Kevin Bylsma, an associate teaching professor of music at Bowling Green State University, will be the featured artist at Wartburg College’s Bach’s Lunch organ series recital on Friday, Nov. 7.
A free lecture will begin at noon in the Wartburg Chapel Commons, followed by a recital at 12:30 p.m. in the Wartburg Chapel sanctuary.
Bylsma’s selections will include pieces by Dietrich Buxtehude, Herbert Howells, Daniel Pinkham and Johann Sebastian Bach.
A native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Bylsma received his musical training at Calvin College, Bowling Green State University and the University of Michigan, where he received the Robert Glasgow Organ Scholarship. Today, as an educator dedicated to training the next generation of operatic talent, Bylsma is a vocal coach and serves as a collaborative pianist at BGSU.
A longtime member of the Toledo Opera staff, Bylsma was recently named artistic director of the company. He was formerly music director of the Department of Community Programs for the Michigan Opera Theatre. In recitals and master classes, he has collaborated with American singers like Samuel Ramey, Diane Soviero, Marilyn Horne, Dawn Upshaw and Jennifer Rowley. He is the co-founder and artistic director of the Ann Arbor Festival of Song and has served the Mariners’ Church of Detroit as organist and associate choirmaster for more than three decades.
The series will continue Feb. 6, March 13 and April 10.
