World Premiere of Impossible Music for Pipe Organ

Registration for this event is full. You can hear Organum Mechanicum during our public Open Hours starting March 21. Experience the debut of Organum Mechanicum, a groundbreaking new work for player pipe organ by composer Mike Leibowitz, created in close collaboration with engineer Sean O’Donnell. Inspired by the radical temporal and rhythmic experiments of Conlon Nancarrow’s Studies for Player Piano, the piece, conceived specifically for the machine as interpreter, embraces a level of complexity that transcends the physical limits of human performance   This premiere marks a bold new avant-garde chapter for the 1902 Haskell House organ. Fully restored just two years ago, the organ’s vast expressive range is put on full display, from delicate, interlocking mechanisms to overwhelming harmonic force. Organum Mechanicum reveals the instrument not as a relic, but as a living system, capable of precision, density, and musical architecture impossible by hand.  Following the performance, Leibowitz and O’Donnell will lead a panel discussion exploring their collaborative process, from compositional design and mechanical constraints to the creative possibilities unlocked by merging musical imagination with engineering innovation.  This project was made possible by support from The Musical Fund Society.  Michael Leibowitz (composer / artistic director): About — Michael Leibowitz | Composer  Michael Leibowitz  (b. 1981), is a contemporary classical composer celebrated for his innovative contributions to chamber and vocal music. His works have been described as “hauntingly beautiful and unpredictable,” captivating audiences with their emotional depth and intricate textures. He pursued formal study at the Longy School of Music, Oberlin Conservatory, and the University of the Arts, working with composers Howard Frazin, Randolph Coleman, Lewis Nielson, and Andrea Clearfield. Leibowitz has received numerous commissions from prominent musicians and ensembles, including accomplished pianists Michelle and Kimberly Cann, the renowned Jasper String Quartet, and the innovative Borderlands Ensemble. He has also written extensively for vocalists,  including Michael Weyandt, Rebecca Sacks, Audra Casebier, Madison Boyer, Opera on Tap Philadelphia, and the vocal ensemble The Perspective Collective, who premiered his chamber opera “For Love of Country.” Michael’s choral work, “One Last Seed,” was selected as a finalist in the Ithaca College Choral Competition Festival. Michael teaches music at the John H. Taggart Elementary School in South Philadelphia and maintains a select group of private students. He lives with his wife and three children (all musicians as well) outside of Philadelphia, PA.    Sean O’Donnell (auto-player programmer / engineer): Sean O'Donnell - About Us  Sean O’Donnell is an organbuilder and engineer whose small firm primarily provides technical assistance to other organ building and restoration firms.  The firm has restored a number of player pi...