West Point Chapel Celebrates The Music of Mendelssohn

On Sunday, November 15, at 3pm, Craig S. Williams will perform a recital comprising the complete organ sonatas of Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847). Mendelssohn is considered one of the greatest composers for organ (though he is best known for his symphonies and chamber works), and his six sonatas provide an ideal forum to explore the vast tonal resources of West Point's Cadet Chapel organ. Mr. Williams is only the fourth organist/ choirmaster to hold that title since the chapel was erected in 1910. The program is free and open to the general public. Parking is readily available behind the chapel building.

West Point's Cadet Chapel has the world's largest church pipe organ, numbering over 23,500 pipes in a splendid cathedral sanctuary measuring over 200 feet long. The organ pipes fill the space from the massive six-tier galleries in the front to the horizontal trumpets in the back. The performer is seated at a console with four manuals and pedal containing 874 moving stop tabs making it the largest of its type in the world. This organ is heard by literally thousands of visitors every year, including heads of state, members of Congress, cabinet members, and foreign dignitaries.

Please allow extra travel time for the 100 percent vehicle and photo I.D. inspection at Stony Lonesome and Thayer gates. Due to changing security requirements at West Point, please check www.westpoint. edu/special before leaving for the recital.