 |
|
[Home]
[Current Tour] [Archives]
June 2002
Meet the Artists:
AGO National Convention
Philadelphia July 2-6, 2002
 Nationally
and internationally renowned organists and choir
directors will be offering concerts, workshops and
lectures during the AGO National Convention this summer
in Philadelphia. Through the Web, you may get to know
them, or know them better, before you arrive for the
convention. The following biographical extracts are from
the Web sites listed; more than one site may be listed
for a performer if they hold a teaching or church
appointment in addition to concertizing. For a complete
listing of the following artists' activities at the 2002
AGO National Convention, visit the Convention Web site at
www.agohq.org/2002/.
Martin Baker
 "Westminster Cathedral Choir is
today acknowledged to be one of the finest choirs of its
type in the world. The establishment of a fine choral
foundation was part of the original vision of the founder
of Westminster Cathedral, Cardinal Herbert Vaughan, then
Archbishop of Westminster. Vaughan laid great emphasis on
the beauty and quality of the new cathedral's liturgy and
music." (www.concertorganists.com/
htdocs/artistdocs/westcc.htm;
www.choirschool.com;
www.westminstercathedral.org.uk)
Diane Belcher
 "One of America's
foremost concert organists, Diane Meredith Belcher has
performed in major organ concert series, conventions, and
music festivals throughout the United States for the past
two decades, in addition to appearances in England and
France. A graduate of The Curtis Institute of Music and
The Eastman School of Music, she was a prizewinner of
both the St. Albans (England) and Chartres (France)
international organ competitions, and won the American
Guild of Organists' award for highest marks in its
professional certification examinations." (www.concertorganists.com/
htdocs/artistdocs/belcher.html)
James David Christie
 "Professor James
Christie has been acclaimed as one of the finest
organists of his generation. He has performed throughout
the United States, Canada, Europe, and Japan in solo
concerts and with major symphony orchestras under such
conductors as Ozawa, Masur, Tennstedt, Dutoit, Bernstein,
Davis, Norrington, Pinnock, Parrott, and Hogwood. He is
presently the Distinguished Artist-in-Residence at the
College of the Holy Cross and organist of the Boston
Symphony Orchestra. He is also the Artistic Director of
Worcester's International Artists Series at Mechanics
Hall and serves as Artistic Consultant and principal
keyboardist for the Handel & Haydn Society of
Boston, Christopher Hogwood, Music Director." (www.holycross.edu/departments/
music/website/christie.htm;
www.concertartists.com/ChristieJ.html)
Peter Richard Conte
 "Peter Richard Conte is
an organist whose great skill and innovative style can be
completely enjoyed by a general audience, not just by
other organists and organ buffs. He programs
transcriptions (many of them works he has arranged
himself) of recognizable audience favorites, including
many of the great opera arias and overtures, rather than
merely offering transcriptions of obscure orchestral
works translated into (equally obscure) organ works."
(www.concertartists.com/ConteP.html;
http://www.s-clements.org/music.htm)
Gerre Hancock
 "A featured recitalist and lecturer
at more than a dozen regional conventions of the American
Guild of Organists and at national conventions of the
Guild in Philadelphia, Cleveland, Boston, Washington, D.C.,
Detroit, Houston and New York City, he also represented
the AGO as recitalist at the centenary anniversary of the
Royal College of Organists in London. He is
considered to be the finest organ improviser in America.
Dr. Hancock has been heard in recital in many cities
throughout the United States, Europe, South Africa, Japan,
and at St. Thomas Church. On occasion he performs in duo
recitals with his wife, Judith Hancock." (www.saintthomaschurch.org/GHancock.html;
www.concertorganists.com/htdocs/artistdocs/
hancockg.html)
Dennis Keene
 "Dennis Keene, conductor, divides
his time among three different roles: conductor, organist
and teacher. He began as an organist at a very early age,
holding his first church organist position at the age of
nine. He received the BM, MM and DMA degrees from the
Juilliard School, where he was the recipient of the
Dethier Organ Prize. Dennis Keene is Artistic Director
and Conductor of New York City's Voices of Ascension
Chorus and Orchestra. He is also organist and choirmaster
of the Church of the Ascension and a member of the
faculty of Manhattan School of Music. He is a member of
the board of directors of Chorus America and has served
on the choral panel of the National Endowment for the
Arts. In addition, he has conducted numerous workshops
and masterclasses on conducting and on choral music."
(www.voicesofascension.org/dkeene.htm)
Marilyn Keiser
 "In constant demand as
an organ recitalist and workshop leader, Dr. Keiser has
appeared throughout the United States in concerts
sponsored by churches, colleges, and chapters of The
American Guild of Organists. She has been a featured
artist for regional conventions of the AGO as well as for
national conventions in Dallas and Washington, D.C.,
where she played with orchestra at the John F. Kennedy
Center for the Performing Arts, and in Detroit, where she
appeared with the Detroit Symphony. In addition, she has
been a featured artist at the International Congress of
Organists in Cambridge, England; in concert at the Royal
Victoria Hall with the Singapore Symphony; and has
performed at the American Cathedral in Paris, the
Southern Cathedrals Festival in Winchester, England, and
the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil."
