Wichita State organ scholarship/fellowship

Wichita State University, Wichita, Kansas

Lynne Davis

The Marcussen organ in Wiedemann Hall—The vision realized

In 1956, Walter J. Duerksen, dean of the College of Fine Arts, and Gordon B. Terwilliger, graduate coordinator for the School of Music at the then University of Wichita, envisioned the installation of a three-manual organ in the recently completed Duerksen Fine Arts Center’s Miller Concert Hall as the pièce de resistance for that attractive and functional building. Although a fund was started for this purpose, other considerations intervened, and in 1964 Dean Duerksen instead decided to use the fund for the installation of an 18-rank Casavant organ (voiced by Lawrence Phelps, then at Casavant) in the new Grace Memorial Chapel.

However, the dream of an organ for Duerksen Fine Arts Center persisted. Terwilliger, who had become dean of fine arts, invited organ builder Lawrence Phelps, who then had his own firm in Erie, Pennsylvania, to the campus in 1975 to discuss whether or not the installation of a pipe organ was feasible in Miller Concert Hall. By this time, nearly twenty years after its completion, the building had limitations that precluded the successful installation of any fine organ. Phelps reported that a new building was needed. Such a prospect seemed hopeless—or decades away.

However, the extraordinary achievements of many Wichita State organ students of that time—thirty-five students in 1965—kept the vision alive. Some reason for optimism occurred in 1979, when an organ recital hall was added to a long list of university building needs and again in 1981, when it was moved to a top-priority status.

Robert Town, associate professor of organ, was encouraged enough to consult Lawrence Phelps, who suggested shapes and dimensions for the proposed building. Also, President Clark D. Ahlberg began soliciting municipal support for what had become a most ambitious vision. By 1982 Town felt that university planning and funding were progressing well enough for him to contact nine organbuilders, both American and European, regarding an estimate and preliminary stoplist for an organ with mechanical key action.

Community philanthropist and music-lover Gladys H. G. Wiedemann was one of those who believed the dream could become reality. In 1983, as president of the K. T. Wiedemann Foundation, Inc., she pledged $500,000 for the purchase of the recital hall organ. Her single generous act provided the impetus necessary to carry the project forward. University President Warren B. Armstrong reaffirmed the plan; Mrs. Rie Bloomfield, through the Sam and Rie Bloomfield Foundation, pledged $150,000 toward the building; the Wichita State University Board of Trustees guaranteed the remainder of the financing; and contracts were signed with the local architectural firm of Schaefer, Johnson, Cox, and Frey Associates, and with organbuilders Marcussen & Søn of Aabenraa, Denmark.

S. J. Zachariassen (great-great-great grandson of the founder) of Marcussen & Søn, Kansas City acoustical consultant Robert Coffeen, the architects, and the university organ committee met in Wichita to meticulously collaborate on the building and organ dynamics. The final design of the organ and the stoplist was drawn up by Robert Town and Zachariassen, with suggestions from Lawrence Phelps and renowned concert organist Gillian Weir.

The firm of E. W. Johnson and Son began construction of Wiedemann Hall in December 1984; it was finished in the spring of 1986. Of neoclassic design, this glorious building houses a main auditorium which is 100 feet long and 40 feet high, has slightly fanned side walls, and originally sat 425 people. (In 2014, all the seats were replaced to adhere to accessibility concerns. As a result, there are now 412 seats, including twelve accessible ones.)

Neither effort nor expense was spared to ensure the ideal acoustical setting for the great Marcussen organ, the first of three installed in North America by the respected now 216-year-old firm. The auditorium walls are 26 inches thick, and the stage wings are of oak paneling. The side and rear walls are made of sealed plaster and are fitted from top to bottom with sound-diffusing panels; the ceiling’s irregularly shaped forms serve the same purpose. The seating’s terraced floor is made of glazed concrete. Two aisles are carpeted, and the stage floor, steps, and apron are of oak parquet. The result is three seconds of reverberation time. The vision, the years of hoping and planning, and the generosity and efforts of many culminated in this crucial measure of success for Wiedemann Hall.

The Marcussen organ itself is no less impressive. Entering the hall, one is immediately struck by the harmonious and grandiose focal point the organ represents at the bottom of the auditorium seats. Its case is 34 feet high, 25 feet wide, and seven feet deep, made of European white oak. The console is made of exclusive palisander, also known as Brazilian rosewood. Console measurements are a modified American Guild of Organists standard, and the tuning is in equal temperament. It took five highly skilled workers from the Marcussen firm seven weeks in 1986 to install the organ; ten more weeks were required for the voicing, which was directed by Olav S. Oussoren and his assistant, Emil Bladt.

The naturals of the organ’s manual keys are ivory covered, the sharps, ebony. The organ has three pedals: a crescendo pedal; a mechanical swell pedal, which operates vertical shutters across the entire front and top of the Swell case; and a third pedal, which mechanically opens and closes the Brustwerk doors. The pedal keys are oak, the sharps ebony capped. The stopknobs are made of rosewood, and their stems are brass. The pedal combinations are brass tongues. Upgrading the original combination action of 16 generals, Solid State Organ Systems installed a new 256-series combination action in 2007.

The Brustwerk is in its traditional location above the console. Above it are the Spanish Trumpet and Positiv organ. The Positiv is slightly recessed, with the 8′ Praestant in front. The Great organ is divided on either side of the Positiv, with the 8′ Prinzipal in front. In the absence of a Rückpositiv, the Positiv’s effect is nonetheless successful; its smaller-scale sound emanates from the very center, while that of the Great organ spans the entire front. At the top, the Swell organ extends forward. The pipes of the Great 8′ Hohlflöte are in front of it, and the Pedal, with the 16′ Prinzipal in front, is on the sides.

The front pipes are 75% tin, and their mouths are leafed in 23-carat gold, as are the interiors of the Spanish Trumpet’s flared resonators. The bass pipes of the 32′, 16′, and 8′ ranks are made of copper. The remaining metal pipes are made of tin and lead alloys. Except for the Brustwerk’s 8′ Holzgedackt, which is oak, all of the wood pipes are spruce. The low 12 pipes of the very large-scale 32′ Untersatz are behind the case on the back wall.

The principals are warm and of generous scales. The Great reeds are of German character; those of the Swell and the Positiv Cromorne, French. Single stops and small combinations are clear and distinct, and the full choruses and tutti are intense but never obtrusive. The organ’s very complete specification, including two individual-rank Cornets as well as one mounted Cornet, accommodates literature of all periods equally well.

The reason for the project’s success is both simple and complex: thirty years after a vision began, resourcefulness, expertise, talent, funds, and commitment coalesced on the campus of this university to create a recital hall designed especially for an organ and an organ specifically for a hall. Through Wiedemann Hall and the great Marcussen organ, the dream was realized. It is a truly magnificent accomplishment, to be enjoyed by countless numbers of music-lovers and dreamers.

The organ was dedicated by Gillian Weir in two recitals on October 2 and 6, 1986, followed by a year-long recital series, including an appearance by Catharine Crozier on March 24, 1987.

Perpetuating the dream

How to prolong, conserve, and sustain a dream? The desire for a lasting legacy, a way of serving the community and providing a particularly spectacular performance venue for the School of Music and other artists provoked the creation of two main recital series.

It is interesting to note that this beautiful setting of the organ and the building were almost entirely funded by two women—Gladys Wiedemann for the organ, and Rie Bloomfield for the lobby, its decoration, and the endowed series.

Rie Bloomfield Organ Series

After the inauguration of the organ, Rie Bloomfield visited Wichita for seven years from California, always asking my predecessor, Robert Town, to play the organ for her. Her love for this organ prompted her sizeable gift in 1994 of $200,000 to endow a new recital series for the great Marcussen organ in Wiedemann Hall, baptized the “Rie Bloomfield Organ Series.” Artists of national and international importance have given of their brilliant talents for over twenty-eight years.

For the first twelve years, artists signed a panel in the back of the organ! They now sign a guest book. A feature I added some years ago is the popular “Conversation with the Artist,” during which I interview the guest organist during the concert. It gives the audience a more personal view of the artist, who shares with us details of their activities, what message to give to young organists, and program notes about the pieces they are performing.

