He studied French organ repertory at Saint-Etienne-du-Mont, the same Paris church where Maurice Durufle was an organist.
Now, Michael Soto is the featured organist at Grande Prairie Singers “Vive la France” on Sunday at Flossmoor Community Church in Flossmoor.
“Maurice Durufle was a composer known for being a perfectionist. He only published about 12 works in his life. He actually went back and corrected things and republished,” said Soto. “My personal connection to him is studying his music on the organ he redesigned while he was there.”
Soto performs Durufle’s “Requiem” for the first time at Grande Prairie Singers’ second concert of the 2015-16 season, but he is no stranger to the group that rehearses at B’nai Yehuda Beth Sholom in Homewood.
Betsy Elliot, a member of the choir at Flossmoor’s Episcopal Church of St. John the Evangelist where Soto is director of music, connected him with Grande Prairie Singers artistic director Jo Rodenburg. He is now in his third season as Grande Prairie Singers’ accompanist.
“I just like the idea that people from the community can get together and do these great pieces of music,” said Soto, noting that the group features people at different levels of musical training. “To be able to take on a big piece like ‘Requiem,’ which is not easy, is just really exciting.”
The concert also features “The World Awaiting the Savior,” the first movement of Marcel Dupre’s Symphonie-Passion.
“It’s a piece Dupre improvised for the first time on a trip to the United States,” said Soto. “His tradition was to take requests from the audience. People gave him four themes. He immediately thought of the Passion Symphony, four movements on the life of Christ.”
“Litanies” by Jehan Alain is also part of the program.
“He was a French composer who actually died very young. He was born in 1911. He was extremely prolific for the 12 years or so that he composed. He started publishing at 18 and wrote 300 works but was killed in World War II,” said Soto.
“It’s such a really intense piece. He’s most famous for ‘Litanies.'”
Soto added another Grande Prairie Choral Arts responsibility this season, as he is now the accompanist for Grande Prairie Children’s Choir, a group that rehearses at St. John’s, where he did a solo recital in June to raise money for the choral program.
“One of the things that I really like about organ is they’re all very different. They’re all custom installations except the modern digital instruments. Pipe organs built for certain spaces are going to have their own character and own set of stops,” said Soto, who also plays piano and viola.
“It’s interesting to work with an instrument that has a very distinct character wherever you go.”
Jessi Virtusio is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
Grande Prairie Singers
When: 4 p.m. Sunday
Where: Flossmoor Community Church, 2218 Hutchison Road, Flossmoor
Tickets: $15 in advance; $20 at the door; $10 for students with identification
Information: 708-481-8684 or grandeprairiechoral.org
Etc.: “Vive la France” features organist Michael Soto
