February 21 ~ Evelyn Larter, Deerfield Presbyterian Church, Deerfield, NJ
February 28 ~ Isza Wu, Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia
March 6 ~ Connor Fluharty, Trinity Episcopal Church, Princeton
March 13 ~ Lawrence DePasquale, Episcopal Church of St. John, Chews Landing, NJ
March 20 ~ Eric Plutz, University Organist, Princeton University
Our Lenten Recitals take place at 12:00 noon on Wednesdays in Lent. Each recital lasts 30 minutes and is followed by a delicious soup luncheon in the Parish Hall.
There is nothing like hearing the pipe organ live in concert, with its beautiful quietest sounds and its thrilling loudest sounds. We hope to see you there!
Evelyn Larter – February 21
Evelyn Larter was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and is an honors graduate of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music in concert piano and general music education. Since September 2003, Evelyn has been the Director of Music at historic Deerfield Presbyterian Church, South Jersey, where she presents regular recitals with world-class musicians.
As a composer, Evelyn writes anthems for her small church choir, and hymn arrangements for instrumental and vocal solo, and for small ensembles. She is published by the Lorenz Corporation, Saint James Music Press, Augsburg Fortress Publications and Sheet Music Press at sheetmusicplus.com. Her music is also available on her own website, www.evelynlartermusic.com. In 2020, her collection of hymn arrangements for piano trio, “How Sweet The Sound”, was recorded and released by the Elite Artists Trio, a Steinway Artists ensemble in Taiwan, under the title Amazing Grace.
More recently, as a regular recitalist on the world’s largest organ at Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, Evelyn was one of six organists featured on a 2021 CD of movie music recorded there, titled The Big Screen On The Boardwalk.
Evelyn is an active member of The American Guild of Organists, having twice served as Dean of the SouthWest Jersey chapter. She was the Convention Coordinator for the 2019 Mid-Atlantic Regional Convention, AGO, where she was also a commissioned composer. Evelyn is married to Rev Dr. Ken Larter, the Pastor Emeritus of Deerfield Presbyterian Church. They have four adult children and five grandchildren.
Isza Wu – February 28
Originally hailing from Madison, WI, Isabella Isza Wu serves as an assistant organist at Macy’s Wanamaker Organ, the largest fully functioning organ in the world, and as the organ scholar at St. Clement’s Episcopal Church in Philadelphia. She received two bachelors’ degrees from Northwestern University in Piano Performance and Communication Studies, respectively, before attending the Curtis Institute of Music, where she is now pursuing her master’s degree in Organ Performance as the Charles and Judith Freyer Fellow. Isabella has performed at many venues, including Longwood Gardens, Ocean Grove Auditorium, Overture Hall (Madison WI), St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and Alice Millar Chapel (Evanston IL), and Christ Church (Philadelphia). An active teacher, Isabella has been involved with education programs at the Madison Symphony Orchestra and The People’s Music School (Chicago. She currently works with patients with early-onset Alzheimer’s as a Teaching Artist at Penn Memory Center. Isabella is a student of Alan Morrison, and also studies harpsichord with Leon Schelhase and improvisation with Jeffrey Brillhart.
Connor Fluharty – March 6
Connor Fluharty, originally from Pittsburgh, PA, has worked at Trinity Episcopal Church Princeton in various roles since 2017, including Organ Scholar, Interim Director of Music, and currently as Associate Director of Music. He also directs the Lux Choir of the Episcopal Church of Princeton, a semi-professional group that sings for services in the Princeton University Chapel. Connor has taught organ at Lehigh University, and performs as an pianist, accompanist, continuo player, and choral bass. He is a graduate of Westminster Choir College, where he completed his Master of Music in Organ Performance, and also holds a Bachelor of Music in both organ and piano performance.