To this day, the Sam & Rie Bloomfield Foundation has always generously supported this series without reserve. The twenty-fifth anniversary of the series, celebrated with a brilliant gala in 2021 due to covid lockdowns, was in 2019.

Wednesdays in Wiedemann

In 2007, I created the “Wednesdays in Wiedemann with Lynne Davis” organ recital series, which consists of eight half-hour recitals over two semesters, each with verbal program notes. These include Christmas and year-end Pops concerts. My desire was to give the university and Wichita community the opportunity to regularly hear and see this extraordinary hall and instrument. With the advent of YouTube and live-streaming, I started video-recording the recitals and have a list of over fifty videos on the organ channel of our WSUTV, which is accessible through www.wichita.edu/organ.

Another vital reason to create this series was to give an opportunity for organ students to perform and to invite other instrumentalists, either faculty or other School of Music students, to perform with the organ. For each performer, a great advantage is that their performance is forever archived as a live-stream recording on the School of Music’s Facebook page or on the YouTube organ channel. Thus, the organ’s vast number of musical possibilities as a supreme collaborator, accompanying in a quasi-orchestral capacity, and as a solo instrument are offered to the public, nationally and internationally thanks to the live streaming.

An active organ program

The very existence of the Marcussen and Wiedemann Hall provides a singular opportunity for organ students to develop necessary traits for a variety of jobs that are proposed today in the workplace. Not everyone will make their living as a concert artist. What are the other talents, then, that one needs to develop? Technique will always have its base in the practice of playing the piano. Virtuosity and basic organ coordination in advanced organ repertoire depends on it. But then, how does one manage an instrument that is a wind instrument and not a percussive one like the piano? Singing, voice training, being in a choir, conducting, accompanying choirs and other instruments gives the student organist ammunition to be competent in a variety of ways in their future jobs. It’s a way of creating a whole and complete method to develop his/her talents.

At Wichita State University’s School of Music, we have the necessary classes and courses to address this accession to a primary level of competence. Core courses in applied organ, organ literature and design, organ pedagogy, keyboard skills are offered for bachelor’s and master’s degrees in performance (keyboard/organ) and music education (keyboard/organ emphasis). A Performer’s Certificate is also offered, which is an ideal way of taking a year following a bachelors’ degree, before or after a master’s, or just as a way of further developing one’s performance skills.

Additionally, graduate staff assistant positions are available, offering the possibility of accompanying the major choirs at the school both on the piano and on the organ. Other performance possibilities include playing for the Wednesdays in Wiedemann series and other school of music events. The extent of community involvement, becoming well known to the greater university and city audiences is significant, and there are many church job possibilities. Scholarships are important, and we have many to offer.

Great advantages are to be had with lessons taken directly on the Marcussen with added practice time available. Development in touch (mechanical action), familiarity with the inner workings of the organ, its complex electronics, mechanics, easy access to the various divisions and their pipes, even tuning, are all addressed. One of the most significant advantages of studying on this instrument is to be able to develop a qualified and serious aptitude for registration. The organ “plays” all periods very well and can be used to hone one’s knowledge of registrations of these various periods.

Pedagogical projects range from student-teaching in area teachers’ studios to researching and putting together a complete video presentation on registration and pedal technique. In 2020, the Wichita chapter of the AGO requested such a video for their programming. Two of my students and I wrote, performed, and recorded this 1½-hour video.

Other advantages of studying here at WSU include participation in organizing the different organ events. Yes, it helps to know what to do, and how and when to do it. It’s a good apprenticeship. Greeting and getting to know distinguished guest artists as well as hearing them perform is a very big perk!

Other important ways to learn

We have had quite a few special events in the past sixteen years of my tenure here at WSU. All have involved sharing with the public in an exceptional way this grand organ in its grand hall.

RBOS Organ Day. From 2008 to 2020, we hosted an afternoon of presenting the Marcussen to local young musicians, how an organ works, lectures by Bertrand Cattiaux on the organ at Notre-Dame de Paris, guest organists performing and giving a masterclass to students.

The American Alain Festival. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Jehan Alain in 1911, we organized a conference in 2011 with concerts of Alain’s organ, choral, piano, and chamber music, discussions, lecture presentations (Aurélie Decourt, Marie-Claire Alain’s daughter), receptions, collective meals, and a final performance on the mighty Wurlitzer at Century II by Jim Riggs.

Thirtieth anniversary of the Marcussen (1986–2016) gala. To mark this significant date, I gave a concert including the interdisciplinary participation of students from the other two schools in our College of Fine Arts­—performing arts and art & design. Art & design created the special poster and made three sculptures to reflect the three movements of Jehan Alain’s Trois Danses: Joies, Deuils, Luttes (joys of life, death, struggles in life). Performing these dances with an organ on a stage gave me the possibility of choreographing these dances in an exceptional way: students from the school of performing arts and their teacher choreographed each of the movements, making the Marcussen also dance, using in a different way this extraordinary space.

Twenty-fifth anniversary of the Rie Bloomfield Organ Series (1994–2019) gala. Two illustrious graduates of WSU gave a brilliant joint concert, Brett Valliant and Tate Addis. Each performed works as soloists, gave a joint performance on piano and organ, and presented a masterclass for organ students. In each of these events, organ students played an important part in the organization and implementation of the schedule.

The future

From the early dream to present-day activities, the great Marcussen and Wiedemann Hall continue to carry on the tradition of excellence established from the beginning. The 2022–2023 season of the RBOS continues with two distinguished guest artists, the third being our very own WSU Symphony Orchestra, Mark Laycock, director, and myself in a grand concert of organ and orchestra on November 28, featuring the Poulenc and Guilmant, opus 42, organ concerti.

From May 21–25, 2023, a special opportunity for advanced organists will take place: Masterclass on the Marcussen with Lynne Davis. Limited to ten applicants and some auditors, we will take an in-depth look at French organ music, including morning sessions and afternoon lessons, as well as a participants concert at the conclusion of the class. Further details will be forthcoming, and those interested are invited to contact me directly. Following the masterclass, a Pipe Organ Encounter (POE), sponsored by the Wichita chapter of the AGO, will take place from June 25–30, 2023.

The continuous objective of shining a light on the “organ” for all to discover or to rediscover is our ongoing theme; to do our part in promoting this exquisite and complex instrument throughout the world and to train talented students to be its unique ambassadors. We are fortunate that the great Marcussen organ and Wiedemann Hall are the ideal tools to accomplish these goals.

—Lynne Davis

Robert L. Town Distinguished Professor of Organ

www.wichita.edu/organ

[email protected]

Marcussen & Søn (1986)

GREAT (Manual II)

16′ Gedacktpommer

8′ Prinzipal (in façade)

8′ Hohlfloete (in façade)

8′ Rohrgedackt

4′ Oktave

4′ Spitzfloete

2-2⁄3′ Quinte

2′ Oktave

8′ Cornet V (from f)

2′ Mixtur V–VI

2⁄3′ Zimbel III

16′ Dulzian

8′ Trompete

4′ Trompete

Chimes (25 notes)

SWELL (Manual IV, enclosed)

16′ Bourdon

8′ Salicional

8′ Voix Celeste

8′ Flute Harmonique

8′ Flute a cheminee

4′ Prestant

4′ Flute Octaviante

2-2⁄3′ Nasard

2′ Octavin

1-3⁄5′ Tierce

2′ Plein Jeu V

16′ Basson

8′ Trompette

8′ Hautbois

4′ Clairon

Tremulant

POSITIV (Manual I)

8′ Praestant (in façade)

8′ Gedackt

4′ Prinzipal

4′ Blockfloete

2-2⁄3′ Nasat

2′ Oktave

2′ Waldfloete

1-3⁄5′ Terz

1-1⁄3′ Quinte

1-1⁄3′ Scharf IV

8′ Cromorne

8′ Spanische Trompete

Zimbelstern (6 bells)

Tremulant

BRUSTWERK (Manual III, enclosed)

8′ Holzgedackt

8′ Quintadena

4′ Koppelfloete

2′ Prinzipal

2′ Gedacktfloete

1′ Siffloete

1⁄6′ Zimbel II

8′ Regal

Tremulant

PEDAL

32′ Untersatz

16′ Prinzipal (in façade)

