America 250 Organ & Piano Concert

A Concert Celebrating the 250th Anniversary of American Independence

Watch the Full Concert

Program Highlights

Concert selections incorporate beloved organ and piano favorites and will feature a rare live performance of the Concerto for Organ and Piano (Op. 74) as well as other popular piano and organ solo performances.

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Peeters: Concerto for Organ & Piano (Op. 74)

A 1951 neo-classical concerto rich in counterpoint and lyricism, blending sacred resonance with modern harmonies and rhythmic vitality.

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Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue

A dazzling fusion of jazz and classical idioms—blue notes, sweeping themes, and urban energy in a single, unforgettable rhapsodic arc.

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Ives: Variations on 'America'

A witty, kaleidoscopic set of variations featuring bold harmonies, rhythmic surprises, and Ives’s signature mix of playfulness and provocation.

Peeters taught the famed American organist Paul Manz, whose musical influence helped shape Mr. Ewert’s approach to creative hymn accompaniments.

The concert concludes with the singing of two hymns appropriate to the occasion.

Meet the Organist and Pianist

Richard C. Ewert

Organist

Richard Ewert first played for services at Elm Grove Lutheran (EGL) in his youth. He earned a bachelor’s degree in organ performance at Carroll College in Waukesha plus advanced studies leading to the Master of Church Music degree from Concordia University Wisconsin. He is a member of the Milwaukee Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. His skills in organ performance and hymn accompaniment have been recognized widely at home and abroad, serving as organist at several local and national conventions of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod as well as dedication recitalist and hymn festival accompanist locally and in Kenya.

Dr. Aaron Wunsch

Pianist

Aaron Wunsch is the son of EGL member Duane Wunsch and his late wife Ann. He earned the Bachelor of Arts cum laude at Yale University; his graduate studies were at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and the Julliard School. Presently he teaches master classes in piano and other music classes at Julliard and performs as a concert soloist and with ensembles around the world. He is artistic director of the Music Mondays concert series in New York City and co-artistic director of the Skaneateles Festival in the Finger Lakes region of New York.