The Custody of the Holy Land is pleased to announce the opening of the second concert season of the Terra Sancta Organ Festival - Music from the Churches of the Middle East.
The festival will take place from September 18 to October 30 in the following locations: Amman (Jordan) on September 18, Emmaus El-Qubeibeh (Palestine) on September 25, Rhodes (Greece) from September 27 to October 3 (in collaboration with the Organ & Music Festival Rhodes), Larnaca (Cyprus) on October 3, Tel Aviv-Jaffa (on Tuesdays, October 6, 13, 20, 27), Nazareth (on Wednesdays, October 7, 14, 21, 28), Jerusalem (on Thursdays, October 8, 15, 22, 29) and Bethlehem (on Fridays, October 9, 16, 23, 30).
The special feature of the Terra Sancta Organ Festival is that it is held at churches and shrines of the Holy Land and in places where the Franciscan Friars of the Custody of the Holy Land have been present for centuries. In this regard, we are organizing a winter concert season that will include also Syria, Lebanon and Egypt. The Terra Sancta Organ Festival is the only organ festival in the world to be organized in eight different countries, perhaps simply the only festival with this feature.
The festival becomes then a way to give international visibility (and in some cases solidarity) to the Christian communities of the Middle East and the Levant; at the same time, the reality of the Custody of the Holy Land gets to be known also in non-religious circles, like the ones associated with music lovers and festival goers.
The concerts take place in churches, but all are welcome, whatever their religion.
The holy places in which the concerts take place, have an importance that goes beyond the musical event: therefore a special invitation is addressed to pilgrims and tourists, who are very welcomed to attend. The Terra Sancta Organ Festival represents one of the rare occasions where one can hear the sound of the pipe organ (the king of musical instruments, the largest) outside of the normal liturgical context. Admission is free to all concerts.
The organists scheduled to perform in the Israel and Palestine concert season of October are all internationally known.
Peter Latona (USA) is Music Director for the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the largest sanctuary in the United States; already a winner of the Bach Organ Competition in Lausanne, Pavao Mašić (Croatia) is a young talent with an intense concert activity in Europe: he is also the titular organist of the prestigious church of St. Mark in Zagreb, where the first organ concert took place in 1359; the Italian Pier Damiano Peretti (Italy/Austria) is professor of organ at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna; winner of the prestigious organ competition of St. Alban, he is also the recipient of the 2015 Outstanding Artist Award by the Austrian government; Marcel Octav Costea (Romania), conductor and composer, teaches at the National University of Music of Bucharest and is the Director of Music at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Bucharest.
In addition, no less important organists will perform in September in the other locations of the Festival. They are the Italian Antonio Galanti, teacher at the Conservatory of Alessandria (Italy); Mako Kusagaya from Japan, teacher at the Conservatory of Amman; the Austrian Matthias Giesen, teacher at the University of Vienna and artistic director of the "Brucknertage St. Florian Festival"; the Greek Christos Paraskevoupolos, teacher at the Athens Conservatory and artistic director of the “Organ & Music Festival Rhodes”; the German Gunther Martin Goettsche, organist of the Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem; Melanie Harrison from Great Britain, a member of the British Institute of Organ Studies and the Frenchman Christophe Guide, organist of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Marseille.
The artists’ complete biographies and all the information about the Terra Sancta Organ Festival can be found on www.tsorganfestival.org. All the concerts held in the Basilica of the Annunciation of Nazareth will be streamed live on the festival’s website. Videos and audio tracks from the past edition are available on the You Tube channel and Sound Cloud page of the Terra Sancta Organ Festival.
The festival is made possible thanks to the organizational resources of the Custody of the Holy Land like the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America, the Magnificat Institute of Jerusalem, the Christian Information Center, ATS Pro Terra Sancta, Custodia.org, the Christian Media Center and Franciscan monasteries of Amman, Rhodes, Cyprus, El Qubeibeh Emmaus, Jaffa St. Peter, Nazareth, Jerusalem St. Saviour and Bethlehem and with the support of the Embassy of Croatia in Israel (Croatia House), the Embassy of Italy in Cyprus, the Romanian Institute of Culture in Tel Aviv, the Italian Institute of Culture in Tel Aviv, the Organ Builder Nicola Puccini of Pisa and the Associazione Santo Sepolcro of Foligno.
