A Celebration of Thanks Recognizes Corrigan Saturday at TAMIU
Laredo businessman and longtime supporter of the arts, E. H. Corrigan, will be recognized with a celebration for his contributions to the arts at Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) Saturday, Nov. 3 at 5:30 p.m. in the TAMIU Center for the Fine and Performing Arts (CFPA) Recital Hall.
Admission is free and open to the public.
The celebration features performances by guest organist David Eaton on the Sharkey Corrigan Organ. It also includes performances by the Laredo Philharmonic Brass Ensemble, the Laredo Philharmonic Chorale and the TAMIU Chamber Singers.
They will perform Requiem in D Minor, Op. 48 by Gabriel Fauré.
Before his tenure as a composition teacher and later director at the Paris Conservatoire, composer Fauré (1845-1924) served for many years as an organist and choirmaster.
His Requiem, not written for any specific funeral but rather for the composer’s own pleasure, underwent several revisions from 1887 to 1900. Earlier versions were scored for male choir, soprano and baritone soloists, organ, low strings, solo violin, harp, and timpani. The final version was performed in 1900 at the Trocadéro in Paris; by this time Fauré had added horns, trumpets, and trombones. Further added for the Trocadéro performance were violins and woodwinds; however, scholars agree that one of Fauré’s pupils likely made this change and not Fauré himself.
There will also be a special blessing of the Sharkey Corrigan Organ by Father Michael Scheerger, Congregation of St. John and Reverend Paul Frey, Christ Church Episcopal.
The Sharkey Corrigan Organ is a gift of the E. H. Corrigan Foundation, led by passionate supporter of the arts E. H. Corrigan. It was inaugurated in July 2006.
The Kegg Company of Hartville, Ohio, constructed the Organ. After a national search, the Kegg Company was chosen to build this landmark instrument. The new organ has 69 ranks and 52 stops.
It features 3998 pipes arranged in 69 sets or ranks. It has four keyboards and its pipes are placed in three locations. The largest pipes are made of zinc, but most of the pipes are made of alloys of tin and lead. Three sets of wood pipes are made of poplar, basswood and pine. The total weight of the organ is approximately 35,000 pounds.
Corrigan has said that the gift is a statement of an affection for his hometown.
“Brownsville, Laredo and Hidalgo have been my home over a period of years. Throughout this time, it has been a pleasure to work with México-US Art Communities to make sure that the México-US border continues to have access to the satisfaction of music. This gift is a statement of an affection for a community that has been good to the Sharkey-Corrigan families and brought business successes for many years,” Corrigan has explained.
A reception will follow the performances.
For additional information, contact the Office of Institutional Advancement at 956-326-GIVE (4483).
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