16′ Subbass

8′ Oktave

8′ Gedackt

4′ Choralbass

4′ Rohrpfeife

2′ Nachthorn

2-2⁄3′ Mixtur V

32′ Kontra Fagott

16′ Posaune

16′ Fagott

8′ Trompete

4′ Schalmei

Couplers

Sw/Gt, Pos/Gt, Bw/Gt

Sw/Pos, Sw/Bw, Pos/Bw

Gt/Pd, Sw/Pd, Pos/Pd, Bw/Pd

 

Solid State Organ Systems MultiLevel Capture System, with 256 memory levels (16 generals)

Brustwerk pedal

Swell pedal

Adjustable Crescendo

 

Manual compass: 61 notes

Pedal compass: 32 notes

Mechanical key action

Electric stop action

65 stops, 84 ranks, 4,623 pipes

 

Photo credit: Jeff Tuttle and Lynne Davis

The Diapason Staff

The Diapason’s fifth “20 Under 30” selections came from a large field of nominations. The nominees were evaluated based on information provided in the nominations; we selected only from those who had been nominated. We looked for evidence of such things as career advancement, technical skills, and creativity and innovation; we considered a nominee’s awards and competition prizes, publications and compositions, and significant positions in the mix. Our selections were not limited to organists but reflect the breadth of our editorial scope, which includes the organ, harpsichord and clavichord, carillon, church music, and organ and harpsichord building. Here we present the winners’ backgrounds and accomplishments, and then have them tell us something interesting about themselves and their achievements, goals, and aspirations.

Nominations will again open for 20 Under 30 in December 2022 for our Class of 2023. Please carefully consider those you may know that deserve this honor and begin to take notes for your nomination. We can only honor those who are nominated.

The Associated Pipe Organ Builders of America (APOBA) is graciously providing a one-year subscription to our 20 Under 30 Class of 2021.

Amos Burch

Amos Burch was born in central Illinois, homeschooled, and from a young age studied piano. Throughout high school, he spent summers in his grandfather’s workshop, learning woodworking from him, an excellent furniture maker. Around this same time Amos developed a love for concert music, especially Bach’s keyboard works and cantatas. In 2010, he attended a recital at the Indiana Landmarks Center, Indianapolis, featuring a historic Sanborn organ, recently renewed by Goulding & Wood. At age 16, it did not cross his mind that he would join that same company nearly a decade later.

In 2013 he moved to Phoenix and studied guitar building and repair at the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery. After graduating, Amos moved back to Indianapolis and worked as a guitar repair specialist and also built instruments in his free time. Later moving on to a job as a custom cabinetmaker, he worked first in Cincinnati and finally at Kline Cabinetmakers in Greenfield, Indiana. After a few years there, he rediscovered Goulding & Wood and applied for a job immediately. He was hired in 2019, and his career search was complete. A love of the keyboard and woodworking finally married, as he became a pipe organ builder. He is continually motivated to push his skills and expand his knowledge of both woodworking and pipe organs by the experienced crew at Goulding & Wood.

An interesting fact: Besides music and woodworking, my greatest interest is art, particularly Japanese and American tattoo art. I enjoy collecting paintings and prints from artists across the world, and my apartment looks a bit like a museum because of it.

Proudest achievement: My proudest accomplishment to date is being a member of the Goulding & Wood team, and more specifically, having a part in building and installing our Opus 52 organ for Saint John’s Cathedral in Knoxville Tennessee. I had to continually remind myself that it was reality and not a dream to be working on such a beautiful instrument.

Career aspirations and goals: It is my goal to continue to absorb as much knowledge and experience as possible in the organ shop. Woodworking is my passion, and I can’t think of a more than incredible application of the craft than to be a pipe organ builder.

Daniel Chang

Daniel Chang is a Doctor of Musical Arts degree candidate at the Eastman School of Music, Rochester, New York, in the studio of David Higgs. He began his music studies at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Preparatory Department where he studied composition with Michael Kaulkin and piano with June Choi Oh. He continued his education at the San Francisco Conservatory for a Bachelor of Musical Arts degree in composition, studying composition with David Conte and piano with Alla Gladysheva. Daniel served as organ scholar at Saint Dominic’s Catholic Church in San Francisco under Simon Berry. At Eastman, where he has earned his Master of Music degree, Daniel was awarded the Gerald Barnes Prize in 2017 and the Cochran Prize in 2020 for excellence in organ performance. Daniel was awarded third prize in the 2018 National Young Artists’ Competition in Organ Performance (NYACOP), sponsored by the American Guild of Organists, and was a semi-finalist in the 2020 NYACOP. Daniel is director of music at Saint John’s Episcopal Church in Canandaigua, New York.

An interesting fact: As a teenager I had to learn the Ballade in G Minor by Chopin by ear because my reading skills were so bad.

Proudest achievement: I am proudest of being the first person in my family to pursue a doctorate.

Career aspirations and goals: Career-wise I would like to teach, play for the church, compose, and perform. A personal goal of mine is to reach a point in my career where I can teach students that cannot afford lessons for free.

Daniel Colaner

A sixteen-year-old native of Akron, Ohio, Daniel Colaner captured international media attention at the age of twelve with his same-day performances on piano at Carnegie Hall and on organ at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. Since then, his talents have been showcased on ABC World News Tonight, Good Morning America, The Harry (Connick Jr.) Show, and the BBC World Service Newsday. As a recipient of the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award, Daniel was featured on the NPR radio show From the Top (Show #377), performing “Jupiter” from Gustav Holst’s The Planets. He is a 2021 National YoungArts Winner in organ/classical music and was the first prize and audience prize winner in the Sursa American Organ Competition (high school division) in 2019.

Earlier this year, Daniel premiered Variations on Doxology, a new work for organ and orchestra, with the American Pops Orchestra. His performance will be featured in One Voice: The Songs We Share, which will air nationally on PBS. Daniel studies organ with David Higgs of the Eastman School of Music and piano with Sean Schulze at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he is a scholarship student in the pre-college program and an avid chamber musician. He currently serves as organ scholar at Cleveland’s Trinity Episcopal Cathedral under Todd Wilson.

An interesting fact: First exposed to music as cognitive therapy after being diagnosed with stage IV cancer as an infant.

Proudest achievement: Promoting the organ and the study of classical music on television and radio, in addition to helping to raise thousands of dollars for music education and music therapy for a variety of non-profit organizations.

Career aspirations and goals: A versatile career as a solo and collaborative musician who engages and enlightens audiences of all ages.

Website: www.danielcolaner.com.

Michael Delfín

Praised for “beautiful performances of great warmth” (Classical Voice of North Carolina), Michael Delfín is a versatile performer of historical keyboard instruments and the modern piano. Michael is the recipient of the 2018 Historical Keyboard Society of North America Bechtel/Clinkscale Scholarship and 2017 Catacoustic Consort Early Music Grant. He has performed for the Historical Keyboard Society of North America and the Central California Baroque Festival and has given lectures on historical performance topics for Early Music America, HKSNA, and the Case Western Reserve University Music Department. He is artistic director of Seven Hills Baroque in Cincinnati and has taught figured bass and improvisation at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Michael has attended the American Bach Soloists Academy and the University of Michigan Early Keyboard Institute and performed in masterclasses for Richard Egarr, Joseph Gascho, Corey Jamason, Edward Parmentier, and Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra.

Michael is now pursuing doctoral studies in both piano and harpsichord at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He previously studied piano at CCM, San Francisco Conservatory, and Peabody Conservatory, as well as history at Johns Hopkins University. His mentors include Awadagin Pratt, Yoshikazu Nagai, Boris Slutsky, Michael Unger, and Carol Oaks.

An interesting fact: I enjoy cooking the Latin American food of my family’s heritage.

Proudest achievement: My wife’s hand.

Career aspirations and goals: I look forward to blending historical and modern performance as a solo and collaborative performer, Baroque ensemble director, and college educator.

Website: www.michaeldelfin.com.

