Spreckels Organ Pavilion Classical Concerts

at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion About Isabelle With playing described as having “bracing virtuosity” (Chicago Classical Review) and being “fearless and extraordinary” (Amarillo-Globe News), Canadian-American organist Isabelle Demers has enraptured critics, presenters, and audience members around the globe for her exhilarating performances. Her recital for the joint International Society of Organbuilders-American Institute of Organbuilders convention so enchanted the audience that she “left the entire congress in an atmosphere of ‘Demers fever’.” In 2010, her performance for the national convention of the American Guild of Organists, in Washington, D.C., was received with unbridled acclaim not only by critics, who deemed it “one of the most outstanding events of the convention” (The American Organist), but also by the standing-room-only audience of her colleagues which called her back to the stage five times. She has appeared in recital throughout Europe, Oman, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, China, and from coast to coast in the United States and Canada, including at the Cathedrals of Cologne and Regensburg (Germany); the ElbPhilharmonie (Hamburg); the Berlin Philharmonie; the Royal Festival Hall, the Royal Albert Hall, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Cathedral, and Westminster Abbey (London); City Hall (Stockholm); the Royal Opera House of Muscat (Oman); the Forbidden City Concert Hall (Beijing, China); Victoria Hall (Singapore); Melbourne Town Hall (Australia); Auckland Town Hall (New Zealand); Disney Hall (Los Angeles), Davies Hall (San Francisco), Meyerson Symphony Center (Dallas), Kimmel Center, the Wanamaker Organ (Philadelphia); and the Maison Symphonique (Montréal). She was a featured performer at the 2023 BBC Proms held at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Ms. Demers is in continual high demand and held in exceedingly high esteem by her fellow colleagues, as witnessed by repeat performances for regional and national conventions of the American Guild of Organists (Minneapolis, 2008; Washington D.C., 2010; Hartford, 2013; Austin, 2013; Indianapolis, 2015; Houston, 2016; Seattle, 2022; Phoenix 2025), the joint convention of the American Institute of Organ Builders and International Society of Organbuilders (Montréal, 2010), the Royal Canadian College of Organists (Toronto, 2009; Kingston, Ontario, 2016; Guelph/Kitchener 2025), the Organ Historical Society (Vermont, 2013; Minnesota, 2017; Milwaukee 2025), and the Association of Anglican Musicians (Mi

Thomas Gaynor at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion About Thomas Thomas Gaynor is a concert organist, church musician, and educator based in Philadelphia. He is currently Assistant Organist and Choirmaster at Saint Mark’s Church, Locust Street. He was an assistant organist at the Wanamaker Grand Court Organ in Macy’s until its recent closure, and he regularly performs at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, homes of the two largest pipe organs in the world. He maintains a lively studio as an adjunct instructor of organ at Westminster Choir College of Rider University. Recital engagements have taken him to six continents, performing in such venues as Notre Dame de Paris, Sydney Town Hall, Catedral Primada de Colombia in Bogotá, Tokyo-Musashino Civic Cultural Hall, and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. A native of Wellington, New Zealand, Thomas earned his undergraduate degree from the New Zealand School of Music, while holding organ scholarships at the Wellington Anglican Cathedral of St. Paul as well as St. Mary of the Angels Roman Catholic Church. He graduated from David Higgs’s studio at the Eastman School of Music with a DMA and the school’s highest honor, the Artist’s Certificate. Competition wins include the Fort Wayne National Organ Playing Competition in 2014, the Sydney International Organ Competition in 2015, The Bach-Liszt Internationaler Orgelwettbewerb Erfurt/Weimar in 2015, then in 2017 Thomas was presented with the Gold Medal and Audience Prize at the St. Albans International Organ Competition. Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) Festive Overture, Op. 96 (trans. Thomas Gaynor) Gabriel Faure (1845-1924) Sicilienne from Pelléas & Mélisande (trans. Thomas Ospital) John Williams (b. 1932) Raiders March from Indiana Jones (trans. Thomas Gaynor) Alan Menken (b. 1949) Medley from Aladdin (trans. Thomas Gaynor) Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) Vocalise (trans. Thomas Gaynor) Richard Wagner (1813-1883) Prelude to Act III of Lohengrin (trans. Westbrook) Alfred Hollins (1865-1942) Scherzo Edwin H. Lemare (1865-1934) Concertstück in the form of a Polonaise, Op. 80 Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) The Carnival of the Animals (trans. Thomas Gaynor) V. The Elephant VI. Kangaroos VII. Aquarium X. Aviary XII. Fossils XIII. Swan XIV. Finale Johannes Pachelbel (1653-1706) ‍ ‍ Chaconne in F Minor, T. 206 Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937) Symphony for Organ No. 6, Op. 42 No. 2 I. Allegro Sign up for our weekly emails by clicking on the button above. After you submit your emai

