Nationally recognized Wisconsin organist brings world-class music to rural southern Door County Oct. 23
FORESTVILLE, Wis. — Greg Zelek, principal organist of the Madison Symphony Orchestra and a Juilliard-trained concert organist, will perform a free concert at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Forestville on Friday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m.
The concert is part of St. Peter’s effort to bring outstanding musical performances to southern Door County and northern Kewaunee County, where opportunities to hear musicians of Zelek’s caliber are relatively rare.
Admission is free, and children and families are especially welcome. A door collection will support the St. Peter’s youth group, and a meet-the-artist reception with refreshments will follow the concert.
“St. Peter’s has been the beneficiary of many things coming together—a church tradition with a rich musical heritage centered around the organ, a wonderful instrument, and the resources to share it with others,” said the Rev. Dr. Christopher Jackson, pastor of St. Peter’s. “This concert is really an outpouring of our gratitude for all of those things, and an invitation to our neighbors to share in them.”
Zelek has served as principal organist of the Madison Symphony Orchestra and curator of its Overture Concert Organ since 2017. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees and an Artist Diploma from the Juilliard School, where he studied with organist Paul Jacobs and became the first organist to receive Juilliard’s Kovner Fellowship. His performance career has included appearances with the MET Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, New World Symphony and other major ensembles.
“One of the things I enjoy most about playing the organ is introducing the instrument to people who may never have experienced it in concert before,” Zelek said. “I’m looking forward to bringing this music to Forestville and sharing what the organ can do with a new audience.”
The program will feature a mixture of sacred and secular music, including works by Johann Sebastian Bach.
Zelek will perform on St. Peter’s Claves Regni pipe organ, built by Robert D. Hoppe & Associates. The Baroque-style instrument incorporates pipework from the congregation’s earlier 1974 Wahl organ and was designed specifically for St. Peter’s Neo-Gothic sanctuary. The organ is especially notable in the room for its rich, resonant bass.
Father Robert Hoppe, the organ’s builder and an Algoma resident, contacted Zelek about performing in Forestville following a strong community turnout for the organ’s inaugural hymn festival. Hoppe has continued refining the instrument’s voicing since that event.
The setting itself reflects the area. St. Peter’s is a 150-year-old congregation whose sanctuary was built with Sturgeon Bay limestone and includes furnishings and craftsmanship from northeastern Wisconsin. The locally built organ continues that tradition.
The concert is supported by a Sustainability Grant from the Door County Community Foundation, with lodging for the artist donated by Harbor Walk Condos in Algoma.
No tickets or reservations are required. Attendees are encouraged to register in advance for a free gift of chocolate-covered cherries made by Cherry De-Lite/Country Ovens in Forestville, along with a commemorative sticker featuring the organ.
For more information and free gift registration, visit doorcounty.church/zelek.
Greg Zelek in Concert
Friday, Oct. 23, 2026 • 7 p.m.
Free admission • All ages welcome
St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Door County
316 W. Main St.
Forestville, Wisconsin
920-856-6420
https://doorcounty.church