FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Feb. 3, 2026
Madison, Wis. – The Madison Symphony Orchestra (MSO) continues its 2025-26 Overture Concert Organ season with a performance featuring organist Felix Hell at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 24 in Overture Hall.
Hell, who first performed in Madison in 2012, returns with a program titled “Cathedral of Sound: The Organ as Orchestra.” The evening showcases Hell’s artistry and creativity, featuring his own arrangement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, which has never been heard on the Overture Concert Organ.
The approximately 80-min. program also includes Bach’s Sinfonia from Cantata No. 29 (arranged by Marcel Dupre), Mozart’s Fantasy in F. Minor, K. 608, and Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings (arranged by William Strickland).
“This program is created to challenge expectations of what the organ can sound like,” Hell said. “With music by Bach, Mozart, Barber, and Beethoven, the organ emerges as a truly orchestral instrument, capable of extraordinary color, depth, and power. I am very much looking forward to reuniting with the Klais organ at Overture Hall and reconnecting with the wonderful audiences in Madison.”
Tickets range from $28-$51 and include sales tax, Overture Center’s per-ticket facility fee and a Web/Phone fee for online or phone orders. Patrons can purchase tickets in person at the Overture Center Box Office, where the Web/Phone fee won’t be applied.
About Felix Hell
Hell is a German concert organist who has performed more than 1,000 concerts in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. He has performed the complete organ works of J.S. Bach, approximately 250 compositions totaling nearly 20 hours, four times, most recently in 2013 in Seoul, South Korea. His programming spans five centuries of organ repertoire and includes original transcriptions.
Single tickets for all concerts can be purchased through the Overture Center Box Office or online https://madisonsymphony.org/25-26organ.
About the MSO’s Overture Concert Organ
The organ was designed and built by the German firm of Orgelbau Klais. It consists of 63 stops, 72 ranks and 4,040 pipes, the tallest of which is 32 feet and the heaviest weighing in at more than 1,200 pounds. The organ took nearly three years to design and build. Including its unique movable chamber, the organ weighs in at 174 tons and is believed to be the heaviest movable object in any theater in the world.
About the Madison Symphony Orchestra
The Madison Symphony Orchestra celebrates its 100th Anniversary season in 2025–2026. The MSO has grown to be one of America’s leading regional orchestras, providing Madison and south-central Wisconsin with cultural and educational opportunities to interact with great masterworks and top-tier guest artists from around the world. 2025–2026 marks John DeMain’s 32nd year and final season as Music Director. Learn more at madisonsymphony.org.
Major funding for the February Overture Concert Organ performance is provided by Friends of the Overture Concert Organ, Myrna Larson, Jennifer Younger and Thomas Rae Smith, Mark Huth and Meghan Walsh.
Contact: Taylor Kennedy
Phone: (608) 622-7767
Email: taylor@revelation.agency
Web: madisonsymphony.org