Recital Will Commemorate Birthday Of Organist Guild

At precisely 3 p.m. Sunday, fingers will descend on the keys of more than 200 organs across the country in what is being billed as the “World’s Largest Organ Recital.” Spokane’s recital will be held at The Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes downtown.

The event is being held to celebrate the 100th birthday of the American Guild of Organists. Several area organists will be playing, including 12-year-old Aleksandr “Sasha” Kirillov. Kirillov will play Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor.

It is a piece he has always wanted to play, Kirillov says, even when he lived in Russia. While he lived there, he played the piano and the violin and studied music composition and theory. Kirillov and his parents immigrated to the United States in November 1994, and he started playing the organ the following January.

Kirillov says he takes lessons once a week and practices for up to two hours several times a week at home on an old electronic organ given to him by his teacher, Jim Barrett, music director at Our Lady of Lourdes. Kirillov no longer has access to a piano, which isn’t good, he says. Since the organ is harder to play than the piano, playing the piano is essential to playing the organ. “It’s just for technique,” Kirillov explains.

He says he’s looking forward to playing on Sunday - even though playing in front of crowds makes him nervous. “I just play it,” he says.

Barrett says Kirillov is the youngest student he has taught in his 37 years of teaching. That’s partly because Barrett remembers when he was Kirillov’s age and wanted to play the organ but teachers told him to concentrate on the piano. “I was obsessed with the organ like Sasha is,” Barrett says.

Kirillov is very talented, Barrett says, and has the ability to duplicate a piece without using sheet music after he’s only heard it once. “He’s a delight to work with,” Barrett says.

Other organists who will perform at the recital include Janet Satre Ahrend, Barrett, Charles Bradley, Floyd Czoski, James Tevenan, Paula Schmitz, Keith Thomas and Satoko Tochikubo. The concert is free and open to the public. A freewill offering will be accepted.