BRATTLEBORO — Epsilon Spires will once again present Gavin Klein on the historic Estey 300 pipe organ in the Sanctuary at 190 Main St.
The free concert on Wednesday, Oct. 6, at noon continues the arts venue's monthly live Lunchtime Organ Series, held every first Wednesday. “Audiences are invited to bring lunch, find a comfortable spot, and become immersed as the music fills the acoustically exceptional hall,” the event organizers write.
In this recital, Klein, age 17, will showcase music from around Europe, from the Renaissance to Modern musical periods, including work of Grayston Ives, Johann Gottfried Walther, J.S. Bach, Felix Mendelssohn, Eugène Gigout, and others.
Klein performed on the Estey organ in 2020 during cold, snowy weather - “but yet, there was a large crowd, and it turned out to be a super performance,” he recalls. “That was my last public in-person performance, given the pandemic - so it's great to be back!”
He looks forward to showcasing a varied program that will feature the multiple color ranges of the organ.
“One thing I love about this organ is the extremely warm and lush string division (the pipes that are meant to imitate a string orchestra) which was something notable of organs of this era, especially those of the Estey Company,” he says.
Klein, a senior at Nashoba Regional High School in Bolton, Mass., plans to study organ performance in college.
He first found his love for the organ after hearing the instrument in Europe while traveling with his family when he was very young. With a background in early music and keyboard studies since the age of 4, he took on the organ at age 12.
He is an organ student of C. Henry Mason, director of music at Immaculate Conception Parish in Worcester, Mass.
Klein has given performances in both the U.S. and Europe. A member of the American Guild of Organists and the Organ Historical Society, he serves as organist at a number of churches.
In 2020, he was named artist in residence at the Harvard (Mass.) Historical Society, where he gives monthly concerts.
Doors open at 11:45 a.m. for the noon concert. For more information, visit epsilonspires.org.