Samuel Gaskin

Samuel Gaskin completed graduate studies in organ performance from the University of North Texas (Master of Music, 2018) with Dr. Jesse Eschbach. Samuel has studied with notable organist-improvisers such as Thierry Escaich, Baptiste-Florian Marle-Ouvrard, Franz Danksagmüller, and Thomas Ospital. As a performer, he is interested in music of all kinds, playing jazz piano in ensembles throughout his graduate school studies and harpsichord with the San Antonio Symphony under the baton of Jeannette Sorell (Apollo’s Fire). He is also active as a collaborative pianist with both instrumentalists and vocalists. In 2013, Samuel was a finalist in the Mikael Tariverdiev International Organ Competition held in Kaliningrad, Russia, and in 2016 he won first prize in the University of Michigan International Organ Improvisation Competition. Samuel began composition studies with William James Ross, S. Andrew Lloyd, and finally Ethan Wickman. Transcribing served as an important purpose to furthering his interest in composition, first focused on improvised works for organ, then on jazz improvisations, including tracks from the album Equilibrium by Ben Monder (guitar) and Kristjan Randalu (piano), for future publication by the Terentyev Music Publishing Company. He is interested in exploring the sometimes-contradictory relationship between improvisation and composition.

An interesting fact: I once delivered pizza to Tony Parker (the former point guard for the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs).

Proudest achievement: Carving my own niche as a musician. Leaving behind formal organ studies during my undergraduate studies led me to have a greater appreciation of the instrument. It also allowed me to experience playing in non-classical genres on the keyboard and gain appreciation for musical skills like the nuances of groove, arranging parts, and learning by ear. Later, this also led me to have a better appreciation of the nuances of legato and rubato within a musical phrase at the organ.

Career aspirations and goals: I would like to continue to develop as a collaborative musician. There is a lot of fascinating music out there, and some of the best involves playing with other musicians. Learning how to communicate and relate to other musicians is something I find personally satisfying, and besides, I think instrumental/timbral variety within a program generally resonates with listeners. I would also like to continue incorporating new music and improvisation into programs.

Instagram: samuelgskn391.

Josiah Hamill

Josiah Hamill is an organist, violinist, pianist, and church musician who is reputed for bringing passion, musicality, and virtuosity to every performance. Among other recent awards and recognitions, he won first place and the audience prize at the 2019 Sursa American Organ Competition. He was named one of twelve finalists in the 2020 Musikfest Internationale Orgelwoche Nürnberg, the final round of which was unfortunately canceled due to Covid-19. Additionally, he was runner-up in the American Guild of Organists Regional Competition for Young Organists and a finalist in the Poister Scholarship Competition in Organ Playing.

He is a rising third-year Doctor of Music degree student in organ performance at Indiana University, studying with Christopher Young. As the recipient of the prestigious Robert Baker Award, Josiah received his Master of Music degree from Yale School of Music, as well as the Certificate in Church Music Studies from the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, under the tutelage of Martin Jean. He received his Bachelor of Music degree with dual concentrations in organ and violin, graduating summa cum laude with distinctions from Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver, where he studied organ under Joseph Galema. He was Lamont’s Presser Scholar and is a lifelong member of Pi Kappa Lambda.

An interesting fact: In addition to my organ career, I also have an extensive string and symphonic background, which significantly influences my approach to the magnificence of the organ and its repertoire. One of my favorite engagements was performing the entire Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with the Arapahoe Philharmonic Orchestra, and I have been privileged to meet and work with such illustrious musicians as Yo-Yo Ma, Midori Goto, Vadim Gluzman, and Glenn Dicterow, among others.

Proudest achievement: While every music performance and achievement has a special place in my heart, I would have to say that my proudest achievement is the Students’ Choice for Best Colloquium Presentation, which is awarded annually by the student body of the Yale Institute of Sacred Music via ballots. This was bestowed upon fellow student Laura Worden and me for our colloquium presentation, “Religious and Musical Culture in the Manzanar Incarceration Camps.” This highlighted the impact of music and religion on the Japanese American incarceration experience at Manzanar Relocation Center during World War II. My grandfather, Bruce Kaji, was an American citizen incarcerated in Manzanar before becoming a war hero, peacemaker, and community leader while living an exemplary life. He is my hero, and this presentation and academic award seemed to be a perfect posthumous homage to him and his legacy.

Career aspirations and goals: My biggest aspiration is to have a successful and active career as a concert organist, hopefully under management. Especially given the dearth of live performances due to the pandemic, I have continued to discover that my true passion is in performance. I aspire to create memorable performances for audiences of all walks of life, whether as a solo performer, collaborative musician, or church musician. It is my hope that the temporary lull in live concerts will only strengthen audience interest and participation as life continues to return to normalcy.

Website: www.josiahhamill.com.

Thomas Heidenreich

Thomas Heidenreich is a third-year Doctor of Musical Arts degree student at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music studying with Dr. Michael Unger. He was organist for the world-premiere recording of Swedish composer Frederik Sixten’s St. John Passion, which will be released in 2022 by Ablaze Records. A Cincinnati native, Thomas began his musical studies at age five taking piano lessons at the CCM Preparatory Department.

From 2017–2018 he was the Association of Anglican Musicians (AAM) Gerre Hancock Organ Fellow at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Columbia, South Carolina. He performed at the 2019 AAM national conference in Boston. Previously, he studied with Alan Morrison at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, completing his Master of Music (2017) and Bachelor of Music (2016) degrees in organ performance. At Westminster, he was the 2016 winner of the Joan Lippincott Competition for Excellence in Organ Performance and a two-time Andrew J. Rider Scholar, an award recognizing the top students academically in each class. In Princeton, he served as organ scholar at Trinity Episcopal Church and, for three years, as co-director of music for The Episcopal Church at Princeton.

An interesting fact: I have played the organ in services at both Westminster Abbey and Saint Paul’s Cathedral in London. Also, when in tenth grade after only having studied the organ for a few years, I played the 2000 Gerald Woehl “Bach” organ at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig.

Proudest achievement: I am very proud of the role I played in developing the musical quality of, and depth of community in, the Lux Choir, which sings at the Episcopal Church at Princeton. Through a combination of supportive clergy, dedicated musicians, and God’s help, the choir is a great asset in worship and a strong personal blessing to all those involved and has continued to flourish in recent years.

Career aspirations and goals: I hope to pursue a career of service to the church through my work as an organist, accompanist, and choir director. I am particularly passionate about working with and/or developing an intergenerational music program that provides opportunities for children through adults to participate in choral singing at the highest levels. I know the power of the organ and its ability to move people to worship, and I want to share this with people in any church to which I am called to serve.

Alex Johnson

The campus tour guide didn’t even know the name of the instrument. All he said was that students could learn to play the bells. Alex Johnson was hooked immediately. He registered for the class his first year, fell in love, and registered every semester thereafter. This was at the University of Rochester, where Alex not only played heaps of carillon music, but also majored in physics, completed research in linguistics, learned to play gamelan and mbira, and also how to swing dance. With the world’s most prestigious competition in his sights, Alex then studied at Bok Tower Gardens as a Carillon Fellow. That contest, held every five years in Mechelen, Belgium, is the International Queen Fabiola Carillon Competition: in 2019, Alex won. He then spent a year studying at the Royal Carillon School “Jef Denyn” in the same city on a fellowship from the Belgian American Educational Foundation. In his travels, Alex has performed dozens of carillon recitals across the United States, Canada, and Europe. Alex is currently exploring yet another career option by substitute teaching kids of all ages, from kindergarten to calculus.

Interesting fact: Alex serves on the Franco Composition Committee of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America.

Proudest accomplishment: Alex’s proudest accomplishment is winning the Queen Fabiola Competition, in which he not only won first prize overall, but also first prize for improvisation and the prize for best performance of a contemporary Belgian work.

Career aspirations and goals: Alex is considering graduate studies in music composition, carillon positions, and returning to the content of his bachelor’s career to teach high school math or physics.

James Kealey

James Kealey is associate director of music/organist at Third Presbyterian Church in Rochester, New York. There, James oversees and coordinates children’s music ministries, assists in the running of youth music, and accompanies the Chancel Choir as well as sharing service playing duties with Peter DuBois, director of music/organist. James will begin a part-time Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the Eastman School of Music in the fall of 2021.

A recent graduate of the Eastman School of Music, James obtained the Master of Music degree from the studio of Professor David Higgs. While a student, James was also music minister at Church of the Ascension, where he oversaw the senior choir and began both a youth choir and a yearly arts festival. A native Brit, James has held positions at Chester, Blackburn, Wells, and Sheffield cathedrals before moving stateside.

