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WIU Instructor Linda Andrews
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Andrews Performs as Part of 'Friday Pipes' Performance Series in St. Louis

January 19, 2017

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MACOMB, IL - Linda Andrews, adjunct faculty organ instructor for the Western Illinois University's School of Music, recently returned from playing a recital at Third Baptist Church in St. Louis, MO. Featured as part of the Friday Pipes performance series at the church, Andrews played the church's historic four manual, 72-rank Reuter pipe organ.

Andrews' program consisted of works composed by J.S. Bach, French organist, Jean Langlais and American composers, Jeffrey Blersch, Janet Linker and Christopher Pardini. The organ, which has 4,945 pipes, consists of four manuals and 72 ranks in seven divisions, and is a combination of three older pipe organs, an early Kimball, a 1920 Kilgen, which at the time of its installation was the single largest pipe organ in St. Louis. When that organ was mostly destroyed by fire in 1928, Kilgen, again, installed an incomplete organ that was later enlarged and re-installed in 1947 by the Möller Organ Company.

Finally, the latest restoration and re-installation was completed by the Reuter Organ Company of Lawrence Kansas in 2012. The organ also has a Tibia stop that was salvaged from the organ that was once housed in the St. Louis Theatre. The church, which is located in an urban arts and education area, is only one block from the Fox Theatre and the Contemporary Art Museum of St. Louis. Directly behind the church is the Powell Symphony Hall, formerly the St. Louis Theatre.

Andrews received her bachelor's degree in music education from WIU, studying with Anita Werling, organ, and Roger Collins, horn. She received the master of music degree, with church music emphasis, from Northwestern University, where she was a student of the internationally known Bach scholar, Wolfgang Rübsam.

Currently, Andrews is organist for First Presbyterian Church in Macomb, where she has served since 1995. As an educator, Andrews has been at WIU since fall semester 2012. Prior to that time she taught music courses, as well as applied lessons, in organ and piano for Carl Sandburg College in Galesburg.

In June 2015 Andrews was a featured service organist for the Association of Disciple Musicians' Annual Conference, held at William Jewel College in Liberty, MO. Additionally, she participated in a members' recital for the same conference and was also a recitalist on a group program featured at the Community of Christ Temple in Independence, MO, which houses a 102 rank Casavant tracker organ.

She was a master class participant, performing on The Auditorium Organ, a 113 rank historic Aeolian-Skinner organ, also in Independence.

An active member of the American Guild of Organists, Andrews has held various offices for both the Galesburg and Western Illinois University chapters, currently serving as dean of the WIU chapter.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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