Stetson University alumnus and award-winning organist Stewart Foster will be performing Feb. 28, at 7:30 p.m., in Lee Chapel in Elizabeth Hall. This event is free and open to the public.

Foster is the director of music and organist of the Royal Poinciana Chapel in Palm Beach, Florida. A consummate performer on the pipe organ, harpsichord and piano, and an expert accompanist and vocal coach, Foster’s performances have been praised by critics worldwide.

“You can play the organ differently, but you can’t play it any better than Stewart Wayne Foster,” according to a review in The Dallas Morning News. “[He played] with technical finesse second to none and an Apollonian elegance of expression.”

At Stetson, Foster will perform Louis Vierne’s Symphony 6, Paul Hindemith Sonata 1, Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in G Minor, and Olivier Messiaen’s Livre du Saint Sacrament, as well as other works.

Known for a vast and eclectic repertoire, Foster has performed with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Augusta Symphony and the Charleston Symphony; at the Washington National Cathedral; and a solo recital for the National Convention of the American Guild of Organists. Foster provided organ music for the film Marie Antoinette (2006) and for the television show Ugly Betty.

After graduating from Stetson University, Foster received a master’s degree from the University of North Texas and his Diplôme de Concertiste from École Normale de Musique in Paris where he lived for five years. While there, he was staff continuo player with L’Orchestre de St. Louis-en-l’Ile, and accompanist for the Paris Choral Society. His awards include first prize at the American Guild of Organists’ Regional Competition, first prize at the École Normale de Musique, and the Gold Medal and Audience Prize at the 1997 Dallas International Organ Competition.

Foster will perform in Lee Chapel in Elizabeth Hall, 421 N. Woodland Blvd., DeLand, Florida, on Feb. 28 at 7:30 p.m. The Great Organists at Stetson series will welcome David Higgs to campus, March 21, 7:30 p.m. in Lee Chapel. This event is free and open to the public.

About Stetson University

Founded in 1883, Stetson University is the oldest private university in Central Florida, providing a transforming education in the liberal arts tradition. Stetson stresses academic excellence and community-engaged learning, and consistently earns high marks in national rankings. Stetson encourages its students to go beyond success to significance in their lives, the lives of others and their communities. Stay connected with Stetson on social media.