Johan Hermans of Hasselt, Belgium, will present the final organ concert in the fall series at noon on Friday, Nov. 7 at the Parish Church of St. Helena, 505 Church St. in downtown Beaufort.
Johan Hermans has performed throughout the world, including Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris; the Cathedrals of Canterbury and Lincoln in England; the Cadet Chapel at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y; two concert tours in South America; and festival performances in Ballarat, Australia.
He has made recordings for radio and TV broadcasting corporations worldwide, including Motette-Ursina, Sony Belgium and Pavane Records. His repertoire includes works from the 14th to the 21st centuries. His recording of the newly restored historic organ of Hasselt Cathedral was published in the CD series “Flemish Organ Treasures.”
He studied at the Lemmens Institute in Louvain and the Royal Conservatory of Liège, Belgium, receiving the Diplôme Supérieur (Doctor of Musical Arts) in Organ Performance. He teaches Organ Performance and Keyboard Harmony at the Municipal Academy of Genk and the Conservatory of Hasselt, Belgium, where he is Civic Organist and Cathedral Organist of St. Quintinus Cathedral.
He will perform on the Parish Church of St. Helena’s historic Taylor & Boody organ. The Taylor & Boody organ at St. Helena’s is modern (installed in the church in 1985), yet reminiscent of organ-building practices used during the “golden age” of organ building and organ music, reached in Europe between 1600 and 1750. The two-manual organ has 19 stops and more than 1,150 pipes housed in a beautifully crafted oak case.
The annual fall and spring concert series are funded by private donations from parishioners and music lovers all over the Lowcountry. To become a Friend of Music at St. Helena’s, send your tax-deductible gift to: Music at St. Helena’s The Parish Church of St. Helena, P.O. Box 1043, Beaufort, SC 29901.
Details: Patricia Gould, 843-522-1712, ext. 214 or pgould@sthelenas1712.org; or Kelly Newnham, 843-522-1712 or knewnham@sthelenas1712; or visit www.sthelenas1712.org.
