On Wednesday, April 8, 2026, Dr. Christopher Daly performed at his annual organ concert in the St. Thomas of Villanova Church. Drawing a large crowd of students, professors and residents, Dr. Daly performed a nearly hour-and-a-half-long set inspired by the 250th “birthday” of the United States of America. This has been the running theme of all concerts in the Musica Nova calendar this academic year.
Musica Nova is a concert series created and run by ACS professors Dr. Betsy Springuel and Dr. Elizabeth Jane McGuire. Starting in 2017, the Musica Nova program was preceded by Dr. Daly’s annual concert by over a decade. Now that his program is included in the larger theme, the music chosen follows suit.
Daly walked out to start his concert in a red, white and blue suit, very true to the theme. The program was facilitated by Dr. John Immerwahr, a retired ACS professor and lover of organ music. His introductions to each piece and explanations of what to listen for as Dr. Daly played gave the audience a clearer perspective of the music they were hearing.
The first piece was termed a tribute to strong American values. “Fanfare for the Common Man” by composer Aaron Copland was an exciting way to begin.
The next few songs were described together by Dr. Immerwahr, who instructed the audience to pay special attention to the way musical themes were repeated in different styles and by different parts of the organ. Two different and playful versions of “Le Tic Toc Choc” were also played.
The midpoint of the program was marked with a piece by J.S. Bach, perhaps the most revered organist/composer in the entire canon. Daly played the “Trio Sonata IV” as a tribute to this great.
“I wanted to choose pieces that were not in my repertoire,” Daly explained to the audience during a brief Q&A session towards the end of the program. “None of these pieces were in my repertoire before this, and then I always have to play a little bit of Bach.”
The next piece, though, was in many ways even more special. Immerwahr explained to the audience that he had shared his love of organ music with his brother, who became an organist and composer himself before tragically passing away at 20.
Armed with just the theme of a piece his brother had written inspired by Bach, Immerwahr recently set out to recreate it. He was successful in that endeavor, and the annual organ concert was the first time this version of the piece was performed.
Following this touching tribute, McGuire took over the commentator role to explain the crescendo of the next pieces and how the audience should listen for more romantic notes that came to the forefront. Springuel accompanied Daly as the soprano voice for the shorter of the two pieces.
Finally, the program closed with a series of real tributes to classic American patriotism. Dudley Buck’s “Concert Variations on The Star Spangled Banner” featured as the last official piece, but the true final flourish was an encore of “Yankee Doodle” on the organ.
“[I wanted to represent] the ideals of our country, because we do have ideals, even if we don’t live up to them that are 250 years old and older,” Daly said.
The concert received a standing ovation from the crowd before everyone went to the reception being held in St. Rita’s chapel.
“The event was really well-attended, and he played a variety of thoughtfully arranged songs,” senior Kelsey Hearns said. “We even had the chance to learn how the organ works and hear how his story of playing the organ started.”
This concert was a wonderful opportunity for Daly’s students to learn about his commitment to his music, and its value was across the church.
A time-honored and beloved tradition, the 27th annual recital was a testament to the community Daly and the rest of the Musica Nova program have created on campus.
