Greg Zelek

Greg Zelek is an organist appearing as soloist with the Madison Symphony Orchestra and the Jacksonville Symphony. His upcoming programs range from a full evening devoted to Johann Sebastian Bach to a holiday concert pairing organ with brass and percussion, showing both his focus on core organ literature and his work in festive orchestral settings.

In the Madison program, listeners get a tour of Bach's range for organ: big, dramatic works like the Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C major and the Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, which build from a single repeated bass line into a dense, powerful climax, alongside smaller, quieter pieces like the Prelude in E minor and a pedal exercise that shows off the organist's footwork alone. The inclusion of a flute sonata and an orchestral suite arranged for organ points to a program built around variety of texture and mood rather than just volume. In Jacksonville, the holiday concert pairs the organ's sustained, hall-filling sound with the bright attack of brass instruments and percussion, a combination well suited to festive fanfares and seasonal favorites.