Apr 18, 2013 2 min read

Washington native Paul Jacobs, regarded as one of the most gifted organists in the world, will perform a recital at 7:30 p.m. Sunday in Heinz Chapel, Pittsburgh, during the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s first Music for the Spirit Festival.

Jacobs is the youngest faculty member ever appointed at the famed Juilliard School, and he is a recent Grammy Award winner.

The festival, which runs from Saturday through April 28, will include concerts, recitals, discussions and other events throughout the city of Pittsburgh.

The festival opens with the Singing City choral concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Petersen Events Center at the University of Pittsburgh. The concert will feature about 2,300 singers from about 70 professional and amateur choirs, university choirs, high school choirs and religious-affiliated choirs from the greater Pittsburgh region. They will perform several choral pieces, including the world premiere of a newly commissioned piece for a cappella choir by Pittsburgh native Jonny Priano and the final movement of Mahler’s “Resurrection” Symphony. Tickets for the Singing City concert are $20 for adults, $10 for students with valid identification and $5 for children 12 and younger.

The series will end April 26-28 with BNY Mellon Grand Classics concerts featuring Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, “Ode to Joy,” and the world premiere of the PSO-commissioned work, “The Gift,” by Christopher Theofanidis at Heinz Hall.

Tickets for all Music for the Spirit events at Heinz Hall are available by calling the box office at 412-392-4900 or visiting www.pittsburghsymphony.org.