As part of the summer organ concert series “Orgel na de Noen”, we are delighted to invite you to an exceptional recital by Jan Bokszczanin, one of the most distinguished Polish organists of his generation.
On the great Schyven organ—a masterpiece of 19th-century Belgian organ building with 5,777 pipes—the artist will perform a programme featuring works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Felix Mendelssohn, and César Franck, as well as two world premieres by Sebastian Szymański and Thierry Pallesco.
Invisible from the nave, the organ’s impressive mechanism testifies to the brilliance of its design. Like the cathedral itself, this instrument reveals its full grandeur when it resonates with music. This recital will offer an opportunity to discover this exceptional heritage in all its sonic richness.
Prof. Jan Bokszczanin is an organist, professor of musical arts and educator at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw and in Białystok.
Trained by Joachim Grubich in Warsaw and later by Jesse E. Eschbach at the University of North Texas, he is now one of Poland’s most renowned organists. He has performed in major concert halls and cathedrals across Europe, Asia, and the United States, giving over a thousand organ and chamber music concerts.
The author of numerous publications on Russian and Soviet organ music, he has recorded more than twenty albums and edited many works for organ. Several contemporary composers have dedicated new works to him, and he has given more than fifty premieres.
Active in musical education, he leads international masterclasses and directs the Chamber and Organ Music Festival in Legionowo. In 2019 he received the distinction “Merit for Polish Culture,” and in 2024 the Gloria Artis medal.
© Ans Brys
The great organ of the Cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerp, a jewel of the UNESCO World Heritage site, is the largest instrument ever built by the Belgian organ builder Pierre Schyven (1891) and one of the masterpieces of 19th-century Belgian organ craftsmanship. Chosen over the renowned French builder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, Schyven created a monumental instrument of 90 stops, installed behind a remarkable Baroque organ case from 1657, whose sumptuous carved façade reveals only part of the richness of the instrument it houses. Fully restored in the 21st century to recover its original sound, this organ is now regarded as one of the finest examples of the Belgian Romantic tradition and one of the most prestigious historical instruments in Europe.
CONCERT PROGRAMME
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) – Fantasia and Fugue in G minor, BWV 542
Sebastian Szymański (b. 1982) – John Paul II: Footsteps Toward the Light (world premiere)
Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy – Sonata No. 3 in A major
Thierry Pallesco (b. 1956) – Totus tuus (world premiere)
César Franck – Choral No. 1 in E major
“Orgel na de Noen” – the summer organ concert series at the Cathedral
Jan Bokszczanin / Schyven Organ
Friday, 21 August 2026
12:45–13:30
Tickets available at the venue before the concert
Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp
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