University of Iowa Organ Department

Organ recital season is starting again! Here are some upcoming events in the Organ Studio (some will be livestreamed, check the links for details).

Jenna Winterton MA Recital: https://music.uiowa.edu/event/34512/0

Dr. Hand Performs the Complete Organ Works of Johanna Senfter: https://music.uiowa.edu/event/35755/0

Julia Van Den Top MA Recital: https://music.uiowa.edu/event/34470/0

Tracy Qian MA Recital: https://music.uiowa.edu/event/34660/0

Joshua Feldt Senior Recital: https://music.uiowa.edu/event/37017/0

Lydia Maier and Haleena Thompson Joint Junior Honors Recital: https://music.uiowa.edu/event/37388/0

We are very proud of Tracy being named an E. Power Biggs Scholar!

Have you met the 2025 Class of OHS Biggs Scholars? This week we would like to introduce you to Yu (Tracy) Qian!

Yu (Tracy) Qian, DMA, is a pianist, organist, arranger, and educator from China, based in Iowa City, Iowa, and Columbus, Ohio. She earned her Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from The Ohio State University and is currently pursuing an Master of Arts in Organ Performance at the University of Iowa as a Dorothy Frawley Fellow.

Yu (Tracy) Qian also founded Music She Wrote, which arranges and performs works by women composers through performances and liturgical arrangements. Dr. Qian researches Musical Trauma and Recovery, creating space for healing from performance-related challenges, and advocates for Musician’s Hearing Health.

Join us in Cedar Rapids at First Lutheran Church this Sunday to hear an organ concert performed by Dr. Hand!

The end-of-the-semester Organ Studio "Holidays" concert is tomorrow (Friday) at noon in the Concert Hall. We were originally going to have a "Holiday" concert, but someone in the studio had the brilliant idea of having a "Holidays" concert that celebrated ALL the holidays in the year. So we'll hear music for Valentine's Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, St. Patrick's Day, Reformation Day, Good Friday, a Yi Celebration, Easter, among others. Hope to see you there! https://uiowa.edu/event/35300/0

The final part of our Germany trip took us to the Leipzig–Halle region, where we got to reconnect with our new friend Professor Martin Schmeding. He brought us to some incredible instruments and spaces, including the Michaeliskirche, Nikolaikirche, Dom zu Halle, Halle Marktkirche, and the highlight of the trip — being locked in after hours in the Thomaskirche to play as much as we wanted on the Sauer and Woehl organs. It's every organist's dream to play Bach's music in his church!

The middle portion of our trip to Germany was spent with Professor Martin Sturm, who generously guided us through several crucially important Central German organs. Our time there included Merseburg, Waltershausen, and the new organ in the Musikgymnasium Schloss Belvedere in Weimar — a stunning achievement by the Czech organbuilder Dlabal & Mettler. The Gymnasium students in Weimar have access to the most incredible instruments — besides the new organ, they have an original Walcker organ and three-manual Kotykiewicz organ harmonium.

We had an incredible and inspiring few days in Germany! Huge thanks to Christoph Bossert (DVVLIO) for guiding us in the beginning of our trip and sharing his extraordinary knowledge. He made it possible for us to experience so many remarkable organs of Würzburg, Ansbach, Bad Wimpfen, Hoffenheim, Maihingen, Neresheim, and Giengen. It was truly unforgettable!

We have been truly fortunate to host Professor Martin Schmeding the organ professor in the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Leipzig over the past month during his sabbatical residency. His insight and depth of knowledge in organ performance and his generosity with his time and expertise has been extremely valuable to the studio.

During his stay, Professor Schmeding worked on his writing project, performed an outstanding concert, taught a masterclass, and had workshops for students to help them with any questions they had regarding their repertoire. He also provided an extensive presentation on the performance and interpretation of Reger’s music. We are grateful and will miss Dr. Schmeding!

On Wednesday night we heard a wonderful performance from Dr. Hand, Tracy Qian (on piano), and the UI Symphony Orchestra of the Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony!