Jan Kraybill

Wow, a quarter century of Super Bowl Sundays with organ concerts! My 25th annual SBS concert will be a milestone celebration. The theme will be "Most Valuable Players" -- we'll look at MVPs of the organ world, including Bach and Widor (the best-known composers for organ), Michael Barone (who just celebrated 40 years as host of PIPEDREAMS, the nation's longest-running program devoted to organ music), John Obetz (my predecessor as Community of Christ's principal organist), ground-breaking women organist/composers, the most popular guest artist from the past 25 years of SBS concerts, and more.

For many of these past twenty-five years, our Kansas City Chiefs gave us things to celebrate during their seasons but didn't quite make it to the final victory. However, the last two times I played this concert in person (2020 and 2023, interrupted by COVID) the Chiefs WON the Superbowl! So, I consider this concert part of their good-luck charms. And they've made it to the big game again this year! As is my tradition when they are in the Superbowl, I'll open the concert with a piece in their honor.

The venue for this year's concert, for the first time since 2018, is Community of Christ TEMPLE, the spiral-shaped building in the photo. Come join me in celebrating great music, a great pipe organ, and a great team!

Planned repertoire includes:

GO CHIEFS! Improvisation on football themes

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (1685-1750): “Fiddle” fugue in D minor, BWV 539b

CHARLES-MARIE WIDOR (1844–1937): Intermezzo from Symphony No. 6 for Organ

HEINZ WERNER ZIMMERMANN (1930-2022): Orgel Psalmen (Organ Psalms)

LEO SOWERBY (1896-1968): Pageant

LEROY ANDERSON (1908-1975): The Typewriter

ELFRIDA ANDRÉE (1841-1929): Organ Symphony No. 1 in B minor

GUNNAR IDENSTAM (b. 1961): Menuet nordique from Cathedral Music

MARCEL DUPRÉ (1886-1971): Prelude and Fugue in B Major, Op. 7, No. 1