Acclaimed organist Peggy Haas Howell will present a solo organ recital at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 42 E. Main Street, Salem, VA 24153, on Friday, February 27, 2026 at 7:00 PM.
An internationally respected recitalist, Ms. Howell has performed widely throughout the United States and Europe. Known for her commanding musicianship and technical wizardry at the organ console, she won top prizes in many organ playing competitions, including first prize in the National Young Artists Organ Playing Competition of the American Guild of Organists (1974), and a shared top prize in St. Albans International Organ Interpretation Competition in England (1977).
She currently serves as Organist and Choirmaster at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Lynchburg, Virginia, and as National Vice President and Councillor for Competitions and New Music for the American Guild of Organists. She is also the Director of Cantate Children’s and Youth Choir, a community group dedicated to bringing classical choral music to the children and youth of central Virginia.
Ms. Howell holds a Bachelor of Arts in Church Music from Susquehanna University and a Master of Sacred Music from Union Theological Seminary in New York City, with additional advanced study at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Hamburg, Germany. Her distinguished teachers include James Boeringer, Heinz Wunderlich, Charles Dodsley Walker, Cherry Rhodes, and Harald Vogel. Her extensive career as a recording artist, recitalist, teacher, and church musician was memorably summarized by Cleveland’s The Plain Dealer, which praised her as a “play-anything virtuoso.”
Spanning several centuries, this recital program will weave together organ repertoire of grandeur, intimacy, and spiritual depth. Works by Georg Böhm, Johann Sebastian Bach, C.P.E. Bach, Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, and contemporary composer Dan Locklair will be featured, alongside anonymous Renaissance dances from the 1599 Suzanne van Soldt manuscript. Highlights include Bach’s monumental Fantasy and Fugue in G Minor (BWV 542) and Locklair’s Salem Sonata, a work of profound spiritual resonance.
Ms. Howell’s recital promises a compelling and richly varied musical experience, showcasing the expressive power of the organ across historical periods. All are welcome. This concert is free and open to the public. For more information, visit salemstpauls.org.
