A couple of weeks ago, Mary Ann and I attended a wonderful concert by the Vienna Boys' Choir. It was part of the annual series of the Huntsville Chamber Music Guild, of which we have been members for many years.
Before the concert, I was talking to Dr. Wilson Luquire, dean of the library at UAH and President of the Chamber Music Guild. I was talking about a young organist I had read about recently when Wilson asked if I had been in Huntsville for the Paul Jacobs concert, part of this year's series. I informed him that I had been out of town and had missed that concert. Wilson, who has a Ph.D. in organ performance in addition to his Library Science doctorate, then informed me that in his opinion, Paul Jacobs was the best organist he had ever heard, bar none.
I found this clip of Paul Jacobs playing Bach's "We Thank Thee, God, We Thank Thee" from Cantata 29 on the great organ at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California. In spite of his youth, Jacobs is the head of the organ department at the Juilliard School of Music. Play this clip when you have about ten minutes. It's only about 9 minutes long, but you'll need a little time to regain your composure when it ends. It's an astounding and inspiring performance.
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