Christoph Keggenhoff is the organist for the Bach Society’s Organ Vespers at 5:00 p.m., March 18. In observance of the 400th anniversary of Dieterich Buxtehude’s death (1637-1707) he will play an all-Buxtehude program.
Keggenhoff is “Domkantor “ of the historic cathedral in Speyer, Germany. A basilica with four towers and two domes, Speyer Cathedral was founded by Conrad II in 1030 and completed by the end of the 11th century. Now a UNESCO World Heritage site, it is one of the most important Romanesque monuments from the time of the Holy Roman Empire. It was the burial place of the German emperors for almost 300 years.
Christoph Keggenhoff founded and directs the Schola Cantorum Saliensis, a vocal ensemble that specializes in performing medieval music, especially Gregorian Chant and related repertoire. He teaches at the institute for Church Music in Speyer. He is an official organ consultant for the diocese of Speyer, and an elected member of the advisory board for the Organization of German Organ Consultants. He also serves as chairman of the Society for the Advancement of Organ Culture in the Upper Rhineland of Germany and Alsace (France), which supports and sponsors the work of the European Organ Academy in that region.
He has recorded five CD’s of organ music and Gregorian Chant on the Organum Classics label. On the Sunday following his visit to Houston he will play a concert in the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.
Admission to Organ Vespers is free; an offering will be received.
The project is made possible in part by a grant from the Houston Arts Alliance.