Trinity Hosts 27th Annual Albert Schweitzer Organ Festival Hartford

Linnea Mayo ’26

Arts & Entertainment Editor

On Sept. 21 and Sept. 22, 2024, Trinity College hosted its 27th annual Albert Schweitzer Organ Festival Hartford. This festival was founded in honor of Albert Schweitzer, a renowned organist, philosopher, and physician known for his studies on the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Trinity has had a partnership with the Albert Schweitzer Organ Festival since 2016, and the festival has grown to become one of the top three competitions for young organists in North America. 

Christopher Houlihan ‘09, the John Rose Distinguished College Organist and director of Chapel Music, is the Albert Schweitzer Organ festival’s artistic director. 

Houlihan emphasizes the opportunities the festival opens for students. “It is a great way to share the amazing organ program at Trinity with Hartford, but also with organists from around the United States. The purpose of the competition especially, is to encourage young musicians to study the organ and to support their education.” 

People come from across the country and over the state to hear organ music here at Trinity College, and each year the festival continues to bring large crowds. This year, the festival partnered with the Hartford Symphony, Connecticut’s premier musical organization, which has been a cultural staple since its founding in 1984. The symphony’s performances, directed by Carolyn Kuan and featuring organist Houlihan, showcased the exceptional acoustics of Trinity College’s chapel, and played notable pieces including The Howard Hanson Organ Concerto and Alexander G. Month’s First Symphony for Organ.

“We have an amazing pipe organ in our chapel, and when the symphony comes and plays here the sound is unbelievable in the chapel. Our chapel has great acoustics for music, and all of it together sounds fantastic,” said Houlihan. 

On both Saturday and Sunday, attendees could participate in a Pre-Concert Talk featuring notable speakers, including Carolyn Kuan, Music Director of the Hartford Symphony, Sean Duffy, Executive Director of the Albert Schweitzer Institute at Quinnipiac University and Leslie Desmangles, Emeritus Professor of Religious Studies and International Studies at Trinity College. The discussion was meant to educate the audience on Schweitzer’s philosophy of “reverence for life,” and explored how the festival’s musical offerings resonate with his legacy and ideals today. 

On Saturday, the annual Young Professional Competition drew aspiring organists from across the region and highlighted their talents and dedication. Open to musicians who have completed their high school education and young professionals, this year’s finalists were Bethany Dame, Nathan Ringkamp, and Jacob Gruss.

Judging the final round of this competition were three esteemed organists: David Hurd, a renowned composer and improviser, Kimberly Marshall, the Patricia and Leonard Goldman Professor in Organ at Arizona State University and James O’Donnell, former Organist and Master at Westminster Abbey. The judges evaluated contestants based on their ability to deliver an engaging and confident 45-minute recital. Audience members who attended all three performances also had the opportunity to cast their votes for the $2,000 audience prize. Gruss, a student at The Juilliard School, ultimately took home the top honor. 

This festival was a partnership with the Hartford Symphony, with Trinity College and the American Guild of Organists, as well as various sponsors, grants and organizations that made the event possible. “It’s really a community partnership that pulls it all together to have an event like this at Trinity. This is an event for the whole community or for the region, for campus and beyond, which is really special and important,” explained Houlihan. 

These collaborative efforts extend beyond Trinity, highlighting the value of community engagement in the arts.“I’m very grateful to my colleagues on campus that helped make this possible, especially that of Chaplain Marcus Haley and the Office of Spiritual and Religious Life, the Austin Arts Center, the Music Department, Buildings and Grounds, The Calendar Office, Communications. I could go on, a lot of partners on campus have helped to make this possible,” added Houlihan. 

This festival also served as a vital educational experience for aspiring musicians and created invaluable opportunities for Trinity students to engage with experienced artists. “This is a major educational opportunity for our own Trinity College organ students who get to meet the finalists and hear them play in the chapel and to attend the various concerts and events that go on every year as part of the festival,” explained Houlian.  

To learn more about the Albert Schweitzer Organ Festival Hartford, check out asofhartford.org. The 28th Annual Albert Schweitzer Organ Festival Hartford is set to take place on Sept. 26 and Sept. 27 in 2025 and will include a performance by Gruss as the winner of the 2024 competition.