About:

The Eccles Organ Festival was established in the summer of 1994, one year after the installation of the Cathedral of the Madeleine’s Eccles Organ, built by Kenneth Jones Pipe Organs of Ireland.  The festival is made possible by a generous grant from the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation, and is supported in part by grants from the Utah Arts Council; the National Endowment for the Arts; Salt Lake County’s “Zoo, Arts, and Parks” program; as well as by the generosity of festival patrons.

Each year’s festival includes five performances by outstanding organists.  In general, two of the organists are selected from outside the U.S., and three are selected from within the U.S., with one of the three having a connection to the Utah musical scene (either a current or former resident of the area).  As of the 20th Anniversary season, the festival has featured 95 different organists and sponsored a number of master classes by visiting performers.

Performances take place on Sunday evenings at 8:00 p.m., usually on the second Sunday during the months of September, October, November, January, and February.  Most of the recitals take place at the Cathedral of the Madeleine, but other venues have included the Cathedral Church of St. Mark (Episcopal) and Libby Gardner Hall at the University of Utah.  All performances are free of charge and open to the public. Please call 801-328-8941 for more concert information.