The Cathedral of the Madeleine will host the third Organ Festival

Intermountain Catholic

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SALT LAKE CITY -The Cathedral of the Madeleine is the perfect place to host the Third Organ Festival, said Christine Nokleby, Classical 89 marketing coordinator, whose organization has sponsored the event each year.

"The first organfest was in the Cathedral and it has been always in the Cathedral," she said. "Where else is such a beautiful setting? It's a glorious setting and a spectacular organ."

The event this year coincides with Classical 89's 50th anniversary. The station has more than 110,000 listeners in the Greater Salt Lake Valley and in Utah, Davis, Weber and Box Elder counties, as well as some additional outlying areas. A translator in Spanish Fork carries the broadcast signal to Utah County and south to Santaquin. There is also a translator in Preston, Idaho. It is a nonprofit, listener-supported station broadcasting at a frequency of 89.1 FM in Salt Lake County, 89.1/89.5 FM in Utah County, and online at classical89.org.

The celebration of the 50th anniversary of the station together with the Organ Festival came together when directors at Classical 89 were trying to find ways to celebrate the anniversary. "We thought that it would be wonderful to have this concert as part of those series of 50th anniversary events," said Nokleby.

Each organist who will perform at the festival has selected their own music.

"We don't have the list this year, but it is going to be very fun surprises," said Nokleby, adding that "in the past it has been all across the board from Bach to Madison to Scott Joplin."

Last year was the first year that Douglas O'Neill, organist from the Cathedral of the Madeleine, participated in the Festival.

"It was an invitation by KBYU," said O'Neill. "People enjoy hearing this music at the Cathedral."

This year the festival will take place Friday, Aug. 6 at 8 p.m. It will feature organists from the Salt Lake Tabernacle - Richard Elliott, Clay Christiansen, Andrew Unsworth, Bonnie Goodliffe, and Linda Margetts - and Douglas O'Neill, Cathedral of the Madeleine organist. The concert will be free and open to the public.