THE GIFT OF PLEASANT T. ROWLAND
Commissioned by the MSO in July 2001, the Overture Concert Organ was designed and built by the German firm of Orgelbau Klais, and is among the most significant new organ installations in America.
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The organ expands the number and variety of works that the MSO is able to perform. "There is a treasure trove of more than 300 works for organ, from every period and from the pens of many well-known classical composers, that Madison will get to hear for the first time thanks to this magnificent instrument." John DeMain
The Friends of the Overture Concert Organ are a group of individuals who are dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Overture Concert Organ for generations to come. They support organ programming, performances, maintenance, tuning and outreach programs to bring the joy of organ music to an ever-widening audience of all ages.
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The Overture Concert Organ was made possible through an unprecedented $2.95 million in private contributions to the MSO: $1.1 million from Pleasant T. Rowland for the instrument; $1 million from Diane Endres Ballweg for programming and education; $500,000 from an anonymous donor to endow the Wayne Curtis & Maybelle Slavens Hall and Francis Vincent & Lettie von Kalweit Dunnebacke Organ Curatorship (a position held by MSO Resident Organist Samuel Hutchison); gifts from The Malmquist Family, Two Anonymous Donors and annual gifts from Friends of the Overture Concert Organ.
