Musical improvisation is a ubiquitous aspect of nearly all musical cultures. It is a practice that binds together even the most disparate forms of musical expression. Through a series of free public concerts across Chicago, the grandeur of the pipe organ will be shared with collaborating musical guests from a variety of musical backgrounds—jazz improvisers, electronic musicians, classical performers, and a host of other talented musicians.

In Chicago, hearing a pipe organ often means going to church. While this is a magnificent place to witness the incredible sound of the organ, it isn't an environment that everyone feels drawn to. To appreciate the incredible sound of the pipe organ often means being familiar with it in religious and concert settings—something that can often be inaccessible to those who did not grow up in a religious setting or for those who cannot afford to attend classical music shows.

Through this program, we hope to create a space where audiences can perhaps hear the organ for the first time, taking in the incredible beauty of Chicago's religious spaces and the pipe organs installed within, but with a more casual social environment that is welcoming to all people. We hope to feature performers to play improvised music alongside the pipe organ, so that a variety of forms of musical expression can emerge in new and exciting ways beyond sacred music and classical music.

This series will build on the years of expertise that the non-profit organization Vital Organ Project has offered to audiences across the Midwest—showing how beautiful, innovative, and exciting the pipe organ is as a musical instrument. We hope to build new audiences for the pipe organ in the 21st century and to create music with other improvising musicians in Chicago who have very seldomly gotten the chance to play alongside a pipe organ.