Commission an original musical composition for Mechanics Hall ($1200 value)

Description

[Update 11/4/22: only one left. Auction will end on November 15.]You are bidding on a rare opportunity to commission a 4-minute-long organ work based on a Christmas theme, composed by
Leonardo Ciampa, Mechanics Hall Composer-in-Residence 2021-2023. The
piece will be premiered by the composer at the concert “Christmas
at Mechanics,” to be held on Wednesday, December 14 at 12:00 p.m. at
Mechanics Hall in Worcester, Massachusetts.
The new organ work
will be dedicated to the winning bidder or to someone of the winning
bidder’s choosing. The dedicatee’s name will be engraved in the
printed music. The winner will also receive a copy of the printed
music, autographed by the composer. The work will be performed on
Mechanics Hall’s internationally renowned 1864 E. & G. G. Hook
pipe organ, acknowledged to be one of the world’s great concert hall
organs.
100%
of the winning bid will be donated to Mechanics Hall (a
not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization), tax deductible as allowed by
law. The winning bidder will pay Mechanics Hall directly,
via
check, money order, or directly on the Mechanics Hall website. The
bidder will receive an official donation acknowledgment letter from
Mechanics Hall.
ABOUT THE WORK
The theme for the organ work
must be in the public domain. It may be either sacred (pertaining to
Advent, Christmas, or Epiphany) or secular (pertaining to Yuletide or
to the winter season in general). The composer shall have final
approval of the theme. The work shall be no less than 4 minutes in
length, and its harmonic language will be fully tonal.
ABOUT
THE HALL
The nation’s finest pre-Civil War performance hall, and
the premier event venue and concert hall in Central Massachusetts,
MECHANICS HALL is located on Main Street in Worcester, Massachusetts.
It is owned by the Worcester County Mechanics Association, who built
the hall in 1857. Mechanics Hall has a global reputation for its
stunning acoustics and Neo-Renaissance architecture. Some of the
world’s greatest musical artists have performed there, everyone from
Enrico Caruso to Ella Fitzgerald. As much a community gathering place
as it is a world-class performance hall, Mechanics Hall is sought
after by recording and performance artists and is beloved for hosting
events that inspire, enrich, and enlighten generations. It is listed
in the National Register of Historic Places.
ABOUT THE
WORCESTER ORGAN
The Hook Organ, installed in 1864, dominates the
Great Hall. American organ builders Elias and George Greenleaf Hook,
brothers from Boston, constructed the 52-stop, 3,504-pipe instrument,
which is often referred to as the “Worcester Organ.” Today,
it is the oldest unaltered four-keyboard pipe organ in the Western
Hemisphere located at its installation site.
Restored in 1982
by the Noack Organ Company, the Worcester Organ since then has become
one of the most popular and respected organs in the United States. It
has been featured numerous times on National Public Radio, performed
in several recordings, and has been featured on television and in a
major motion picture, as well as in a music video starring Michael
Crawford, the original “Phantom of the Opera.”
ABOUT
THE COMPOSER
Born in Boston in 1971, composer/organist/pianist
LEONARDO CIAMPA is a musician of international repute.
Ciampa
is Mechanics Hall Composer-in-Residence 2021-2023, Director of Music
at Emanuel Lutheran Church in Worcester, MA (since 2019) and Maestro
di Cappella Onorario of the Basilica in Gubbio, Italy (since 2015).
He was artistic director of organ concerts at MIT (2009-2016) and
founding director of Arts MetroWest (2012-2019).  His compositions have been performed in important concert halls and cathedrals in the United States and Europe.
ABOUT
THE WINNING BID
The
winner of the auction will pay Mechanics Hall directly, via check,
money order, or directly on the Mechanics Hall website. The bidder
will receive an official donation acknowledgment letter from
Mechanics Hall for the bid, 100% of which will be donated to
Mechanics Hall (a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization), tax
deductible as allowed by law.
This
opportunity has been made possible by Leonardo Ciampa for the benefit
of Mechanics Hall, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization located at
321 Main Street, Worcester MA 01608.