Organ Apotheosis

What makes the online concerts of new American classical music so special?

In March 2021, Lyrica Classic, with the Maryland State Arts Council's support, introduce new organ and sacred vocal music to the audience in a virtual setting in two parts with a live broadcast from three countries and three churches on March 28 and April 25 on YouTube Live. 

The project features the works by two contemporary composers: American-Belgian composer Emmanuel Dubois and Israeli-American composer Eli Tamar.

The program of the online concerts Organ Apotheosis will include works written on the texts of Catholic and Orthodox prayers: "Prayer for Peace," "Canticum Fratris Solis," "Our Father" by composer Ellie Tamar, as well as an Organ Sonata and "Ave Maria" by composer Emmanuel Dubois.

The compositions will be performed by sopranos Olga Orlovskaya, Simone Brown, Yulia Petrachuk, mezzo-soprano Alexandra Coburn, and two virtuoso organists - David Lauer from France and Stephen Harouff from Baltimore, MD. The concerts will be broadcast from three beautiful churches and three countries:

On March 28, 2021, at 12pm EST – Lyrica Classic presents organ works by Emmanuel Dubois broadcast from Eglise Saint-Laurent church in Fleurance, Gers in France, and Saint Bechara Church in Jubail, Lebanon. And will be played on its romantic organ named after Jules Magen. Magen was a student of the great Cavaillé-Coll, who built the organ in 1865.

On April 25, 2021, at 12pm EST – Lyrica Classic features Eli Tamar's works with a broadcast from the beautiful 100-year-old Chapel of Our Lady of the Angels located in Catonsville, Maryland.

This project will be possible thanks to the teleconference technologies and Lyrica Classic's video engineers and designers. Having the concert virtually will enable us to deliver it to an unlimited number of viewers and bring artists from worldwide to participate.

In addition to the concerts, Lyrica Classic presents a series of educational webinars with the composers and artists broadcast on YouTube Live: https://bit.ly/YouTubeLyricaClassic

• More information about the project on its website: https://lyricaclassic.org/the-organ-apotheosis/
• Registration link for the concerts is http://bit.ly/organapotheosis

Eli Tamar's multicultural background has contributed to his ability to explore and synthesize various elements of styles, overcoming spiritual barriers between various musical, literary, and religious traditions. His compositions were featured in such venues as "De Boni Arte" Foundation series of sacred music and "Great Names in Art" - Charitable Foundation in Russia, Carnegie Music Hall in Pittsburgh, Prizm concerts in New York, U-3 New Music Festival, Yad Labanim Museum in Tel Aviv, Art Museum in Ramat-Gan, Tel-Hai International Composers Symposium, Aspen Composers Conference, Pittsburgh Concert Society, College Music Society conferences, among others. Many of his premieres have been performed by the famous Russian countertenor and soloist of the Metropolitan Opera, Andrey Nemzer.

The biography of the composer Emmanuel Dubois is a fantastic example of the American Dream. He grew up in Brussels in a large family with five brothers and sisters. He dreamed of music, had perfect pitch, but his parents were categorically against a musical career. As a result, Emmanuel received his master's degree in organic chemistry from the University of Brussels and later moved to the United States and began his scientific career. Emmanuel then earned an MBA from the University of North Carolina and took up a prominent banking position. And only at the age of 46, Dubois nevertheless decided to follow his artistic dream. So, he entered the University of Michigan, where he studied composition. As a result, within 25 years, he created about 60 works performed at the world's leading venues. In 2019, his oratorio Requiem for the Fallen was US-premiered by Lyrica Classic at Carnegie Hall in NYC. And in 2020, the oratorio was selected by the US Embassy in Moscow for its "Mission to Russia" annual program and Russian-premiered by Lyrica Classic in December 2020 in memory of the fallen in WWII.

"For more than twenty-five years, I have tried to share in music the view that generosity of the heart is essential for the betterment of mankind and that this emotional connection can be stimulated through thoughtful art." - Emmanuel M. Dubois.