Free Organ Recital by Internationally Acclaimed Organist Paul Jacobs

Dr. John T. King, in charge of everything musical at Hitchcock Presbyterian Church of Scarsdale for the last 36 years, as well as artistic director, conductor and founder of the New Choral Society, an all-auditioned volunteer chorus of approximately 48 people from Westchester County and surrounding areas, in 1994, literally has been providing all kinds of wonderful, pleasing and first-class music at Hitchcock for seemingly forever.

While he won’t admit it, Dr. King is indeed a well-respected legend in his own lifetime.

He is a working musical phenomenon, who also directs the Chancel and the youth choirs and the adult bells program at his church. And, sometimes he is a featured speaker on a variety of major music subjects at the church and other Westchester County venues.

Obviously, King’s successes are too many to repeat in this digital space. But, nonetheless, perhaps his biggest coup of recent years, certainly in 2025, is convincing Grammy-Award winning organist Paul Jacobs, the internationally acclaimed organist and his good friend of many years, and heralded in June of 2022 as “one of the finest teachers and organists of our day,” by Zachary Woolfe of The New York Times, as well as openly praised by Alex Ross of The New Yorker, as “America’s leading organ performer” and by The Economist as “a grand New York institution” by James R. Oestreich of The New York Times, to return to Hitchcock Presbyterian and perform his usual, most professional and extremely enjoyable organ recital. His first recital at Hitchcock was in November of 2013.
According to Dr. King, the most important occasion for Jacobs’ recital, his second ever at Hitchcock, is to help celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the installation of the Mighty J.W. Walker Organ in the sanctuary of Hitchcock on Greenacres Avenue in Scarsdale, with a free concert there on Sunday, November 9 at 3 p.m. Doors open at 2:30 pm.

That’s spelled F-R-E-E. No charge! Don’t miss it!

Put it on your calendar. You just never know when Jacobs will be back in town again for an exciting recital.

According to Dr. King, also recognized by many as a music historian, said, “At the original dedication, the music was played by Jacob’s organ professor and mine from Yale University, Thomas Murray, on November 18, 1990. “Jacobs, in kind of a full circle nod,” Dr. King adds, “is scheduled to play one of the pieces that Murray played at the original dedication.”

In addition to his well-earned claim to fame around the country and world with stops in every U.S. state and many more overseas, Jacobs is the renowned professor of organ at The Juilliard School in Manhattan and, equally important for Hitchcock, the No. 1 teacher for all of its Hitchcock organ scholars over the years. It has indeed become a “badge of honor” to study under Jacobs.

Jacobs will present in his organ concert an overall program of organ music by Johann Sebastian Bach, Cesar Franck, Felix Mendelssohn, Charles Ives and Alexandre Guilmant.

According to Dr. King, while the concert is indeed free, if you plan to attend, please pre-register your attendance by clicking on the attached Eventbrite link or writing to Hitchcock on its website at http://www.hitchpresby.org.  King said, “We expect a full house and want to know you are coming.”

A reception will follow the concert.