To showcase the Tabernacle organ and world-renowned organists, the 2023 Tabernacle Organ Virtuoso Performance Series presents its first concert of the year featuring Viktor Billa, Ukrainian organist and accomplished soloist, on Friday, February 3 at 7:30 p.m.

Few organs have such a storied history and are as well-known or highly regarded as the Tabernacle organ on historic Temple Square in Salt Lake City. This world-renowned, iconic pipe organ with five manuals (keyboards) and 206 ranks of organ pipes is among the world’s largest instruments—and one of the most heralded. Its famous golden pipes, made of wood staves fashioned from Utah timber and visible on the front facade, still add to the sound of the famous instrument even today.

• Tabernacle Performance: The Tabernacle Virtuoso Organ Performance Series is open to the public ages eight and older at no charge. Entrance to the Tabernacle will be through Temple Square’s west gate. To view a map, click here.
• Live Stream and On-Demand: This special concert will also be live streamed on the Choir’s YouTube channel at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, February 3, 2023. After the performance ends, the video will be available on-demand as well.

Program

This evening’s program will include selected works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Marco Enrico Bossi, Viktor Honcharenko, Klement Slavický, Marcel Dupré, and Louis Vierne.

Viktor Billa

Viktor Billa is a Ukrainian concert organist currently studying for his doctoral degree in organ performance at Florida State University with Dr. Iain Quinn. In 2011 he graduated from the Pyotr Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine in Kyiv with a master’s degree in organ performance. Viktor’s training and performance career developed rapidly. Immediately following graduation, he was appointed as an organist in residence of the Chernivtsi Philharmonic Hall. He traveled through Ukraine with concert performances, appearing as a soloist and collaborating with different instrumentalist choirs or orchestras. As an aspiring organist, Viktor has studied in masterclasses and workshops with many of this generation’s most influential organists, such as Heribert Metzger (Austria), James Kibbie (USA), Olivier Latry (France), and others. In 2015 Viktor was appointed as an organist at Trinity United Methodist Church in Tallahassee, Florida, where he currently serves. In 2017 Viktor released his CD Bach at Trinity, recorded at the Casavant Frères organ. For Viktor, “music is prayer without words.”