattan.

Karol Mossakowski, titular organist at Saint-Sulpice Church and Artist in Residence at the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra will perform a variety of works as well as an improvisation of his own creation. Charles-Marie Widor’s Allegro from Symphony No. 6, Op. 42, No. 2; Louis Vierne’s Claire de Lune; Maurice Durufle´’s Pre´lude et Fugue sur le nom d’Alain, Op. 7; Felix Mendelssohn’s Variations se´rieuses; Fre´de´ric Chopin’s Prelude in E Minor, Op. 28, No. 4; and Franz Liszt’s Mephisto Waltz No. 1.

To purchase tickets, please visit this page.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

The newly appointed titular organist at Saint-Sulpice Church in Paris, France, Karol Mossakowski is renowned for both titular organist at Saint-Sulpice Church, his interpretation, and his improvisation skills. He was awarded First Prizes at the International Prague Spring Competition and the Grand Prix de Chartres and leads an international career featuring both improvisation and interpretation of literature; two art forms which mutually enrich one another. In addition to his work at Saint Sulpice Church in Paris, Mr. Mossakowski is also professor of improvisation at the Higher School of Music in San Sebastia´n, Spain (Musikene), and Artist in Residence at the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice, Poland.

Recent and upcoming performance highlights include concerts in venues such as Radio France, Philharmonie de Paris, MU¨PA Budapest, Wroclaw’s National Forum of Music, Lyon’s Auditorium, Warsaw Philharmonie, Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Madrid’s National Music Auditorium, BOZAR Brussels, Palais Montcalm in Quebec, Bamberg’s Konzerthalle, Dresden Philharmonie, Berlin, Cologne, Vienna, Milan cathedrals , as well as with orchestras as the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestre National de France, NFM Wroclaw Philharmonic Orchestra, National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Odense Symphony Orchestra, working with conductors Myung-Whun Chung, Kent Nagano, Mikko Franck, Fabien Gabel, Giancarlo Guerrero, Cristian Ma?celaru and Lawrence Foster.

Karol Mossakowski seeks to keep music alive by highlighting his gifts in the art of improvisation, which plays an important role in his recitals and silent film accompaniments. In 2017, his accompaniment of Dreyer’s Jeanne d’Arc for Lyon’s Festival Lumie`re was released on DVD and produced by Gaumont films. In 2021 he released his first solo album Rivages, on the Tempe´raments label, which features works of Bach, Mozart, Mendelssohn, and Liszt with improvisations interspersed.

As a composer, he is in residence at the Festival of Sacred Music in Saint-Malo, France, for which he composed “Les Voiles de la Lumie`re”, an oratorio for three organs and mixed choir which premiered in 2021, as well as “Trois Versets” for three organs, which premiered in 2022. Prior to his appointment at St. Sulpice in Paris, Karol served as titular organist at the Cathedral in Lille in the north of France from 2017-2023, Artist in Residence at Radio France in Paris from 2019-2022, and in the 2014-2015 season he served as Young Artist in Residence at Cathedral of St. Louis King of France in New Orleans (USA).

ABOUT WORSHIP & ARTS

Brick Church’s concert series, Worship & Arts, welcomes all to experience the joyous, uplifting power of the performing arts. Worship & Arts offers concerts and special worship services throughout the year, featuring Brick’s superb Chancel Choir, recitals on the church’s magnificent Casavant organ, as well as performances by extraordinary guest artists and ensembles from New York City’s vibrant artistic scene. Now in its second season, the program has grown to become an important part of the Brick congregation’s offerings, and a valued part of the New York City arts community. To view the entire 2023–24 season, please visit this page.

At Brick Church, we believe that music, dance, and drama can comfort, inspire, challenge, and bring us closer to the divine, showing us God’s glory reflected in all beautiful things. Join us and share in the warmth, excellence, and energy of the performing arts at Brick!

ABOUT THE BRICK PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Brick Church is a lively and growing congregation of the Presbyterian Church (U. S. A.) that has been meeting to worship God and serve the New York community since 1767. We welcome all people to our worship services every Sunday at 11 AM followed by coffee hour, as well as seasonal weekday services. Brick Church sponsors a thriving independent preschool, programs that feed the hungry, as well as community outreach to the Upper East side neighborhood and beyond.

Our congregation, members and visitors have worshipped in three locations in New York City. The first church was on Beekman Street across from today’s City Hall. The church moved to Fifth Avenue and 37th Street in 1858, and remained there until 1940, when the present sanctuary at Park Avenue and 91st Street was dedicated and the Brick Church School established.

Every year since 1945, the Christmas trees on Park Avenue have been lit on the first Sunday in December, during a ceremony on the church steps. Church members, neighborhood residents, and visitors from near and far gather to sing carols and honor those who have died in all of our country's wars.

We welcome everyone to come, visit, worship and see what Brick Church is all about.