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Free Organ Concert Celebration
October 27 @ 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Music director and organist Beverly Caldon will present a free organ concert at 2 pm, Sunday, October 27, at the United Church of Christ in Keene, 23 Central Square, to celebrate the restoration of the Sanctuary organ. Along with trumpeter Nathan Shower, she will offer a varied program of festive music from the trumpet-organ repertoire, as well as scary organ music mindful of Halloween.
The organ is a 3-manual Berkshire-Gilbert instrument with 40 ranks of pipes. It was damaged by a ferocious lightning strike in Keene three years ago and has been brought back to life by Czelusniak et Dugal Organ Co. When the organ was under reconstruction, two additional improvements were made—replacing the very old Swell Expression motor and putting into place a dozen pipes which had been stored in a box for years. Lightning mitigation equipment was installed on the Church roof to protect the entire building. Two additional surge suppression units were included specifically for the organ.
Beverly Caldon has loved working as the Music-Arts Director/Organist at the UCC-Keene for more than 25 years. She moved near the seacoast for a few years, but then happily returned to this position in 2015. Beverly earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music education (organ) from UNH in Durham. She directs the choir and arranges for sermons-in-music, concerts, the annual Messiah Sings, and art exhibits.
Nathan Shower has been performing on trumpet around New England for 20 years, with such groups as the New Hampshire Philharmonic, Monadnock Winds, and the Winchendon Winds. After studying music education at Keene State College, he found an interest in historical brass bands. He’s a member of the Yankee Brass Band, 12th NH Regiment Serenade Band, and has performed with the Centennial Brass in Portland, ME, and the Newmont Military Band in Claremont, NH.
The organ concert is free and open to the public, with a reception, hosted by the Music and Arts Committee, immediately following.
There is an accessible entrance to the Church from Vernon Street at the rear of the building, with an elevator to the Sanctuary on the second floor..
The organ concert will also be live-streamed at www.ucckeene.org