James has performed most recently at Westminster Abbey, England; Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, New York City; and Hereford Cathedral. Future recitals include Cathedral of Saint Philip, Atlanta, Georgia; Church of the Covenant, Cleveland, Ohio; and the Organ Historical Society convention in 2022. James was recently placed as a semifinalist in the American Guild of Organists NYACOP Competition. He is the current sub-dean for the Rochester AGO Chapter and works with several committees within the Organ Historical Society.

An interesting fact: I would like to gain my private pilot license in the coming years, although the winters in Rochester may make that a little more tricky!

Proudest achievement: I am proudest of achieving a place to study at Eastman School of Music, which has given me many opportunities and much guidance to fulfill my desire to work as a musician in the United States.

Career aspirations and goals: I hope to have a multifaceted career. Alongside my passion for church music ministry and choral music, I hope to work as a recitalist and educator in the future.

Noah Klein

Noah Klein is finishing his fourth year at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, Bloomington, pursuing an organ performance degree under Dr. Janette Fishell. While at school, he is the musical intern for Tabernacle Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. Back home in Northfield, Minnesota, Noah plays for local churches in the area as well as for organ recital series throughout southern Minnesota. He was the winner of the Great Lakes Regional RYCO at the 2019 regional American Guild of Organists convention in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Noah also had the opportunity during the summer of 2019 to play at Trinity Church Wall Street in New York City as part of their “First Friday” series, which features undergraduate and graduate organ students from leading music conservatories across the United States and Canada. This fall he will begin his Master of Music degree at the Yale School of Music/Institute of Sacred Music.

An interesting fact: During my year abroad in South Korea after high school, I gave an impromptu organ recital in a coffee shop on a bamboo pipe organ.

Proudest achievement: The achievement I’m most proud of is winning the Great Lakes Regional RYCO because it was one of the first big competitions I’ve won, and it proved to me that all my hard work and dedication has paid off as well as encouraging me to pursue more competitions.

Career aspirations and goals: I hope to continue performing recitals and sharing my passion for the organ and its music both in the United States and abroad. Also, I hope to continue working with sacred music as an organist and music director.

Zoe (Kai Wai) Lei

An emerging Hong Kong organist, Zoe Lei is an advocate for new organ music and frequently plays twentieth- and twenty-first-century repertoires. She is currently pursuing her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in sacred music (organ) at the University of Michigan, where she studies the organ with James Kibbie, carillon with Tiffany Ng, and harpsichord and continuo with Joseph Gascho. Prior to that, she attained her master’s and bachelor’s degrees in music at the University of Toronto and Hong Kong Baptist University, respectively, and has been awarded various scholarships in Michigan, Canada, and Hong Kong.

Currently based in the United States, Zoe has performed as a recitalist in various venues and concert series in Hong Kong, Toronto, and Michigan. She has also collaborated with the Baroque Ensemble at the University of Michigan, the Contemporary Ensemble at the University of Toronto, and the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute Orchestra. She is looking forward to working with Aero Quartet and IZR Organ Trio, the latter of which was set up by Zoe along with her friends Ryan Chan and Ivan Leung. This summer, the IZR Organ Trio will give recitals in Hong Kong. In addition to organ performances, Zoe now gives carillon recitals every other Thursday at the Burton Memorial Tower in Ann Arbor.

An interesting fact: When I am not practicing the organ, carillon, or harpsichord, I enjoy hanging out with friends, traveling, and doing calligraphy.

Proudest achievement: I gave my organ debut in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre’s Concert Hall in 2017, which has one of the largest pipe organs in Asia. After that, I received an interview invitation from Radio Television in Hong Kong. I always feel humbled and honored by this fantastic opportunity that was provided by my organ teacher, Miss Kin Yu Wong.

Career aspirations and goals: I will work harder in the coming years, and I am passionate about contributing more to the organ, carillon, and sacred music fields. I am currently preparing for different organ competitions, and organ and carillon recitals in the summer while doing a carillon arrangement of BWV 543i. My goal is to travel to different places to give organ and carillon concerts, especially more places in Asia, in order to promote these instruments to Asian audiences in a creative and culturally diverse way. I also hope to build a carillon in Hong Kong and introduce the carillon repertoire to Hongkongers.

Website: www.zoelei.com.

Jackson Merrill

Jackson Merrill is a graduate student of James Kibbie in organ performance at the University of Michigan. At Michigan, he was awarded the Marilyn Mason Scholarship, the Patricia Barret Ludlow Memorial Scholarship in Organ, and the Chris Schroeder Graduate Fellowship. Merrill presently works with Huw Lewis at Saint John’s Church, Detroit. Merrill came to Michigan from Hartford, Connecticut, where he was organist and director of music ministries at Trinity Church. In addition to this work, he was the choral director of Trinity Academy in Hartford and sang in various choirs at Yale University. Merrill holds the Bachelor of Music degree from Jacksonville University where he was awarded such honors as the Harvey Scholl Prize in Piano and the Excellence in Performance Award. He was also the 2016 College of Fine Arts Student of the Year. While in northeast Florida, Merrill performed occasionally with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra.

An interesting fact: I am originally from northeast Florida. The city of Saint Augustine is in northeast Florida, and there are wonderful organs in historic churches there along with many important monuments. The first pipe organ I ever played was the incredible Casavant organ at the Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Augustine, built in 2003. Saint Augustine is the oldest continuously inhabited European-established settlement in the contiguous United States.

Proudest achievement: I am most proud of my work for three years with the outstanding young musicians of The Choir School of Hartford at Trinity Church, Hartford, Connecticut.

Career aspirations and goals: My goal is to use my time studying with James Kibbie to become a more comprehensive organist and performer. After graduate school, I hope to continue with my work in music ministry. I have developed a specialization for urban music ministry, and I particularly love working with young singers.

YouTube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCCC2-sMGEWCq65asbD8mZCw/videos.

John J. Mitchell

John Joseph “JJ” Mitchell has a passion for organ and sacred music pedagogy. He is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in organ performance from the University of Houston (UH) on a graduate tuition fellowship. He is the organist of Christ the Servant Lutheran Church in Houston, Texas, serves as an organist of Saint Philip Presbyterian Church, also in Houston, and is a graduate teaching assistant in the music history department at UH. He holds degrees from Westminster Choir College and the University of Notre Dame; he also studied at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Toulouse, France. JJ has served as organist on the music staff of churches such as Christ Church Cathedral, Houston, Texas; Cathedral of Saint Thomas More, Arlington, Virginia; and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, South Bend, Indiana. He has performed in these churches as well as at Boston Symphony Hall, the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, and various other venues in the United States, Canada, France, and England. He is the winner of the Nanovic Grant for European Study for Professional Development and was a finalist for the Frank Huntington Beebe Grant. He has been featured on the Sounds from the Spires SiriusXM Radio program and has contributed to Vox Humana organ journal.

An interesting fact: I drive a manual transmission car as an enthusiast of Formula 1.

Proudest achievement: I have achieved some wonderful things in my life thus far, but overcoming performance anxiety and finding consistent calmness in my playing has been undoubtedly my best achievement.

Career goals and aspirations: My ideal career is to be a director of music at a cathedral where I will teach sacred music to the next generation. I also am considering work in academic positions as well.

Curtis Pavey

Curtis Pavey, originally from Highlands Ranch, Colorado, enjoys a diverse musical career as a harpsichordist, pianist, and educator. As a harpsichordist, he has performed in prestigious settings including the Oregon Bach Festival as a participant of the Berwick Academy. Peter Jacobi of the Herald Times praised Curtis as “an artist of considerable finish and even more promise” after his solo recital debut at the Bloomington Early Music Festival. His recent submission to the Jurow International Harpsichord Competition advanced him to the semifinals for the upcoming 2021 competition. Besides his performing activities, Curtis is passionate about pedagogy and has presented lectures on Baroque music and ornamentation at national conferences. In addition, he maintains a private music studio at Willis Music Kenwood in Cincinnati, Ohio. Currently completing doctoral studies at the University of Cincinnati, Curtis studies harpsichord with Dr. Michael Unger and piano with Professor James Tocco while maintaining a graduate assistantship in the secondary piano department. Curtis graduated from the master’s degree program at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music where majored in early music, harpsichord and piano performance. He worked with Professors Elisabeth Wright, Edward Auer, and Evelyne Brancart.

An interesting fact: I enjoy cooking and baking when I am not practicing, teaching, or studying.

