Thursday, October 1, 2026
Internationally renowned organist Gail Archer will bring a program spanning traditional and lesser-known works to St. Agnes Cathedral, combining music by Bach, Schumann and Brahms with compositions by Bulgarian and women composers.
The Oct. 4 recital will open with Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Prelude and Fugue in E minor, BWV 548,” commonly known as the “Wedge,” followed by a Bach chorale prelude. Archer will then perform Robert Schumann’s “Fugue on B-A-C-H, Op. 60, No. 5,” followed by “Mein Jesu, der du mich,” the first of Johannes Brahms’ “Eleven Chorale Preludes, Op. 122.”
The program also will feature three selections from Archer’s recent album, “Dobrich, A Bulgarian Odyssey.” Archer traveled to Bulgaria about 18 months ago to record the album at a concert hall in Dobrich, near Varna on the Black Sea. The recordings feature music from a collection of 14 new volumes of organ works published by the Union of Bulgarian Composers.
Archer also will perform three works by Nadia Boulanger and a work by French organist-composer Jeanne Demessieux.
Archer said she intentionally combines traditional organ literature with less familiar works and music by women composers.
“I’m always mixing and matching and trying to get as much contrast as I can,” Archer said. “That way, I can use the full range of the registrations available on the instrument and give the audience a sonic tour of the instrument that I’m performing on.”
The Bulgarian selections will offer a different musical language, Archer said, featuring irregular rhythms and scales that differ from Western music.
“The patterns are wonderfully irregular,” she said. “So, the music is very jazzy and unexpected.”
One of the selections, by living Bulgarian composer Radosteta Horkova, features variations on a Bulgarian folk song and uses what Archer described as the “Bulgarian 9,” a rhythm associated with folk dancing traditions.
Archer said introducing audiences to lesser-known music has been central to her career.
“I’ve made my whole career playing literature that no one else plays,” she said. “I’m always exploring.”
She said organists can help audiences discover music from parts of the world they may never have the opportunity to visit.
“I think we do have a responsibility to open up people’s listening habits to parts of the world they may not have the chance to visit,” Archer said.
The upcoming performance will be Archer’s first at St. Agnes since 2013. She said she particularly enjoys performing in cathedral spaces because of their acoustics.
“You can create a sonic universe for the audience so much better in a large space,” she said.
For those unfamiliar with organ recitals, Archer encouraged them to attend.
“Organ music is uplifting and powerful and colorful and joyful,” she said. “We are trying to give people hope and inspire them and lift them up and get them away from whatever difficulties they may be facing and just immerse themselves in the beauty of the music and in its sonic splendor.”
Tickets for the 7 p.m. show are available through St. Agnes Cathedral or by calling 516-766-0205.