Since 1342, the Custody of the Holy Land is a mission with a special character of the Catholic Church entrusted to the Order of the Friars Minor (Franciscans) and a diplomatic entity recognized by many countries and institutions.
organfestival@custodia.org – www.tsorganfestival.org
TERRA SANCTA ORGAN FESTIVAL - HOLY LAND ORGAN FESTIVAL
Autumn Concert Season 2015
DATE PLACE ORGANISTS & MUSICIANS
22 August
“Prelude”
in Italy PISA – Basilica of S. Piero a Grado – 7 pm
Blessing of the new organ for the Mount Nebo (Jordan)
H. E. Giovanni Paolo Benotto, Metropolitan Archbishop in Pisa - H.E. Mons Maroun Lahham, Bishop in Amman, Patriarchal Vicar in Jordan
Don Antoni Pyznar, Parrish Priest of the Basilica
Nicola Puccini (Italy), organ builder Antonio Galanti (Italy)
Andrea Lagi (Italy), trumpet
18 September AMMAN – Terra Sancta College – 7.30 pm Mako Kusagaya (Japan)
Fountain of Love choir Amman
Toaama Jbara (Jordan), conductor
25 September EMMAUS EL QUBEIBEH – Terra Santa Monastery – 4 pm Gunther Martin Goetsche
Heidrun Goettsche, soprano (Germany)
27 September RHODES – St. Francis Church – 8.30 pm Matthias Giesen (Austria)
27 Sept. – 3 Oct RHODES –– Church of St. Francis and of Our Lady of Victory
Organ & Music Festival Rhodes Chris Paraskevopoulos (Greece)
Artistic director & organist
3 October LARNACA – Church of St. Mary of Graces- 7. 30 pm Christophe Guida (France)
Melanie Harrison (England)
6 October TEL AVIV – JAFFA – St. Peter’s Church – 7 pm Peter Latona (United States)
7 October NAZARETH – Basilica of the Annunciation – 6 pm Peter Latona (United States)
8 October JERUSALEM – Church of St. Saviour – 6 pm Peter Latona (United States)
9 October BETHLEHEM –Church of St. Catherine at Nativity – 6 pm Peter Latona (United States)
13 October TEL AVIV – JAFFA – St. Peter’s Church – 7 pm Pavao Mašić (Croatia)
14 October NAZARETH – Basilica of the Annunciation – 6 pm Pavao Mašić (Croatia)
15 October JERUSALEM – Church of St. Saviour – 6 pm Pavao Mašić (Croatia)
16 October BETHLEHEM –Church of St. Catherine at Nativity – 6 pm Pavao Mašić (Croatia)
20 October TEL AVIV – JAFFA – St. Peter’s Church – 7 pm Pier Damiano Peretti (Italia/Austria)
21 October NAZARETH – Basilica of the Annunciation – 6 pm Pier Damiano Peretti (Italia/Austria)
22 October JERUSALEM – Church of St. Saviour – 6 pm Pier Damiano Peretti (Italia/Austria)
23 October BETHLEHEM –Church of St. Catherine at Nativity – 6 pm Pier Damiano Peretti (Italia/Austria)
27 October TEL AVIV – JAFFA – St. Peter’s Church – 7 pm Marcel Ocatv Costea (Romania)
28 October NAZARETH – Basilica of the Annunciation – 6 pm Marcel Octav Costea (Romania)
29 October JERUSALEM – Church of St. Saviour – 6 pm Marcel Octav Costea (Romania)
30 October BETHLEHEM –Church of St. Catherine at Nativity – 6 pm Marcel Octav Costea (Romania)
organfestival@custodia.org – www.tsorganfestival.org
The festival will take place from September 18 to October 30 in the following locations: Amman (Jordan) on September 18, Emmaus El-Qubeibeh (Palestine) on September 25, Rhodes (Greece) from September 27 to October 3 (in collaboration with the Organ & Music Festival Rhodes), Larnaca (Cyprus) on October 3, Tel Aviv-Jaffa (on Tuesdays, October 6, 13, 20, 27), Nazareth (on Wednesdays, October 7, 14, 21, 28), Jerusalem (on Thursdays, October 8, 15, 22, 29) and Bethlehem (on Fridays, October 9, 16, 23, 30).