Sunkyung Noh & Grant Smith Sunkyung Noh & Grant Smith at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion About Sunkyung and Grant Sunkyung Noh is a South Korean concert organist. She studied with Dong-ill Shin at Yonsei University and earned two master's degrees in Organ and Claviorganum under Wolfgang Zerer and Menno van Delft in Hamburg, Germany. She pursued advanced studies in Leipzig with Martin Schmeding. Noh has garnered recognition both in Korea and internationally. In 2022, she won second prize at the International Schnitger Organ Competition in the Netherlands, and later that year, she won first prize at the 6th International Buxtehude Organ Competition in Lübeck, Germany. In January 2023, she became the first Asian winner of the prestigious International Mendelssohn Competition, earning both the First Prize and the Contemporary Work Interpretation Award. In July 2023, she also received First Prize and the Gold Medal in Interpretation at the 32nd St Albans International Organ Competition. She performs actively across Europe, Asia, and the United States, appearing in renowned venues such as the Thomaskirche in Leipzig, King’s College in Cambridge, Church of the Advent in Boston, and St. Bavokerk in Haarlem. She has also performed with orchestras at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig. In 2026, she will release her debut solo album and tour internationally. Grant Smith is an award-winning concert organist from Fresno, California. His performing career has taken him to major venues around the world, including in the US, Ireland, England, Germany, South Korea, and Japan. Smith was awarded Second Prize in Interpretation at the St Albans International Organ Competition in London in July 2025. Previous competition successes include Third Prize in the 2024 Leipzig Bach Competition, First Prize in the 2023 Hall Organ Competition in Texas, and First Prize in the 2022 Feith Competition in Germany. He is a recent graduate of Rice University in Houston, where he studied with Ken Cowan for a master’s degree in organ performance. While in Houston, Smith held organist positions at Christ Presbyterian Church, West University Baptist Church, First Lutheran Church, and the Houston Masterworks Chorus. He accompanied the West University Baptist Church Choir on an eight-concert tour of Ireland in July 2024. Smith graduated with two bachelor’s degrees in music and civil engineering from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, where he won the school’s Concerto Competition twice

David Higgs at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion About David One of America’s leading concert organists, David Higgs is the Minehan Family Professor of Organ and Chair of the Organ Department at the Eastman School of Music. He performs extensively throughout the United States and abroad and has inaugurated many important new instruments including Meyerson Symphony Center, Dallas, St. Albans Cathedral, England, Church of St. Ignatius Loyola New York City, and Christ Church Cathedral Cincinnati. For over twenty years he performed annual holiday organ concerts to capacity audiences at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, and Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. He has performed with Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Orpheus Ensemble, Chanticleer, and the Empire Brass. Mr. Higgs appears at organ festivals and competitions around the world, including the Stockholm Organspace Festival, Sweden; Fribourg International Organ Festival, Switzerland; in Germany, the European Organ Academy Leipzig, the Leipzig Bach Competition, Gottfried Silbermann Competition Freiberg, and Bremen Musikfest; festivals of Calgary, Dublin, Odense, Varzi, Redlands and San Anselmo, California; and the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival. In England, at the Oundle International Festival, the St. Albans International Festival, and the Cambridge Summer Festival; in France, the Xavier Darasse International Competition in Toulouse; and Japan at several venues, most recently an all-Bach recital at Izumi Hall in Osaka. He often performs at conventions of the American Guild of Organists, and in 2010, performed the inaugural St. Cecilia Recital at a national convention. In 2018 he performed concerts in France, including a solo recital at Notre-Dame Cathedral Paris, and as guest teacher at the Paris Conservatoire. Mr. Higgs is a distinguished pedagogue. He was appointed to the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music upon graduation from that institution, and has been a member of the faculty of the Eastman School of Music since 1992. His students have won prizes in prestigious international competitions, and hold important positions in leading academic and religious institutions. Mr. Higgs has recorded for Delos International, Pro Organo, Arsis, Loft, and Gothic records. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Prelude and Fugue in A Minor, BWV 543 David Conte (b.1955) Soliloquy Johann Gottfried Müthel (1728-1788) Fantasia in G Minor George Shearing (1919-2011) Two Hymn Preludes There is a Happ

An Organ and Orchestra Celebration! An Organ and Orchestra Celebration! at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion About our Artists Conductor and violinist Alejandro Gómez Guillén is known for an energetic and thoughtful approach to music-making, with a focus on performances that are compelling and educational. He has appeared with orchestras across the United States and abroad, among them Phoenix Symphony, Orlando Philharmonic, Virginia Symphony, Illinois Symphony, New Mexico Philharmonic, and Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá. He has also performed at the Oregon Bach Festival and collaborated with conductors such as Robert Spano, Tito Muñoz, and Ankush Kumar Bahl. Alejandro previously served as Assistant Conductor of Omaha Symphony, where he participated in the premiere of Andy Akiho’s Grammy-nominated Sculptures. He was also Artistic Director of the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra, conducting the Indiana premiere of Florence Price’s Symphony No. 4. As Associate Conductor of Fort Worth Symphony, he led community, pops, and educational performances and collaborated with artists including Time for Three and mezzo-soprano Cecilia Duarte. He is also Music Director of Sphere, a Colorado-based string collective known for adventurous programming across genres and eras, including a recent recording featuring music by Grammy-nominated composer Carter Pann. He currently serves as Director of Orchestras at Arizona State University, where he leads one of the nation’s largest collegiate orchestral programs and directs a dynamic performance program for emerging artists. Recent performances there include the Arizona collegiate premiere of William Dawson’s Negro Folk Symphony. Born in Colombia and a proud U.S. citizen, Gómez Guillén studied violin and conducting at Texas Christian University and the University of Colorado Boulder. Away from the podium, he enjoys trail running, singing, and sharing music with family and friends. @alejandromusick Violinist Jeff Thayer holds the Deborah Pate and John Forrest Concertmaster Chair of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Thayer is also a founding member of the Camera Lucida chamber music ensemble, formerly in residence at UCSD’s Conrad Prebys Music Center. Previous positions include assistant concertmaster of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, associate concertmaster of the North Carolina Symphony and concertmaster of the Canton (OH) Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Thayer was also formerly on the violin faculty of the Music Academy of the West where