J.P. Redmond - Ricercar for Organ (AGO Student Commissioning Project)

J.P. Redmond's 'Ricercar' for Organ, written for and performed by Eddie Zheng. Commissioned by the American Guild of Organists 2021-2022 Student Commissioning Project.

J.P. and I worked together over the course of several months in preparation of writing and performing a new work for organ. Meeting at the organs at Juilliard, we discussed how to best write for the nuances of the instrument, what would work well and what was to be avoided, and what our overall idea for the piece might be. What came out of this process was 'Ricercar' - a piece featuring three sections. Initially presented are the imaginative, dream-like beginnings of a toccata with weaving hand figurations, which then gives way to an intricate dialogue of hocket figures, with a background of shifting meters. The two sections and their themes collide in the final, hopeful conclusion.

The AGO Student Commissioning Project is the AGO’s most recent new music initiative. Each year, grants of $1,000 are awarded to four collaborative composer-and-organist pairs for the composition and performance of four new works for the organ. In the fall, as the academic year begins, a student pair submits a joint application describing a proposed work and its performance. There are no restrictions with regard to a work’s compositional style; however, all composers and organists must be enrolled as full- or part-time students at an accredited U.S. college, university, or conservatory. After the new work is approved by the AGO Committee on New Music, the organist must premiere the work and provide a video recording.

Recorded by Eddie Zheng at St. Ignatius of Antioch Church, New York City on June 15th, 2022.

Organ Specifications:
Casavant Frères, Limitée
St. Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada – Opus 2892 (1966)
Rebuilt and new console by Douglas Keilitz (2011)
Electro-pneumatic action
3 manuals, 32 stops, 44 ranks

Eddie Zheng, a native of New York City, is an MM and recently graduated BM student of Paul Jacobs at the Juilliard School. With a focus on lyrical phrasing and articulate touch combined with thoughtful programming and spoken notes, Eddie has performed in cities throughout North America, such as New York (St. Patrick's Cathedral), Philadelphia (Longwood Gardens), New Haven (Church of the Redeemer), Montreal (St. James United), and Eugene (First United Methodist Church). Overseas, he has performed in China at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, Beijing Concert Hall, and Beijing Golden Sail Concert Hall.

For more information visit https://www.eddiezheng.com/

Видео J.P. Redmond - Ricercar for Organ (AGO Student Commissioning Project) канала Eddie Zheng, Organist