The special feature of the Terra Sancta Organ Festival is that it is held at churches and shrines of the Holy Land and in places where the Franciscan Friars of the Custody of the Holy Land have been present for centuries. In this regard, we are organizing a winter concert season that will include also Syria, Lebanon and Egypt. The Terra Sancta Organ Festival is the only organ festival in the world to be organized in eight different countries, perhaps simply the only festival with this feature.
The festival becomes then a way to give international visibility (and in some cases solidarity) to the Christian communities of the Middle East and the Levant; at the same time, the reality of the Custody of the Holy Land gets to be known also in non-religious circles, like the ones associated with music lovers and festival goers.
The concerts take place in churches, but all are welcome, whatever their religion.
The holy places in which the concerts take place, have an importance that goes beyond the musical event: therefore a special invitation is addressed to pilgrims and tourists, who are very welcomed to attend. The Terra Sancta Organ Festival represents one of the rare occasions where one can hear the sound of the pipe organ (the king of musical instruments, the largest) outside of the normal liturgical context. Admission is free to all concerts.
The organists scheduled to perform in the Israel and Palestine concert season of October are all internationally known.
Peter Latona (USA) is Music Director for the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the largest sanctuary in the United States; already a winner of the Bach Organ Competition in Lausanne, Pavao Mašić (Croatia) is a young talent with an intense concert activity in Europe: he is also the titular organist of the prestigious church of St. Mark in Zagreb, where the first organ concert took place in 1359; the Italian Pier Damiano Peretti (Italy/Austria) is professor of organ at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna; winner of the prestigious organ competition of St. Alban, he is also the recipient of the 2015 Outstanding Artist Award by the Austrian government; Marcel Octav Costea (Romania), conductor and composer, teaches at the National University of Music of Bucharest and is the Director of Music at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Bucharest.
In addition, no less important organists will perform in September in the other locations of the Festival. They are the Italian Antonio Galanti, teacher at the Conservatory of Alessandria (Italy); Mako Kusagaya from Japan, teacher at the Conservatory of Amman; the Austrian Matthias Giesen, teacher at the University of Vienna and artistic director of the "Brucknertage St. Florian Festival"; the Greek Christos Paraskevoupolos, teacher at the Athens Conservatory and artistic director of the “Organ & Music Festival Rhodes”; the German Gunther Martin Goettsche, organist of the Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem; Melanie Harrison from Great Britain, a member of the British Institute of Organ Studies and the Frenchman Christophe Guide, organist of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Marseille.
The artists’ complete biographies and all the information about the Terra Sancta Organ Festival can be found on www.tsorganfestival.org. All the concerts held in the Basilica of the Annunciation of Nazareth will be streamed live on the festival’s website. Videos and audio tracks from the past edition are available on the You Tube channel and Sound Cloud page of the Terra Sancta Organ Festival.
The festival is made possible thanks to the organizational resources of the Custody of the Holy Land like the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America, the Magnificat Institute of Jerusalem, the Christian Information Center, ATS Pro Terra Sancta, Custodia.org, the Christian Media Center and Franciscan monasteries of Amman, Rhodes, Cyprus, El Qubeibeh Emmaus, Jaffa St. Peter, Nazareth, Jerusalem St. Saviour and Bethlehem and with the support of the Embassy of Croatia in Israel (Croatia House), the Embassy of Italy in Cyprus, the Romanian Institute of Culture in Tel Aviv, the Italian Institute of Culture in Tel Aviv, the Organ Builder Nicola Puccini of Pisa and the Associazione Santo Sepolcro of Foligno.
