Christoph Bull’s organica at First Congregational Church of Los Angeles

First Congregational Church of Los Angeles is proud to present Christoph Bull’s organica, a FREE pipe organ concert on Sunday, May 31, 2015 at 3:00pm. organica is an eclectic, colorful, and collaborative way to present the pipe organ to new audiences. A performer, scholar, and UCLA faculty member, Bull has been dubbed “the Tiger Woods of the organ.” He will perform his innovative interpretations of pieces by Philip Glass, Johann Sebastian Bach, Olivier Messiaen, Louis-Claude Daquin, and Maurice Ravel, as well as his own work, on the church’s famous pipe organ, the largest in the world located in a church. Live painter Norton Wisdom will add a visual element to the performance. The event is part of First Church’s Organ Concert Series. First Congregational Church of Los Angeles is located at 540 South Commonwealth Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90020 (213-385-1341). To learn more about the concert, please visit https://www.facebook.com/events/596138490516553.

German-born Bull is well-known in the Los Angeles area for mixing it up – blending traditional and modern elements into his interdisciplinary performances, presenting classical and contemporary works with enthusiasm, experimentation, and improvised visuals. Wisdom, who has long collaborated with Bull in concert, will spontaneously create art inspired by the music during a number of selections at the event. Working on an illuminated fiberglass canvas, his imagery will emerge, evolve, and dissolve to Bull’s performance.


The event features a combination of world-class performers – bringing together a massive and beautiful world-renowned instrument in Los Angeles’ oldest Protestant Church with a fascinating outside-of-the-box multimedia and interdisciplinary program. The repertoire for the May 31st event showcases the organ in varied ways. This installment of organica juxtaposes Philip Glass with Johann Sebastian Bach; highlighting the different ways they use arpeggios in their compositions (Glass’ “Dance No. 4” and Bach’s “Prelude and Fugue in A Minor.”) Bull will also contrast Olivier Messiaen with Louis-Claude Daquin, exploring their methods of incorporating bird song in compositions (Messiaen’s “Chants D’Oiseaux” and Daquin’s “Le Coucou.”) Original music by Bull and an organ transcription of Ravel’s famed “Bolero” will round out the event. Bull will also interview UCLA Ornithology Professor Charles Taylor about the bird songs that inspired Messiaen’s “Chants D’Oiseaux.”

(Photo: Christoph Bull and Norton Wisdom at Royce Hall; photo credit - Nigel Skeet)