09/04/2026
Saint Olaf Catholic Church in downtown Minneapolis welcomes organist Emily Roth to perform on September 16, 2026, at 12:30pm following the 12:00Noon Mass.
Program:
Mv. I "Allegro" from Symphony no. 6 in g minor – Charles-Marie Widor
12 Variations on "Ah vous dirais-je, Maman" – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig BWV 656 – Johann Sebastian Bach
Mv. 2 "Choral" from Symphonie no. 2 – Louis Vierne
Berceuse – Louis Vierne
Monument – Brenda Portman
Emily R. E. Roth started taking piano lessons at age 6 and has continued to foster her love of music ever since. Continuing piano lessons throughout high school, her efforts led to receiving a scholarship from the Southeast Minnesota American Guild of Organists to study the organ with Lee Afdahl. She continued her study of music at the University of Iowa with Dr. Gregory Hand and later at the University of Minnesota with Dr. Dean Billmeyer and achieved her Masters Degree in
Organ Performance in 2023. During her time at the University of Minnesota, Emily joined the Young Women's Organist Cohort and later joined the Northrop Organ Advisory Board, dedicated to preserving and uplifting Northrop Auditorium's historic Aeolian Skinner Organ. Emily continues to utilize her love of organ music through performance and has been a featured soloist at several venues in the Rochester and Twin Cities area. She also continues to share her love of music through teaching and has recently joined the organ faculty at the University of Northwestern St. Paul. She is looking forward to continuing to find ways to uplift the organ and organ music as dean of the Southeast Minnesota American Guild of Organists. Along with her musical studies, her other interests include drawing, painting and performing popular music.
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Organ recitals at Saint Olaf will take place on the following dates this 2026-2027 season:
Wednesday, September 16, 12:30pm with Emily Roth, Dean of the Southeast Minnesota AGO
Thursday, October 29, 7:00pm with Olivier Latry of Notre Dame, Paris, France*
Wednesday, November 18, 12:30pm with Benton Schmidt, of the Saint Paul’s Newman Center, Fargo ND
Wednesday, December 16, 12:30pm with David Jenkins, former Dean of the TCAGO
Wednesday, January 20, 12:30pm with Joel Anderson, of Saint Olaf Catholic Church
Sunday, February 14, 2:00pm with Stephen Hamilton, concert organist**
Wednesday, April 21, 12:30pm with James Bobb of St. Olaf College
Wednesday, May 19, 12:30pm with Michael Kearney of Dordt University, Iowa
*This year, Saint Olaf is celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the installation of the Lively-Fulcher organ. As part of these celebrations, we are expanding past our regular Wednesday noontime series to include two special concerts. Please join us on October 29 at 7:00pm for a special concert with the world-renowned organist Olivier Latry of Notre-Dame in Paris, France. Ticketing information: https://www.saintolaf.org/organ25.
In addition to Olivier Latry’s concert on October 29, there will be another special event on October 30 at 2:00pm, co-hosted by the TCAGO and Michael Barone of American Public Media’s Pipedreams, “A Conversation with Olivier Latry”
**The 25th Anniversary celebration will continue in February with another landmark performance of Marcel Dupré’s Le Chemin de la Croix (The Stations of the Cross) by Minneapolis-based concert organist Stephen Hamilton.
Specifications of the III/67 Lively-Fulcher organ: www.saintolaf.org/organspecs
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Saint Olaf Catholic Church is located at 215 South 8th St., Minneapolis, 55402. Free parking is available in the church’s lot on the corner of 8th Street and 3rd Avenue. Free parking may also be available in the Minneapolis Club ramp across 8th Street (voucher required from Saint Olaf reception desk, please call ahead to verify availability: 612-332-7471).
