July 23, 2010
Organ concert set for Aug. 7 at St. Boniface Church
Evansville native Karen Schneider Kirner will be the organist at a re-dedication concert at 5:45 p.m. Aug. 7 at St. Boniface Church in Evansville. The parish choir, under the direction of Ann Nagy, will also perform two vocal selections.
Karen has served for nearly 13 years on the Basilica staff and Campus Ministry staff at the University of Notre Dame. She has toured nationally and internationally with Notre Dame choirs. She has played solo recitals in cathedrals across the U.S. and in Europe. She holds a master of music and master of arts and religion degree from Yale University.
In 2007, pipes from the organ at St. Mary’s Church in Evansville — a 1941 Wick’s organ — were donated to St. Boniface. This year, they were installed into the St. Boniface 1954 Wicks Opus 3505 Church Organ.
“Karen took the leadership role in this organ project,” said Ann Nagy. “She assembled a crew of two local organ builders, several of her family members and several St. Boniface parishioners who helped move the organ pipes to the St. Boniface choir loft for storage until the money could be raised to install them.”
Through donations and the generosity of the St. Boniface parishioners, and money raised through a benefit concert given by Karen and the Notre Dame Liturgical Ensembles, $30,000 was raised to complete the project. Sam Bowerman and River City Organ Works in Louisville installed the organ pipework.
“The purpose of the Aug. 7 concert is to thank the community for its support,” Nagy said.
“In this age of recycling and reusing what we can, this project has been a great example of folks coming together to share resources of materials, time, labor and finances to insure that this pipe organ will be around to inspire and uplift the spirits of generations to come.”