Proudest achievement: I am almost done with my doctorate—I will be proudest of achieving this once it is finally complete!

Career aspirations and goals: My dream career allows me to balance my passion for teaching and performing at both the harpsichord and the piano. I hope to attain a professorship where I can teach applied lessons and courses in harpsichord, performance practice, and piano. In the future, I would like to establish my own early music ensemble. Ultimately, I hope to make a difference in my community and beyond through my teaching and performing activities.

Website: www.curtispavey.com.

Solena Rizzato

A native of Chicago, Illinois, Solena Rizzato is a shop technician at the Red River Pipe Organ Company in Norman, Oklahoma, interim organist at Wesley United Methodist Church of Oklahoma City, and a non-degree-seeking graduate student at Oklahoma City University, where they study with Dr. Melissa Plamann. Prior to their studies at OCU, Solena graduated in May of 2020 from the University of Oklahoma where they earned dual Bachelor’s degrees in organ performance and viola performance, as well as the organ technology emphasis and a history minor. In the summer of 2019, Solena pursued an internship with Messrs. Czelusniak et Dugal, Inc., of Northampton, Massachusetts, working on the restoration and maintenance of pipe organs in the New England area. As an organist, Solena began their formal studies at the age of eighteen with Dr. Adam Pajan at the University of Oklahoma, having come to the instrument with over thirteen years of experience as a violist. Because of this, Solena enjoys transcribing orchestral works for the organ. Their recent transcriptions include movements of Dvorák’s 8th Symphony, Tchaikovsky’s 6th Symphony, Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite (1919), and Gershwin’s An American in Paris. Solena’s next move will take them out of Oklahoma, where they will begin pursuing their Master of Music degree in organ performance. Solena continues to remain active as a professional violist as well, and enjoys cooking, weightlifting, and long-distance running.

An interesting fact: Prior to my studies in music, I spent several years in the culinary industry, training to be a professional chef.

Proudest achievement: This year, I successfully went through the process of applying for Master of Music degree programs in organ performance. Due to my late start as a keyboardist, this felt like a far-away dream. I am definitely most proud to represent Oklahoma City and am so thankful to all of my friends and mentors that supported me through this process.

Career aspirations and goals: Beginning at the end of last year, I had the opportunity to serve in more of a leadership role at Red River Pipe Organ Co. This experience, combined with my own experience as an adult learner of a new instrument, confirmed that I definitely want to be in a teaching role in some capacity! If I can help even one person along in their own journey, I will have considered that the highest level of success possible.

Jennifer Shin

Jennifer Shin is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the Eastman School of Music in the studio of David Higgs, after having completed her Master of Music degree at Eastman in 2020. She received her Bachelor of Music degree magna cum laude at the University of Michigan, where she studied with Kola Owolabi and James Kibbie. During her time in Michigan, she held the position of organ scholar at Christ Church Cranbrook in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and participated in the University of Michigan’s University Choir and Early Music Choir both as accompanist and singer.

Most recently, she was chosen as a semi-finalist in the 2020 National Young Artists Competition in Organ Performance hosted by the American Guild of Organists. Other competition awards include first place in the AGO/Quimby Regional Competition for Young Organists for the Seattle chapter (2015) and the San Diego chapter (2013), second place in the Regional AGO/Quimby RCYO (Region IX) in 2013, and first place in the national Rodgers Organ Competition in 2012. In 2016, she was awarded an E. Power Biggs Fellowship to attend the Organ Historical Society convention in Philadelphia. She has participated in masterclasses and coachings with Alan Morrison, James David Christie, Diane Belcher, Ann Elise Smoot, Daniel Roth, and Vincent Dubois, among others.

An interesting fact: I enjoy cooking and making desserts.

Proudest achievement: Something I am proudest of achieving this past year is starting a small studio of private piano students! Hopefully this will grow and expand into organ students soon.

Career aspirations and goals: In addition to concertizing as a solo organist, I would like to continue making music in collaboration with other musicians such as accompanying a choir or playing with other instrumentalists/singers, whether it is in a liturgical or a concert setting. I also would like to continue expanding teaching experiences to include a wider level of students from beginners to collegiate level, while, of course, playing for and directing a church music program.

Augustine Kweku Sobeng

Augustine Sobeng is a native of Shama in the Western Region of Ghana and is currently a master’s degree student in organ performance at Setnor School of Music, Syracuse University, studying with Annie Laver and Alexander Meszler. He studied medical laboratory technology as an undergraduate at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, Ghana. Influenced by family background and musical exposure, his expressive tendencies found outlet especially in organ and choral music. He served as a conductor of the school choir in Prempeh College and organist/choirmaster for the University Choir-KNUST.

Throughout and after his undergraduate study, he worked and trained with the Harmonious Chorale-Ghana, where he was a part of several large concerts every year for seven years, serving as principal organist. Although he did not receive any formal musical education, he put himself through music theory and practical exams with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM), earning a diploma certificate in the 2018 organ practical exam. That same year he was awarded the best keyboardist in Ghana, and the following year, received admission with a Visual and Performing Arts Fellow Scholarship to study for his Master of Music. He was a participant in the masterclass of Christa Rakich during the 2019 conference of the Organ Historical Society at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.

An interesting fact: I have a twin brother who looks nothing like me.

Proudest achievement: Two of my proudest moments were when I won the VPA fellow scholarship for the masters’ program at Syracuse University, and when I won the best keyboardist of Ghana award in 2018.

Career aspirations and goals: Aside from becoming an astute organist of international repute, it is my goal to help raise the standard of organ playing in Ghana. In line with my ambition to institutionalize a good standard of organ music and organ playing, I aspire to establish organ faculties in the music schools of some of the country’s universities. The goal is to carve out a path toward professionalism for young organ enthusiasts in Ghana.

Facebook official page: Stine_Sobeng.

Raphael Attila Vogl

German organist Raphael Attila Vogl has taken part in various competitions, winning second prize at the “Jugend musiziert,” and in 2015 was awarded the Promotion Prize 2014 as the youngest prize winner of the Kulturkreis Freyung-Grafenau. He has also received prizes in the International Mendelssohn Organ Competition in Switzerland, the International Tariverdiev Competition in Russia, and at the Boulder Bach Festival’s World Bach Competition. Raphael studied at the Hochschule für Katholische Kirchenmusik und Musikpädagogik in Regensburg, Germany, including organ and church music with Stefan Baier and Markus Rupprecht. While studying at Hochschule, Raphael spent one year at the Franz-Liszt Academy in Budapest, Hungary, where he studied with Laszlo Fassang, and graduated from the Hochschule in 2018. Raphael made his debut at Alice Tully Hall when he performed the New York premiere of Sophia Gubaidulina’s The Rider on the White Horse at the Focus Festival at Lincoln Center in January 2020. Raphael Attila Vogl graduated from The Juilliard School of New York City in May 2020, where he studied for his master’s degree in organ performance with Paul Jacobs.

An interesting fact: I am half Hungarian and half German. I am proud to have access to both cultures, and I enjoy their differences such as in history, food, music, architecture, mentality, and traditions.

Proudest achievement: Playing recitals on the biggest cathedral organ in the world in Passau, Germany, with more than 1,300 people in the audience. That is an amazing feeling to bring joy and music into that magnificent Baroque space with that incredible and unique instrument.

Career aspirations and goals: My goal would be to become a successful concert organist performing my own transcriptions for the organ. Besides the wonderful existing literature for the organ, there are gorgeous pieces for orchestra or piano that can bring a symphonic organ much closer to the audience by a spectacular and exciting performance. I am also interested in teaching students and sharing my knowledge about the organ.

Website: raphael-vogl.de.

Destin Wernicke

Destin Wernicke grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where he started playing piano and drums at an early age. He continued studying both instruments through high school and then decided to pursue music at the University of North Texas. During his jazz percussion bachelor’s degree, Destin was the drummer for the Grammy-nominated One O’Clock Lab Band and had the opportunity to work with accomplished artists such as Maria Schneider, Gary Smulyan, and Regina Carter. He also played with One O’Clock at the 2020 Jack Rudin Jazz Championship and recorded the recently released album Lab 2020. Destin is now continuing his studies at UNT by working on a graduate Artist Certificate in organ performance, studying with Dr. Jesse Eschbach.