Since 1342, the Custody of the Holy Land is a mission with a special character of the Catholic Church entrusted to the Order of the Friars Minor (Franciscans) and a diplomatic entity recognized by many countries and institutions.
organfestival@custodia.org – www.tsorganfestival.org
TERRA SANCTA ORGAN FESTIVAL - HOLY LAND ORGAN FESTIVAL
Autumn Concert Season 2015
DATE PLACE ORGANISTS & MUSICIANS
22 August
“Prelude”
in Italy PISA – Basilica of S. Piero a Grado – 7 pm
Blessing of the new organ for the Mount Nebo (Jordan)
H. E. Giovanni Paolo Benotto, Metropolitan Archbishop in Pisa - H.E. Mons Maroun Lahham, Bishop in Amman, Patriarchal Vicar in Jordan
Don Antoni Pyznar, Parrish Priest of the Basilica
Nicola Puccini (Italy), organ builder Antonio Galanti (Italy)
Andrea Lagi (Italy), trumpet
18 September AMMAN – Terra Sancta College – 7.30 pm Mako Kusagaya (Japan)
Fountain of Love choir Amman
Toaama Jbara (Jordan), conductor
25 September EMMAUS EL QUBEIBEH – Terra Santa Monastery – 4 pm Gunther Martin Goetsche
Heidrun Goettsche, soprano (Germany)
27 September RHODES – St. Francis Church – 8.30 pm Matthias Giesen (Austria)
27 Sept. – 3 Oct RHODES –– Church of St. Francis and of Our Lady of Victory
Organ & Music Festival Rhodes Chris Paraskevopoulos (Greece)
Artistic director & organist
3 October LARNACA – Church of St. Mary of Graces- 7. 30 pm Christophe Guida (France)
Melanie Harrison (England)
6 October TEL AVIV – JAFFA – St. Peter’s Church – 7 pm Peter Latona (United States)
7 October NAZARETH – Basilica of the Annunciation – 6 pm Peter Latona (United States)
8 October JERUSALEM – Church of St. Saviour – 6 pm Peter Latona (United States)
9 October BETHLEHEM –Church of St. Catherine at Nativity – 6 pm Peter Latona (United States)
13 October TEL AVIV – JAFFA – St. Peter’s Church – 7 pm Pavao Mašić (Croatia)
14 October NAZARETH – Basilica of the Annunciation – 6 pm Pavao Mašić (Croatia)
15 October JERUSALEM – Church of St. Saviour – 6 pm Pavao Mašić (Croatia)
16 October BETHLEHEM –Church of St. Catherine at Nativity – 6 pm Pavao Mašić (Croatia)
20 October TEL AVIV – JAFFA – St. Peter’s Church – 7 pm Pier Damiano Peretti (Italia/Austria)
21 October NAZARETH – Basilica of the Annunciation – 6 pm Pier Damiano Peretti (Italia/Austria)
22 October JERUSALEM – Church of St. Saviour – 6 pm Pier Damiano Peretti (Italia/Austria)
23 October BETHLEHEM –Church of St. Catherine at Nativity – 6 pm Pier Damiano Peretti (Italia/Austria)
27 October TEL AVIV – JAFFA – St. Peter’s Church – 7 pm Marcel Ocatv Costea (Romania)
28 October NAZARETH – Basilica of the Annunciation – 6 pm Marcel Octav Costea (Romania)
29 October JERUSALEM – Church of St. Saviour – 6 pm Marcel Octav Costea (Romania)
30 October BETHLEHEM –Church of St. Catherine at Nativity – 6 pm Marcel Octav Costea (Romania)
organfestival@custodia.org – www.tsorganfestival.org