(www.music.indiana.edu/som/organ/
Keiser.html;
www.concertorganists.com/htdocs/
artistdocs/keiser.html)
Norman Mackenzie
 "Norman Mackenzie's
abilities as musical collaborator, conductor, and concert
organist have brought him national recognition. Recently
appointed the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's conductor of
choruses, he prepares the ASO Chorus and Chamber Chorus
for performance. Also director of music and fine arts for
Atlanta's Trinity Presbyterian Church, he oversees a
comprehensive program that includes seven singing and
ringing choirs and two concert series. In addition, he
pursues an active recital and guest-conducting schedule
each year." (www.atlantasymphony.org/
meet/conductors/mackenzie.html;
(www.trinityatlanta.org/music/music.shtml)
Hatsumi Miura
 "Hatsumi Miura is resident organist
at Yokohama Mirato Mirai Hall in Japan, where she plays C.B.
Fisk's Opus 110 organ. Educated at Tokyo National
University of Fine Arts and Music, she has studied with
Tusguo Hirono, Guy Bovet, and with Yuko Hayshi at the New
England Conservatory of Music, where she was awarded the
Artist's Diploma. In addition to winning competitions in
Japan and Switzerland, she has performed in Holland,
Denmark, Italy, and the United States. At present she
also serves as organist at All Saints Chapel of Rikkyo
University in Tokyo." (www.city.yokohama.jp/me/mmhall/
menu-e.html;
www.pipedreams.mpr.org/articles/
hakim_miura_bio.shtml#miura)
Richard Morris
 "Richard Morris is one
of a very small number of organists to have appeared as
soloist in Carnegie Hall. Other prestigious New York
concert halls which have hosted his phenomenal
performances include Town Hall and Lincoln Center's Alice
Tully Hall. He has also appeared three times on NBC's
Today Show, and has performed on four occasions at the
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.,
including the special concert series celebrating the
inauguration of former President Jimmy Carter. He is head
of the Organ Department at Clayton College and State
University, and is the Organist-in-Residence at Spivey
Hall."
(www.spiveyhall.org/organ_residence.html)
Alan Morrison
 "Alan Morrison has rapidly become
one of the most sought-after concert organists of his
generation. His appearances in some of the most
prestigious organ concert venues in North America
emphasize his achievements as a young performer and the
respect Mr. Morrison has gained in the concert organ
world: Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts' Alice
Tully Hall; The Meyerson Symphony Center, Dallas; Spivey
Hall in Atlanta; Jack Singer Concert Hall, Calgary; City
Hall Auditorium, Portland, Maine; The Crystal Cathedral
in Garden Grove, Calif.; Spreckels Organ Pavilion in San
Diego, Calif.; and The Cleveland Museum of Art."
(www.concertorganists.com/
htdocs/artistdocs/morrison.html)
Hector Olivera
 "Mr. Olivera continues
to be a featured artist at international pipe organ
festivals and national and regional conventions for both
the American Guild of Organists and the Royal Canadian
College of Organists. His exceptional ability to
improvise was demonstrated in the United States when he
won the American Guild of Organists' Improvisation
Contest in 1968, and since has been honed to a keenness
that leaves his audiences in awe." (www.hectorolivera.com)
Craig Phillips
 "Craig Phillips, a
native of Nashville, Tenn., holds master of music and
doctor of musical arts degrees from the Eastman School of
Music, where his teacher was the late Russell Saunders.
He was the first-prize winner in the 1994 Clarence Mader
Competition for Organ Composition, and was a finalist in
the Mader National Organ-Playing Competition and the Fort
Wayne National Organ Playing Competition. He is an active
concert organist and has appeared with the Eastman
Philharmonia, the Oklahoma Symphony, and other orchestras."
(www.paracletepress.com/store/
SheetMusic/about/phillips_craig.html;
www.allsaintsbh.org/staff/craig.htm)
David Higgs
 "One of America's leading concert
organists, David Higgs is the chair of the organ
department at the Eastman School of Music. He has
inaugurated many important new instruments, including
those at St. Stephan's Cathedral, Vienna; the Meyerson
Symphony Center, Dallas; and the Church of St. Ignatius
Loyola in New York City. His performances with ensembles
have included the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center,
Chanticleer, and the Empire Brass. In 1987, he made his
debut with the San Francisco Symphony, and for twelve
years played annual Christmas recitals to capacity
audiences at San Francisco's Davies Symphony Hall."