Destin has served as the organist for Saint Barnabas Episcopal Church in Denton for the past two years, leading congregational singing along with a small but dedicated choir. In March 2020, he won first prize in the undergraduate division of the William C. Hall Pipe Organ Competition in San Antonio, earning a cash prize and the opportunity to play a recital at Saint Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church.

An interesting fact: I am also a photographer! In 2016, the Natural History Museum in London displayed a photo I took of a Galapagos sea lion in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year gallery, and I earned an honorable mention in the competition.

Proudest achievement: My proudest achievement so far is playing my first organ recital at UNT while an undergraduate jazz percussion major. I played a varied program of works by Clérambault, Bach, and Jean Guillou.

Career aspirations and goals: Over the past year, I have been preparing a program including Jeanne Demessieux’s Six Etudes, which I will perform at the Marcel Dupré conference held in North Texas this October. Following the conference, I plan to take this program to audiences across the country, playing concerts in Texas, the Midwest, and New York. Long-term, I am hoping to continue working as a church organist and keep learning challenging, seldom-played repertoire that I can perform and compete with at a high level.

Collin Whitfield

Hailed by Mason Bates as “a fine citizen musician,” Collin Whitfield is an award-winning composer, pianist, and organist based in Michigan. He has been the recipient of the James Highsmith Award for new orchestral music, first prize in the American Choral Directors Association Choral Composition Competition through Central Michigan University, and first prize in the Biennial Art Song Composition Competition at the San Francisco Conservatory. His music has been praised by librettist Nicholas Giardini as “beautiful, rapturous, and unabashedly romantic, without any of the failings that so often accompany these qualities.”

Collin Whitfield is an active recitalist and frequently collaborates with his wife, soprano Erin Whitfield. He was awarded the 2017–2018 Tacoma American Guild of Organists Scholarship and the 2020 Kent S. Dennis Memorial Scholarship. Since 2018, Collin has served as director of music ministries at First Presbyterian Church of Saginaw, Michigan, where he directs the chancel choir, guides the concert series, and accompanies the congregation on their 70-rank Casavant Frères, Limitée, Opus 3660 organ. Collin Whitfield holds a Master of Music degree in organ performance from Central Michigan University and a Bachelor of Music degree in composition from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. His primary teachers have included Mason Bates, David Conte, Steven Egler, and Paul Tegels.

An interesting fact: I like to go on long hikes and long drives, especially exploring beautiful sites in Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula.

Proudest achievement: Winning the James Highsmith Competition at San Francisco Conservatory of Music and the unique opportunity to hear an orchestra perform my music.

Career aspirations and goals: I plan to pursue a doctorate in music and hope to teach collegiately in the future. I also want to continue my church music work, remain active as a recitalist, and expand my presence as a composer.

Website: collinwhitfield.com.

John Allen Ditto

John Allen Ditto died March 9. He was born February 12, 1945, in Kansas City, Missouri. At the age three he showed great interest in the piano and was taught by Pauline Chaney and Lucille Hoover of Plattsburg. Beginning at age nine and continuing through high school years, he studied piano at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music, with organ lessons beginning in 1961.

After graduating from Plattsburg High School in 1963, Ditto went on to earn a Bachelor of Music degree in organ and church music from Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa. In 1969 he earned his Master of Music degree in organ and sacred music from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. From 1969 until 1972 he was director of music for First Presbyterian Church, Evansville, Indiana. In 1972 he began his Doctoral of Musical Arts degree studies at Eastman School of Music, Rochester, New York. 

After completing his doctorate, he returned to Missouri as assistant professor of organ, piano, and music history at Central Methodist University, Fayette, and organist at Linn Memorial United Methodist Church on campus from 1975 to 1982. He then began teaching at the University of Missouri Kansas City Conservatory of Music, a position he held until his retirement in 2015. During this time Ditto served as organist/music director at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Kansas City. He was a member of St. Paul’s Church and continued to be involved after his retirement.

Throughout his career Ditto played numerous recitals throughout the country and was an artist with Phyllis Stringham Concert Management. He was an active member of the Kansas City chapter of the American Guild of Organists, attending and performing at conventions and pedagogy conferences. During summer months, Ditto spent time on Lopez Island, Washington, where he was organist at Grace Episcopal Church. 

Upon retirement Ditto volunteered at the Kansas City Free Health Clinic and St. Luke’s Hospital. He also served as chairman of the program committee on the UMKC Retirees Association Board. He was a lector and chalice bearer at Bishop Spencer Place, where he resided the final year of his life.

John Allen Ditto is survived by his sister Mary Alice (Larry) Roberts, nephew Zach (Ashley) Nelson, and his great-nieces, Lilly and Sylvie Nelson, all of Plattsburg, Missouri. Services were held April 16 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Kansas City. Former students Shelly Moorman-Stahlman and Robert L. Bozeman played prelude and postlude, all pieces learned as students with Ditto. St. Paul’s Choir sang movements from Durufle’s Requiem at the Holy Eucharist service. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church for the music program (stpaulskcmo.org), to the American Guild of Organists, New Organist Scholarship Fund in memory of John Ditto (agohq.org), or to John A. Ditto Memorial Music Scholarship, P. O. Box 136, Plattsburg, Missouri 64477.

—Robert L. Bozeman and Shelly Moorman-Stahlman

Paul S. Hesselink

Paul S. Hesselink, 82, died May 1. Born June 6, 1940, in Mitchell, South Dakota, he had been a resident of Las Vegas, Nevada, since 1993. He had previously lived in Iowa, Nebraska, Washington, Michigan, Ohio, Colorado, and Virginia.

Hesselink was a graduate of Lynden (Washington) High School and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in music in 1962 from Hope College, Holland, Michigan, where he majored in organ. He studied musicology at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, under a Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship; earned a Master of Arts degree in organ pedagogy from Ohio State University, Columbus; and received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in organ performance from University of Colorado, Boulder. His organ teachers included Roger J. Rietberg, Wilbur C. Held, Arthur Poister, Everett J. Hilty, and Don A. Vollstedt. He studied harpsichord in Paris, France, with Davitt Moroney.

In 1966 Hesselink joined the faculty at Longwood College (now University), Farmville, Virginia, where for twenty-six years he taught organ, harpsichord, music theory, music form and analysis, church music, handbells, and music appreciation. He was named a recipient of the college’s Maria Bristow Starke Award for Excellence in Teaching, and he chaired the Longwood department of music for three years. During the 1978–1979 academic year he was a guest faculty member at the University of Colorado in the department of organ and church music. Upon early retirement from Longwood, he was named Professor Emeritus. He relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada, to become dean and chief executive officer at Nevada School of the Arts, a private, non-profit community arts school, holding that position for twelve years. He also taught organ as adjunct faculty at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, beginning in 1993.

As a church musician, Hesselink served as the director of music (organ, choir, and handbells) at Farmville Presbyterian Church, Virginia, for twelve years and as organist at Christ Church Episcopal in Las Vegas for six years. He was an active member of the Southern Nevada Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, and he served as program chair of the AGO Region IX Midwinter Conclave, hosted by the Southern Nevada Chapter in January 2006. From 2005 to 2019 he managed the chapter’s organ recital series bringing nationally and internationally known organists to perform in Las Vegas. Upon his retirement from that responsibility, the chapter honored him by naming the recital series the Paul S. Hesselink Organ Recital Series. Hesselink also held memberships in the Organ Historical Society, the College Music Society, the American Musicological Society, and the Southeastern Historical Keyboard Society.

Active during his entire professional life as an organ and harpsichord recitalist, lecturer, and workshop leader, he also performed as a duo-piano team member with Longwood colleague Frieda Myers. He was harpsichordist-in-residence with the Roxbury Chamber Players of New York for “Music in Historic Places” during the summers of 1984 and 1985. In 1996 he was harpsichord soloist for the world premiere performance of the Nevett Bartow Concerto for Harpsichord with the Nevada Chamber Orchestra; he later recorded the work with the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra in Bratislava for the MMC Recordings label. Hesselink was the recipient of two National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminar awards—at Yale University and later at the Arnold Schoenberg Institute at the University of Southern California. The seminars resulted in a ten-year research project regarding the commissioning, composition, and publication of Schoenberg’s only work for organ, Variations on a Recitative, opus 40. At the end of the second summer seminar, he was invited to publish his research in the Journal of the Arnold Schoenberg Institute. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the composition of the Schoenberg organ work, his article, “Variations on a Recitative for Organ, Op. 40: Correspondence from the Schoenberg Legacy,” was republished in The American Organist (October and December 1991).

