The Welcome the Morning Star Alumni Benefit Concert featuring Michael Kearney ’17 is a virtual format organ concert to raise funds and awareness for Geneva’s COVID-19 Project Fund. The benefit recital will feature old and new compositions, highlighting psalms and hymns in a variety of styles, and will conclude with the monumental Allegro from Widor's Sixth Organ Symphony.
Watch The Concert Below...
This special event will premiere on Friday, December 18 at 7 p.m. at youtube.com/genevacollege.
Donations through an online free will offering will help the college weather the significant financial costs of carrying out its mission under pandemic conditions through the $1 Million COVID-19 Project Fund.
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The special organ concert to benefit the COVID-19 Project Fund will be held at one of the largest and most beautiful sanctuaries in Pennsylvania's Beaver Valley, the First Presbyterian Church of Beaver Falls. The location traditionally hosts Geneva's Christmas choir and organ performances, which often draw audiences of 800 or more. This year, due to physical distancing requirements and an unusual semester schedule, the choir will record a Christmas concert for empty pews. Kearney will accompany their prerecorded performance (to broadcast on December 11 at 7 p.m.), but he is also taking the opportunity to showcase the First Presbyterian organ in a separate online recital.
Organist, pianist and composer Michael R. Kearney ‘17 (MA, Duquesne University, 2019) is a native of Long Island, NY. Michael sang Tenor II in The Genevans choir for eight semesters at Geneva College. He has performed on organ with the choir across much of the United States as well as in the Philippines, Malaysia, Northern Ireland, Germany, and Austria. The choir has premiered several of Michael’s compositions, including Psalm 103, a five-part motet selected as the Inauguration Psalm for Geneva College’s twentieth president, Dr. Calvin Troup. Michael has also appeared on organ with the Compline Choir at the University of Pittsburgh and on piano in multiple chamber music ensembles in Pennsylvania and New York.
Michael’s passion is in seeing the psalms set to memorable and beautiful music to reach the hearts of God’s people. He has led workshops on psalm-singing in multiple states. He has contributed to The Outlook Magazine, Christian Renewal Magazine, and the Reformed Presbyterian Witness and has published scholarly work in the Journal of Communication and Religion. Michael is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Rhetoric at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pa.
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