DETROIT, MI The Wayne State University Department of Music and the American Guild of Organists (Detroit Chapter) will be honoring the memory of recently deceased Professor Emeritus Ray Ferguson with a memorial concert on Sunday, June 8, 2003.

Special guest, Robert Bates, will perform organ works at Bushnell Congregational Church, 15000 Southfield Highway, at 4 p.m.

The concert is free and open to the public.

All donations received will support the Ray Ferguson Memorial Fund and the restoration of WSU Music's Fruehauf Memorial Organ in Community Arts Auditorium.

Donations may be directed to Music Fund 444231:
Attention Professor Dennis J. Tini, Chair
1321 Old Main
Detroit, Michigan 48202

For more information call (313) 577-1795 or visit WSU Department of Music Website.

Professor Emeritus Ray Ferguson was a past organist for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and served as Music Director/Organist at Bushnell for many years. He was also Associate Chair of the Department of Music from 1991 to 1997, retiring in August 1997.

Ray continued as an Adjunct Professor and served as Co-director of Organ Studies for the Department until his passing in October 2002. Professor Ferguson also served earlier as Director of Music and Organist at Meadowbrook Congregational Church in Novi for twenty years.

Ray's distinguished performance credits included performances with conductors Neville Marriner, Antal Dorati, Sixten Ehrling, among others. In 1980, Ray Ferguson was chosen by Maestro Dorati to perform Brahms complete organ works for the DSO International Brahms Festival.

Ray Ferguson was active in the American Guild of Organists and a past member of the AGO National Council. Professor Ferguson also chaired national AGO committees and was a past Dean of the Detroit AGO Chapter.

Robert Bates, a former student of Ray Ferguson's, is a Professor of Organ at the University of Houston.

He previously served as University Organist at Stanford University, where he received his Ph.D. in Musicology.

Robert is an internationally known recording artist, composer and soloist. He frequently appears at national conferences and has been a featured soloist at Stanford University, Cornell University, University of Michigan, the University of Notre Dame, and others.

Professor Bates received his Bachelor of Arts at Wayne State University and his Master of Music at Conservatoire de Ruell-Maimaison, France.