Meet the Artist: Ilona Kubiaczyk-Adler

This November, organist Ilona Kubiaczyk-Adler will take listeners on a musical journey that spans centuries and cultures. In her upcoming recital, Music from Eastern Europe and the Americas, she weaves together rarely performed works with classic composers. Guided by deep curiosity and a lifelong fascination with how history and politics shape artistic expression, Kubiaczyk-Adler creates programs that both celebrate the organ’s vast repertoire and expand audiences’ understanding of its global voice. By performing on the Basilica of the Sacred Heart’s majestic Murdy Family Organ, listeners will experience her bringing technical brilliance and emotional depth to a program that connects diverse musical traditions through a shared universal language.

We recently spoke with Kubiaczyk-Adler about the inspiration behind her program, her discovery of lesser-known works, and how her international experiences continue to shape her artistry. Read on to learn more.

Your program spans centuries and continents. What inspired you to bring together music from Eastern Europe and the Americas for this recital?

My personal interests and curiosities drive my repertoire choices. I’m fascinated by the ways history and politics shape the culture and art of a particular time and place. What thrills me most is that today’s organists have a unique opportunity—we can bring together vastly different musical cultures from across the globe within a single recital. This allows audiences to experience these works side by side, discovering unexpected connections and contrasts across time periods, genres, and cultural traditions. By juxtaposing music from Eastern Europe with works from the Americas, I hope to illuminate both the distinctive character of each tradition and the universal language that music speaks.

Some of these works are rarely performed outside their countries of origin. How did you discover them, and why did you feel it was important to share them with U.S. audiences?

There are several reasons why these works remain rarely performed. As organists trained in academic institutions, we’re predominantly taught repertoire from the dominant European musical centers—like French, British, Italian, and German traditions. Music from outside the established Western centers is often harder to access; printed editions may be scarce, and these compositions rarely appear in standard pedagogical curricula. I’ve discovered many of these pieces through dedicated research and a genuine curiosity about what lies beyond the familiar canon. My motivation is simply the pure joy of sharing—of introducing audiences to beautiful, compelling music they might never otherwise encounter. These works deserve to be heard, and every performance helps expand our collective understanding of the organ’s rich and diverse repertoire across different cultures. 

How do you approach programming a recital that includes both lesser-known works and iconic composers like J.S. Bach?

Bach serves as both an anchor and a bridge in my programming. He absorbed and synthesized the music of his predecessors with unparalleled brilliance, and his influence reverberates through virtually all organ music that followed. As you listen to my program, you’ll discover threads of connection—echoes of Bach’s techniques, harmonic language, or formal structures woven throughout many of the other pieces I’ve selected. I also firmly believe that no organ recital is complete without at least one work by Bach. He remains the ultimate composer and virtuoso of this instrument, and his music provides a touchstone that helps contextualize both earlier and later works. By placing Bach alongside lesser-known composers, I hope to create a conversation across time and place that enriches our appreciation of all the music on the program.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

What do you find most exciting or most challenging about performing on the Murdy Family Organ at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart?

Historically informed instruments are absolutely my favorite organs to play in the United States. I’ve long been fascinated by the work of builders like Paul Fritts, John Brombaugh, Martin Pasi, Taylor & Boody, and Richards & Fowkes—the latter of which I have the privilege of playing regularly at Pinnacle Presbyterian Church in Arizona. Each of these builders brings exceptional craftsmanship and a deep understanding of historical organ-building traditions. The opportunity to discover the depth, power, and tonal palette of the Murdy Family Organ by Fritts is both an exciting journey and a genuine treat for me as a performer. What makes this particularly thrilling is that the versatility of this program will allow me to fully explore this instrument’s capabilities, revealing the many sound combinations and colors this remarkable organ has to offer.

As an international performer, how has your background influenced the way you interpret music from around the world?

I’ve spent most of my life traveling to different countries and immersing myself in the diverse national styles of pipe organs. Through these experiences, I’ve developed a mental library of sound ideals—tonal colors and acoustic qualities specific to different places and traditions. When I approach a new organ, I draw upon these ideals in my registration choices, while remaining open and receptive to the unique sonic possibilities that a superb instrument like the one at the Basilica might reveal. There’s always an element of discovery and surprise when working with an organ of this caliber.

I also believe that being deeply immersed in a particular culture provides insights that operate almost subconsciously—nuances of phrasing, rhythmic character, and emotional expression that you absorb simply by being present in that place. For this reason, I typically gravitate toward performing music from countries and regions where I’ve lived, visited for extended periods, or developed a particular scholarly or personal interest. I believe that this authentic connection to place helps me bring greater depth and understanding to my interpretations.

Is there a piece in this program that feels especially personal or emotionally powerful for you?

Yes. The final work on the program, Kosmogonik, holds deep personal significance. It’s an arrangement of “Unrequited” by American Grammy-winning jazz pianist Brad Mehldau, and a creative collaboration with my husband, Jacob Adler. The piece is part composition, part improvisation—built from the original lead sheet and incorporating elements that are written out alongside sections that allow for spontaneous interpretation. We created Kosmogonik for my final doctoral recital at Arizona State University, and it weaves together references to beloved standards from both piano and organ literature—works by Chopin, Alain, Messiaen, Reger, Liszt, Glass, and Ligeti that Jacob and I particularly treasure.

The title comes from Stanisław Lem (1921-2006), the celebrated Polish science fiction writer whose works have been translated into 41 languages. In Lem’s imagination, Kosmogonik was a remarkably powerful engineer robot “who lit stars to dispel the darkness”—a beautiful metaphor that resonated deeply with us. Kosmogonik is also the middle name of our firstborn son; the piece was conceived at the very beginning of my pregnancy. Though our son is now a teenager, I continue to include this work in my programs. It represents not only a pivotal moment in my personal life but also serves as a creative bridge between American and European musical traditions—bringing together jazz harmonies with classical forms, improvisation with composition, and the musical heritage of two continents into one unified artistic statement.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Kubiaczyk-Adler’s reflections reveal an artist deeply attuned to the connections between past and present, continents and cultures, and intellect and emotion. Through programs like Music from Eastern Europe and the Americas, she continues to remind listeners that music’s universal language can bridge even the widest distances across time and place.