Lawrence DePasquale – March 13
Lawrence De Pasquale is a graduate of Glassboro State College, where he studied organ with Dennis Elwell, choral conducting with Clarence Miller, and music education research with Lili Levinowitz. He also holds a diploma from Music Together, an internationally-practiced curriculum for the development of musical skills for young children. He holds the Colleague performance certificate from the American Guild of Organists, A retiree from full-time employment at Rowan University where he was advisor for 11 undergraduate music programs and coordinator of field experiences for the music education, he continues occasionally returning to the faculty while in his 24th year conducting the 48 voice chorus of Rowan College of South Jersey, and is an ordained deacon of the ELCA currently serving St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church in Chew Landing as music director.
Eric Plutz – March 20
Eric Plutz is University Organist at Princeton University, where his responsibilities include playing for weekly services at the Chapel, Academic Ceremonies, and solo concerts, as well as accompanying the Chapel Choir in services and concerts. He manages the weekly After Noon Concert Series at the University Chapel, is Lecturer in Music and Instructor of Organ at Princeton University, and maintains a private studio. Also in Princeton, Mr. Plutz is Collaborative Keyboardist for Princeton Pro Musica. In 2016 Mr. Plutz received the Alumni Merit Award from Westminster Choir College. More information is available at www.ericplutz.com.
In celebration of Louis Vierne’s 150th birthday in 2020, Eric initiated The Vierne Project: performances of the complete organ symphonies. One of a handful of organists to embark on such a venture, he performed in Beverly Hills (CA), Durham (NC), Minneapolis (MN), Lancaster and Reading (PA), Ithaca (NY), Houston (TX), Evanston (IL), Portland (OR), Olympia (WA), and San Antonio (TX). A CD recording of the symphonies on six different instruments was released on the Affetto label in 2022.
Mr. Plutz’s most recent recording, “B A C H – The Gamut from ‘A’ to ‘G’,” was released on the Affetto label in 2023. Showcasing organ works in A, B, C, D, E, F, and G, the album was recorded on the Mander/Skinner organ in Princeton University Chapel.
As an organ concert soloist, Mr. Plutz, who “performs with gusto, flair, clarity, and strong yet pliant rhythmic control (James Hildreth for The American Organist),” has accepted engagements in distinguished locations across the United States and abroad. He has been a featured artist at three Regional Conventions of the American Guild of Organists (2007, 2011, and 2019), the Annual Convention of the Organ Historical Society (2016). His playing has been broadcast on “With Heart and Voice,” “Pipedreams,” and “the Wanamaker Organ Hour.”
Eric has made four solo recordings on the Pro Organo label, www.proorgano.com. French Trilogy (on the Æolian-Skinner Organ at Byrnes Auditorium, Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC), about which James Reed (The Diapason) wrote, “Plutz is a master craftsman… his performances are sensitive, emotional, stunningly accurate, and spectacularly musical… truly a world-class performance by a world-class musician,” and Denver Jubilee (restored 1938 Kimball Organ of St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral, Denver, CO), about which David Schwartz (American Record Guide) wrote, “….he understands, as would a great orchestrator, how to register the more orchestral side of the instrument….”
Two previous recordings are of the Princeton University Chapel Organ: Musique Héroïque and Carnival, about which Mr. Hildreth (TAO) writes, “Plutz’s extraordinary musicianship and dexterous command allow him to perform the most challenging passages (of which there are many!) with apparent ease. He performs the quiet pieces with poetry and grace.”
From 2005 to 2020, Mr. Plutz was rehearsal accompanist for the Westminster Symphonic Choir at Westminster Choir College. Additionally, he has worked with many organizations, including The Bach Choir of Bethlehem, National Symphony Orchestra, Choral Arts Society of Washington, and the Cathedral Choral Society (DC). As a teacher, he held the position of Adjunct Assistant Professor of Organ at Westminster Choir College three separate times.
Originally from Rock Island, Illinois, Mr. Plutz earned a Bachelor of Music degree, magna cum laude, from Westminster Choir College and a Master of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music. Additional study consists of two visits to Europe: in 2005, he studied the complete organ works of César Franck with Marie-Louise Langlais in Paris, and in 2019 he studied the complete organ symphonies of Louis Vierne with Ben van Oosten in The Hague, Netherlands.