Hesselink was a force in the acquisition of the Maurine Jackson Smith Memorial Organ installed in 2004 in Dr. Rando-Grillot Recital Hall, Beam Music Center, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. This instrument, which was designed, fabricated, and installed by Rudolf von Beckerath Orgelbau, Hamburg, Germany, is the largest mechanical-action organ in Nevada. In 2013 he published “As I Recall: A History of the Maurine Jackson Smith Organ at UNLV.”

Paul S. Hesselink is survived by a brother, Philip Hesselink of Omaha, Nebraska; two sisters, Elaine Helmus of Jefferson, Iowa, and Ardys Hansum of Omaha. Also surviving is his former student, longtime friend, and partner of more than fifty years, Linda Parker. His ashes were interred in the family plot in the Gibbsville, Wisconsin, cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Guild of Organists, the Southern Nevada Chapter of the AGO, or the Organ Historical Society.

Roger Allen Banks died June 5 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He was born October 12, 1940, in Lawrence, Kansas, and grew up in the funeral business in Wichita, Kansas, though developing an interest in music early in life. His first experience maintaining organs was with the theater pipe organ in his uncle’s basement. He attended the University of Kansas, majoring in electrical engineering, but moved with his parents to Oklahoma City in 1960 and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music degree in 1965 from Oklahoma City University. Because of his uncle’s affiliation with the Reuter Organ Company in Lawrence, he had the opportunity to work on pipe organ projects while in school. He then went to work full-time for Reuter upon graduation where he was responsible for new installations around the country, in addition to tuning and maintenance. He met his wife Betsy while installing a large instrument at Old South Church in Boston, Massachusetts, and told her if he married an organist, he would build her a pipe organ. He built her a home practice organ that, each time they moved, dictated where they could live. His last project was to convert the practice organ to a digital instrument for their new, smaller home.

The Bankses moved to Oklahoma City in 1970 where he eventually became manager with Oklahoma Wilbert Vaults and was active in the Oklahoma Funeral Directors Association. He established his own organ maintenance business in the early 1980s, also serving as sales representative for the Reuter Organ Company. He was a long-time member and former vestry member at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Edmond.

Roger Allen Banks is survived by his wife of 49 years, Betsy; his daughter, Jennifer McGrew of Edmond and her husband, Shane; son, Chris of Edmond; two grandchildren, one sister, and one brother. A memorial service was held June 18 at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Oklahoma City. A scholarship has been established in his name at the University of Oklahoma to benefit organbuilding and technology students. Memorials should be addressed to: OU Foundation, Banks Fund #33905, c/o The American Organ Institute, 2101 W. Tecumseh Rd., Suite C, Norman, OK 73069.

 

Jane Manton Marshall, 94, composer of sacred music, author, choral conductor, clinician, and educator, died May 29 in Dallas, Texas. Jane Manton was born December 5, 1924, in Dallas. Her earliest musical studies were with piano teacher Hazel Cobb.

Marshall had a long association with Southern Methodist University, Dallas, earning both Bachelor of Music (1945) and Master of Music (1968) degrees there. She studied organ with Dora Poteet Barclay and was a member of Sigma Kappa, Alpha Lambda Delta, and Mortar Board. A year after completing her undergraduate degree, she married high school classmate Elbert Hall Marshall, a mechanical engineer and also an SMU graduate.

At various times she taught in the SMU English department, in the Music department at Meadows School of the Arts, and at Perkins School of Theology. From 1975 to 2010 she led the Church Music Summer School at Perkins. In 1965 she received the Woman of Achievement Award from SMU, and she was named a Distinguished Alumna in 1992. In addition, she received the Roger Deschner Award from the Fellowship of United Methodist Musicians (1997) and was honored twice by the Southern Baptist Musicians Conference for her contributions to church music.

As a composer, she is perhaps best remembered for her anthem “My Eternal King,” her first published work, cited by publisher Carl Fischer as one of its 15 or so best-selling anthems of all time, and considered a favorite of many church musicians. Other notable compositions include “He Comes to Us,” a setting of the closing words of Albert Schweitzer’s “The Quest for the Historical Jesus;” “Awake, My Heart,” winner of the Best New Anthem prize of the American Guild of Organists in 1957; “Fanfare for Easter,” “Sing Alleluia Forth,” and many others. Her catalog extended to over 200 published anthems for adult and children’s choirs and three collections of children’s choir music.

Later in her career she focused her attention on the writing of hymn tunes and texts, as in “What Gift Can We Bring,” for which she wrote both words and music. Her work is represented in the hymnals of every major Protestant denomination, and she was a frequent contributor to church music journals. Other writings include Grace, Noted, a book of sermons and essays on music making.

Jane Manton Marshall is survived her husband Elbert Marshall; children Shoshana Lash of Ansonia, Connecticut, David Marshall of Lewisville, Texas, and Peter Marshall of Atlanta, Georgia. A memorial service is planned for a later date. Memorial gifts may be made to Perkins School of Theology at SMU and to Northaven United Methodist Church, Dallas.

 

Nancianne B. Parrella, 83, died June 2 in Cincinnati, Ohio. She was born November 14, 1935, in Trenton, New Jersey, and earned degrees in music from Trenton State College, now known as the College of New Jersey. She began teaching music in the Princeton, New Jersey, public schools in 1957. Her church music career began at First Presbyterian Church and Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Trenton. She continued advanced organ studies with Vernon deTar in New York City in the 1960s.

As an organist, Parrella presented solo recitals and concerto performances with orchestras; she was best known as a collaborative artist, particularly as a choral accompanist. In Princeton, she was co-director with William Trego of the Princeton High School Choir, and she joined the faculty of Westminster Choir College of Rider University, where she was accompanist and assistant director of the Westminster Choir and Symphonic Choir directed by the late Joseph Flummerfelt, with which she toured and recorded in Europe, America, Taiwan, and Korea.

Parrella taught in summer programs at Westminster, performing with major choral conductors; and she assisted at the Spoleto Festivals in Italy and in Charleston, South Carolina, where she was the founding director of the chamber music series “Intermezzo.” She worked with Maurice Duruflé on the first performances of his Requiem in the United States.

Parrella was long associated with Robert Shaw, with whom she worked in summer choral workshops and later in France with his Festival Singers, and toured and recorded in America, France, and Brazil. She also collaborated with other conductors of the era—Kurt Masur, Charles Dutoit, and Lorin Maazel with the New York Philharmonic; Wolfgang Sawallisch of the Philadelphia Orchestra; Zdenek Macal and Neeme Järvi of the New Jersey Symphony; and James Bagwell and Louis Langrée in New York’s Mostly Mozart Festival.

As a church musician, she worked with Kent Tritle and later Scott Warren at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola, New York City, and its concert series Sacred Music in a Sacred Space, where she served for over 20 years. Also in New York, from 1978–1992 she worked with Frederick Grimes in the Bach Vespers program at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church and was a frequent accompanist for other conductors, including Dennis Keene and Voices of Ascension. For 14 years she worked with Greg Funfgeld and the Bethlehem Bach Choir in its historic festivals in Pennsylvania, and she also served at Trinity Episcopal Church, Princeton, with John Bertalot.

After moving with her husband Joachim E. Parrella to Cincinnati, she commuted to New York City to continue to play at St. Ignatius Loyola and to work with Andrew Henderson at Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church. She was also active in music programs in Cincinnati: Christ Church Cathedral with Stephan Casurella, Knox Presbyterian, Covenant First Presbyterian, Collegium Cincinnati, Summer Sing, Indian Hill Episcopal Presbyterian Church, and for community events at Deupree House.

Nancianne B. Parrella was preceeded in death by her husband Joachim E. Parrella in 2013. She is survived by her two daughters: Amy Noznesky, her husband David, and their daughter Megan Strauss, of Hobe Sound, Florida; and Lisa O’Connell, her husband Terry, and their daughters Catherine Rose and Madeline Kellett, of Loveland, Ohio. A funeral service was held June 11 at Christ Church Cathedral, Cincinnati, and a memorial service will be held September 21, at St. Ignatius Loyola, New York City.