Organist Paul Jacobs To Appears As Soloist With Pacific Symphony In May

American organist Paul Jacobs, the only organist ever to have won a GRAMMY Award, will return to the Pacific Symphony for three concerts at Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall (615 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626), May 15-17, 2025, at 8 p.m. PDT.

Mr. Jacobs will perform Alexandre Guilmant's Symphony No. 1 for Organ and Orchestra, led by conductor Carl St.Clair. Entitled "Cathedrals of Sound," the program features composers who are also notable organist of their times. These performances are dedicated to the memory of William J. Gillespie, a devoted philanthropist for the Pacific Symphony Orchestra.

The full program follows:

TRADITIONAL Gregorian Chant

J. S. Bach Sinfonia in D Major, BWV 1045

Alexandre Guilmant Symphony No. 1 for Organ and Orchestra

Paul Jacobs, Organ

Anton Bruckner Symphony No. 7

General admission between $27 and $139 is available for purchase on Pacific Symphony's event page. For more information please visit organist Paul Jacobs's website. Patrons of this event are invited to attend a preview talk at 7 p.m. PST with KUSC midday host Alan Chapman.

The internationally celebrated organist Paul Jacobs combines a probing intellect and extraordinary technical mastery with an unusually large repertoire, both old and new. Mr. Jacobs has been heralded as "one of the major musicians of our time" by Alex Ross of The New Yorker and as "America's leading organ performer" by The Economist. No other organist is so frequently re-invited as soloist to perform with prestigious orchestras, thus making him a leading pioneer in the movement for the revival of symphonic music featuring the organ.

During the 2023-2024 season Mr. Jacobs gave the world premiere of Lowell Liebermann's Organ Concerto co-commissioned by the Jacksonville Symphony and the Oregon Bach Festival and was invited to perform with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel as part of the gala celebrating the 20th anniversary of Walt Disney Hall. He was also invited back to the Los Angeles Philharmonic for a performance of Lou Harrison's Organ Concerto with Esa-Pekka Salonen. Mr. Jacobs played Samuel Barber's Toccata Festiva with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra; What Do We Make of Bach? by John Harbison with the New England Philharmonic; appeared as soloist with the Toledo Symphony in the Grand Concerto for Organ and Orchestra by Stephen Paulus; and premiered a new version of Michael Daugherty's Once Upon a Castle for Organ and Orchestra with the Las Vegas Philharmonic. One would be hard pressed to find any other musician performing six modern or contemporary concertos in one year.

In recital, Mr. Jacobs presented an all-Bach program under the aegis of the Nashville Symphony. He was invited to perform Messiaen's towering Livre du Saint Sacrament in Hamburg; the 2000 audience members at the prestigious Elbphilharmonie were spellbound.

An eloquent champion of his instrument, Mr. Jacobs is known for his imaginative interpretations and charismatic stage presence. Mr. Jacobs is the only organist ever to have won a GRAMMY Award-in 2011 for Messiaen's Livre du Saint-Sacrament. Having performed to great critical acclaim on five continents and in each of the fifty United States, Mr. Jacobs regularly appears with the Chicago Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Edmonton Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Montreal Symphony, Nashville Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, Pacific Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Toledo Symphony, and Utah Symphony, among others. Mr. Jacobs is also Founding Director of the Oregon Bach Festival Organ Institute, a position he assumed ten seasons ago.