(www.concertorganists.com/
htdocs/artistdocs/higgs.html;
www.rochester.edu/eastman/
FacultyBios/DavidHiggs.htm)
Mark Laubach
 "Having played throughout the U.S.
and U.K., Mark enjoys a growing international reputation
as a recitalist. He teaches organ and church music
students privately and at Marywood University. He is a
past dean of the Pennsylvania Northeast Chapter of the
American Guild of Organists, past chairman of Region 3 of
the Association of Anglican Musicians, and is active in
the Royal School of Church Music in America." (www.ststephenswb.org/mark.html)
Jane Parker-Smith
 "Jane Parker-Smith is
universally recognized as one of the world's leading
concert organists, acclaimed by the critics and public
alike for her musicianship, virtuosity and interpretative
ability. Her extensive concerto repertoire has brought
her performances with many leading orchestras including
the BBC Symphony and the BBC Concert Orchestras, the
London Symphony, the London Philharmonic and Royal
Philharmonic Orchestras, the Philharmonia, the City of
Birmingham Symphony, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic,
the Athens State Orchestra and the Prague Chamber
Orchestra. She has worked with such distinguished
conductors as Sir Simon Rattle, Serge Baudo, Carl Davis,
Vernon Handley, Thomas Sanderling, Steuart Bedford,
Matthias Bamert, Richard Hickox and Robin Stapleton."
(www.impulse-music.co.uk/
parker-smith.htm;
www.concertorganists.com/htdocs/
artistdocs/parkersmith.html)
Cherry Rhodes
 "Cherry Rhodes was the first
American to win an international organ competition (Munich,
1966). She has played recitals at Notre Dame in Paris and
at international organ festivals in Bratislava and Presov,
Freiburg, Munich, Nurnberg, Paris, St. Albans, Luxembourg,
Vienna and throughout Poland. She made her musical debut
at age 17, when she appeared with the Philadelphia
Orchestra and subsequently with the South German Radio
Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of the French National
Radio, the Pasadena Chamber Orchestra, the Los Angeles
Philharmonic, and the Phoenix Symphony. Ms. Rhodes is a
frequent performer at national conventions of the
American Guild of Organists, including four recitals at
the 1996 Centennial Convention in New York City." (www.usc.edu/schools/music/faculty/
organ/rhodes.htm)
Robert Plimpton
 "A native of
Pennsylvania, Bob is a graduate of Eastern College, with
advanced study at Westminster Choir College, Colorado
State University, and the International Summer Organ
Academy in Haarlem, the Netherlands. He held full-time
music ministry positions in Moorestown, N.J., and Bryn
Mawr, Pa., before moving to San Diego in 1983. For over
16 years Bob served as San Diego Civic Organist, playing
weekly organ recitals on the famed Spreckels outdoor pipe
organ in Balboa Park, while serving in church music part-time.
A well-known concert organist, he has performed in major
venues across the U.S., in Israel, and in Taiwan." (www.christpb.org/robertplimpton.html)
Ann Elise Smoot
 "Ann Elise Smoot,
winner of the 1998 National Young Artists Competition in
Organ Playing of The American Guild of Organists, is a
native of Philadelphia who now resides in London, England.
She began her musical education in Philadelphia,
continuing her studies at Yale University, where she
obtained two honors degrees (bachelor of arts and master
of music). She has won several academic and musical
prizes, including a fellowship that took her to England
to study organ and harpsichord at the Royal Academy of
Music. While living in the United Kingdom, she has
studied with Peter Hurford and, more recently, with Dame
Gillian Weir." (www.concertorganists.com/htdocs/
artistdocs/smoot.html;
www.organschool.com/
teachers.htm#AES)
John Weaver
 "John Weaver has been director of
music at Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York
City since 1970, head of the organ department at the
Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia since 1972, and
chair of the organ department at The Juilliard School
since 1987. Weaver traces his love for the "King of
Instruments" back to his childhood. Born in the
eastern Pennsylvania town of Mauch Chunk (now Jim Thorpe),
his first introduction to music was through the organ at
the First Presbyterian Church, where his father was the
pastor." (www.concertorganists.com/
htdocs/artistdocs/weaver.html;
www.mapc.com/sections/pastors/jw.htm)
Arrive Safely:
Drive "Adagio"
We want you
to arrive safely for the 2002 Convention, so we recommend
listening to slow movements of your favorite organ works
on your car stereo if you are driving to the convention.
An Israeli researcher says drivers who listen to fast
music in their cars may have "more than twice as
many accidents as those listening to slower tracks."
The study demonstrated that while listening to fast music
"drivers took more risks, such as jumping red lights,
and had more accidents. When listening to up-tempo pieces,
they were twice as likely to jump a red light as those
who were not listening to music. And drivers had more
than twice as many accidents when they were listening to
fast tempos as when they listened to slow or medium-paced
numbers" (From The New Scientist). (http://www.newscientist.com/
news/news.jsp?id=ns99992032)
[Home] [Current Tour] [Archives]
| |
|
