Experience the debut of Organum Mechanicum, a groundbreaking new work for player pipe organ by composer Mike Leibowitz, created in close collaboration with engineer Sean O’Donnell. Inspired by the radical temporal and rhythmic experiments of Conlon Nancarrow’s Studies for Player Piano, the piece, conceived specifically for the machine as interpreter, embraces a level of complexity that transcends the physical limits of human performance  

This premiere marks a bold new avant-garde chapter for the 1902 Haskell House organ. Fully restored just two years ago, the organ’s vast expressive range is put on full display, from delicate, interlocking mechanisms to overwhelming harmonic force. Organum Mechanicum reveals the instrument not as a relic, but as a living system, capable of precision, density, and musical architecture impossible by hand. 

Following the performance, Leibowitz and O’Donnell will lead a panel discussion exploring their collaborative process, from compositional design and mechanical constraints to the creative possibilities unlocked by merging musical imagination with engineering innovation. 

This project was made possible by support from The Musical Fund Society. 

This event is free to attend. Please register in advance. 

Michael Leibowitz (composer / artistic director): About — Michael Leibowitz | Composer 

Michael Leibowitz  (b. 1981), is a contemporary classical composer celebrated for his innovative contributions to chamber and vocal music. His works have been described as “hauntingly beautiful and unpredictable,” captivating audiences with their emotional depth and intricate textures. He pursued formal study at the Longy School of Music, Oberlin Conservatory, and the University of the Arts, working with composers Howard Frazin, Randolph Coleman, Lewis Nielson, and Andrea Clearfield. Leibowitz has received numerous commissions from prominent musicians and ensembles, including accomplished pianists Michelle and Kimberly Cann, the renowned Jasper String Quartet, and the innovative Borderlands Ensemble. He has also written extensively for vocalists,  including Michael Weyandt, Rebecca Sacks, Audra Casebier, Madison Boyer, Opera on Tap Philadelphia, and the vocal ensemble The Perspective Collective, who premiered his chamber opera “For Love of Country.” Michael’s choral work, “One Last Seed,” was selected as a finalist in the Ithaca College Choral Competition Festival. Michael teaches music at the John H. Taggart Elementary School in South Philadelphia and maintains a select group of private students. He lives with his wife and three children (all musicians as well) outside of Philadelphia, PA. 

Sean O’Donnell (auto-player programmer / engineer): Sean O'Donnell - About Us 

Sean O’Donnell is an organbuilder and engineer whose small firm primarily provides technical assistance to other organ building and restoration firms.  The firm has restored a number of player pipe organs around the country and collaborated on several others, more than a dozen such instruments from Plymouth Massachusetts to Death Valley. In addition to restoration work, Sean is a principal at Integrated Organ Technologies, Inc. providing state-of-the-art console control equipment for restored, rebuilt, and new pipe organs, including the Kaufmann Center in Kansas City, Methuen Memorial Music Hall in MA and the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City. 

Sean began working with Nelson Barden in the 1990’s to develop a modern digital system to capture the player pipe organ music originally issued on increasing fragile paper rolls, leading to the computerized system  used for this project.  To date, they have captured and restored more than 800 vintage roll performances, including a collaboration with the Philadelphia Orchestra to restore and present a paper roll recording made by the legendary Leopold Stokowski.  Mr. O’Donnell is a member of the Organ Historical Society, the American Guild of Organists, and the American Institute of Organbuilders (AIO).  He served on the AIO Board of Directors 2004-2007, chaired the AIO Education Committee from 2007 to 2016, and has been Secretary of Associated Pipe Organ Builders of America (APOBA) since 2020.