(OCEAN GROVE, NJ) -- As part of its ongoing free organ concert series, the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association (OCGMCA) will present prize-winning young artist Alexander Leonardi, who will perform on the Great Auditorium Pipe Organ on Wednesday August 24 at 7:30pm.  

A native of Long Island, NY, Alexander Leonardi is entering his third year studying Organ Performance at the Curtis Institute of Music with Professor Alan Morrison. Prior to attending Curtis, he was part of the Pre-College Division of The Juilliard School, studying with Dr. Matthew Lewis. 

Over his years of study, Alexander has participated in numerous other programs outside his usual schooling, including the Organ and Piano Institutes at Westminster Choir College and the Philadelphia-Macy's Organ Camp. He has participated in several competitions, including the annual International Organ Competition at the Wells School of Music at West Chester University where he won first prize, and the 2020 Brooklyn AGO competition where he won second prize.

Alexander was also the recipient of the Award for Music Theory and Ear Training at The Juilliard School’s Pre-College Division. He currently serves as the Michael Stairs Organ Scholar at the Church of the Redeemer in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. He is also interested in a wide variety of musical ventures, including conducting, composition, improvisation and a deep passion for chamber music and other forms of collaborative music making.

The Great Auditorium is located at Pilgrim and Ocean Pathways in Ocean Grove, NJ.  All facilities are handicapped accessible. 

Program:

Joseph Jongen (1873-1953): Toccata, Opus 104 (1937)

Cesar Franck (1822-1890): Choral no. 1 in E Major, FWV 38 (1890)

Sigfrid Karg-Elert (1877-1933): “The Soul of the Lake” from the 7 Pastels of Lake Constance, Opus 96 (1923)

Thomas Kerr (1915-1988): “Frolicking Flutes (Homage to Vierne)” (1974)

Mary Beth Bennett (1954-): “Song of Peace in a Time of War” (2005)

Louis Vierne (1870-1937): Organ Symphony no. 6, Opus 59 (1930)