Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Organ Recital: Loreto Aramendi
Grace Cathedral, San Francisco
Hear an intriguing program by Spanish virtuosa Loreto Aramendi. She will play transcriptions of 19th and 20th century orchestral and piano works, including one of Karen Tanaka’s “Techno Etudes,” as well as the thrilling and fiery French blockbuster Victimae paschali by Charles Tournemire. Don’t miss one of our most unique programs of the season.
Our organ recital series features some of the finest organists playing one of America’s great organs. Grace Cathedral’s 7,466-pipe Aeolian-Skinner instrument, the Charles B. Alexander Memorial Organ (1934), is one of the first and finest American classic-style organs and is among the largest church organs in the West. Experiencing music in our gothic cathedral with its unique acoustics, soaring nave, and jewel-like stained glass windows is a feast for the ears, eyes, and soul.
Recorded on April 12, 2026.
Program
Toccata in F major, BuxWV 156
Dieterich Buxtehude (1637-1707)
Funérailles, from Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, S.173
Franz Liszt (1811-1886), tr. Louis Robilliard
Danse macabre, Op. 40
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921), tr. Robilliard
Magma/Wind Energy (Our planet earth), from Techno Etudes (2000)
Karen Tanaka (b. 1961)
Sicilienne, from Pelléas et Mélisande, Op. 80
Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924), tr. Robilliard
Choral-improvisation sur le “Victimae Paschali”
Charles Tournemire (1870-1939), tr. Maurice Duruflé
About the Organist
Loreto Aramendi is an international recitalist and principal organist of the Cavaillé-Coll organ (1863) of the Basilique of Santa María del Coro. She has given numerous recitals at international festivals in the USA, Japan, Russia, Chile, Canada, Argentina, and most of European countries, including venues such as Ópera City Hall of Tokyo, Auditorio Nacional de Madrid (Bach- Vermut), Notre Dame de Paris, Moscow Cathedral, Hallgrímskirkja in Reykjavik, Saint Patrick’s Cathedral of New York, Westminster Cathedral, Auditorium of Stavanger, Norway. She participates as a jury member in international competitions and teaches master classes at international festivals. In recent years she recorded albums on esteemed European organs, one of which received four stars from Choir & Organ. Interested in the organ-building process, she has collaborated and participated since 2014 in several works of organ restoration in France and Spain. At the National Higher Conservatoire of Lyon (C.N.S.M.D), she studied with Jean Boyer, Louis Robilliard, and J. Von Oortmersen, obtaining the First Prize. She studied a further five years at the National Regional Superior Conservatoire in Paris. She has a degree in Psychology from the University of the Basque Country (UPV). She is currently a professor at the F. Escudero Conservatoire in San Sebastian, and at the HMDK Hochschule of Stuttgart.
Give to Grace
Your gift helps Grace Cathedral realize its vision: a spiritually alive world. There are many ways to give: please visit gracecathedral.org/give to learn more.
Experience the Exceptional
GraceArts connects a wider community of people through art and cultural events held in our awe-inspiring space. If you have a passion for the arts, become a GraceArts member and enjoy discounts and benefits while supporting our cathedral. Sign up today to be part of GraceArts! Gracecathedral.org/join.
Organ Recital: Loreto Aramendi
Grace Cathedral, San Francisco
Hear an intriguing program by Spanish virtuosa Loreto Aramendi. She will play transcriptions of 19th and 20th century orchestral and piano works, including one of Karen Tanaka’s “Techno Etudes,” as well as the thrilling and fiery French blockbuster Victimae paschali by Charles Tournemire. Don’t miss one of our most unique programs of the season.
Our organ recital series features some of the finest organists playing one of America’s great organs. Grace Cathedral’s 7,466-pipe Aeolian-Skinner instrument, the Charles B. Alexander Memorial Organ (1934), is one of the first and finest American classic-style organs and is among the largest church organs in the West. Experiencing music in our gothic cathedral with its unique acoustics, soaring nave, and jewel-like stained glass windows is a feast for the ears, eyes, and soul.
Recorded on April 12, 2026.
Program
Toccata in F major, BuxWV 156
Dieterich Buxtehude (1637-1707)
Funérailles, from Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, S.173
Franz Liszt (1811-1886), tr. Louis Robilliard
Danse macabre, Op. 40
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921), tr. Robilliard
Magma/Wind Energy (Our planet earth), from Techno Etudes (2000)
Karen Tanaka (b. 1961)
Sicilienne, from Pelléas et Mélisande, Op. 80
Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924), tr. Robilliard
Choral-improvisation sur le “Victimae Paschali”
Charles Tournemire (1870-1939), tr. Maurice Duruflé
About the Organist
Loreto Aramendi is an international recitalist and principal organist of the Cavaillé-Coll organ (1863) of the Basilique of Santa María del Coro. She has given numerous recitals at international festivals in the USA, Japan, Russia, Chile, Canada, Argentina, and most of European countries, including venues such as Ópera City Hall of Tokyo, Auditorio Nacional de Madrid (Bach- Vermut), Notre Dame de Paris, Moscow Cathedral, Hallgrímskirkja in Reykjavik, Saint Patrick’s Cathedral of New York, Westminster Cathedral, Auditorium of Stavanger, Norway. She participates as a jury member in international competitions and teaches master classes at international festivals. In recent years she recorded albums on esteemed European organs, one of which received four stars from Choir & Organ. Interested in the organ-building process, she has collaborated and participated since 2014 in several works of organ restoration in France and Spain. At the National Higher Conservatoire of Lyon (C.N.S.M.D), she studied with Jean Boyer, Louis Robilliard, and J. Von Oortmersen, obtaining the First Prize. She studied a further five years at the National Regional Superior Conservatoire in Paris. She has a degree in Psychology from the University of the Basque Country (UPV). She is currently a professor at the F. Escudero Conservatoire in San Sebastian, and at the HMDK Hochschule of Stuttgart.
Give to Grace
Your gift helps Grace Cathedral realize its vision: a spiritually alive world. There are many ways to give: please visit gracecathedral.org/give to learn more.
Experience the Exceptional
GraceArts connects a wider community of people through art and cultural events held in our awe-inspiring space. If you have a passion for the arts, become a GraceArts member and enjoy discounts and benefits while supporting our cathedral. Sign up today to be part of GraceArts! Gracecathedral.org/join.
