Product Description Works composed by Frederick Delius and arranged for organ, plus two works dedicated to him. Performed on the Longwood Gardens Organ by Michael Stairs, organist for The Philadelphia Orchestra. Review "For lovers of something slightly different, and for Delius fans, this recording, with its first-rate playing, can be recommended." -- Organ Review, published in Great Britain From the Label "Performed on the sweet sounding organ of Longwood Gardens. Delius' gently poetic impressionism takes on an otherworldly beauty on the organ, and Stairs plays the music with inspired grace. A special gem, this one." About the Artist Michael Stairs was born in Milo, Maine and began studying piano in Presque Isle at age ten. The family soon moved to Erie, PA, where Michael received some excellent piano and organ training and was encouraged to go to Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ, where he earned his B.M. There he played for the 300-voice Symphonic Choir under the batons of great conductors such as Stokowski and Bernstein. He studied organ with George Markey and Alexander McCurdy and improvisation with Alec Wyton. He then went on to earn the coveted Artist's Diploma from the Curtis Institute of Music, studying organ with Alexander McCurdy and piano with Vladimir Sokoloff. He was an assistant at the Wanamaker organ from 1968 to 1988; he now serves on the board of the Friends of the Wanamaker Organ. Stairs is also on the Board of trustees of the Presser Foundation where he heads the Assistance to Music Teachers Committee. Michael serves as Director of Choral Activities in the music department of The Haverford School. He is also organist-choirmaster at Bryn Mawr's Church of the Redeemer. Riccardo Muti appointed Stairs to do the organ work for the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1985. Maestro Wolfgang Sawallisch invited Michael to appear with the orchestra in Tokyo in May of 1993 where a Richard Strauss album for EMI was made utilizing the large new Rieger organ in Suntory Hall, and a live broadcast was taped for the Japanese public television network. He made his Carnegie Hall debut as soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra in March of 1988 with the late Eric Leinsdorf in the Poulenc Organ Concerto. He has also performed Handel's Cuckoo & Nightingale Concerto with the Philadelphians under the baton of the late William Smith. Michael Stairs can be heard on many other highly praised DTR recordings, both as organist and pianist. See more