Wilma Jensen birthday

Andrew Peters studied with Wilma Jensen while serving a church outside of Nashville, Tennessee. He holds degrees from St. Olaf College and the Cleveland Institute of Music and is Pastoral Musician at Second Presbyterian Church in St. Louis. He plays recitals and released a recording in 2008 on the Schoenstein organ in Franklin, Tennessee. For more information, go to www.andrewjpeters.com.

Wilma Jensen is heralded as an outstanding recitalist, church musician, and teacher. Her extensive concert career has taken her throughout the United States. She has played on countless well-known instruments, including those at First Congregational Church in Los Angeles, the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., Riverside Church in New York City, St. Paul’s Cathedral in St. Paul, St. Philip’s Cathedral in Atlanta, and the West Point United States Military Academy. Having played for several regional conventions and three national conventions of the American Guild of Organists, she is in demand as a recitalist, lecturer, and clinician for choral workshops, church music workshops, and organ masterclasses. Numerous European tours have taken her to Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, France, Poland, the Netherlands, and England. In addition, she has made a recording for West German Broadcasting, Sender Freis Berlin.

Dr. Jensen earned her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, where she was a student of Catharine Crozier and Harold Gleason. During that time she received the Performer’s Certificate in organ. She received an honorary doctorate from Piedmont College in May 2004. Recognized as a successful teacher, Wilma Jensen has served on the faculties of Oklahoma City University, the Blair School of Music of Vanderbilt University, Scarritt Graduate School, and Indiana University, where she was a tenured professor.

In addition to two professional solo recordings—Mors et Resurrectio (Arkay label) and Sketches and Improvisations (Pro Organo label)—Wilma Jensen also made two recordings conducting the St. George’s Choir on the Pro Organo label. She has given numerous masterclasses around the country at sites including the Juilliard School, Curtis Institute of Music, Westminster Choir College, Eastman School of Music, and many others. She has a full upcoming schedule of recitals and masterclasses and will present a pre-convention recital for the 2012 AGO National Convention in Nashville. Additionally, she will teach two workshop masterclasses. For more information, go to www.wilmajensen.com.

Andrew Peters: You’ve had a lengthy career in the organ world. What first interested you in the organ?

Wilma Jensen: My father was a Methodist minister in south central Illinois. By the age of ten, I wanted very much to try the organ, having started piano lessons at age five. Of course I was in church every Sunday and could play many hymns on the piano at a very young age, as well as do some playing “by ear.”

AP: You’ve had experiences in three aspects of the organ world: church music, teaching, and performance.  Can you talk a bit about your experience with service music and hymn playing?

WJ: When I was twelve, I had a regular job on a two-manual pipe organ in my father’s church, since there seemed to be no one else to play. I have no memory of what I might have used for voluntaries. They were probably poor, but I did enjoy working out the hymns with pedal, although at this point I was self-taught. I was extremely proud of my salary of $1 per week! A well-known organist, Dr. Frank Collins, gave a recital in my hometown, and my parents asked him to hear me play. He suggested I should study with a good teacher and recommended Ruth Melville Bellatti at MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Illinois. She was a graduate of the Eastman School of Music, having studied with Harold Gleason, and was a classmate of Catharine Crozier. She insisted I play every note of the first edition of the Gleason Method. Also, she was instrumental in my attending Eastman for undergraduate and graduate study.

AP: You had a long tenure at St. George’s Episcopal Church in Nashville. Did you have a choral background before serving there? 

WJ: Unfortunately, no. I conducted only one other church choir for a short time before coming to St. George’s. I realized I was in no way ready for the position, so I sought out excellent teachers to help me with conducting, diction, and repertoire. (This happened over a number of years.) Lois Fyfe and her staff at Lois Fyfe Music in Nashville provided invaluable assistance for the selection of choral music. An associate priest at St. George’s spent hours helping me each week in the study of the church year and planning appropriate music for the specific Sunday lessons from the Lectionary. Also, I listened to and studied numerous recordings of choirs from all over Europe and the U.S.

AP: Did studying choral skills in your mid-life give you a unique perspective on choral music and the voice?

WJ: Yes, it certainly did. Conducting makes one so conscious of the “time and dynamics between the beats,” the shaping of the musical line, and the timing of consonants for perfecting ensemble. Unifying proper vowels contributed more to the beauty of the sound than I ever previously could have imagined.  

During my tenure at St. George’s, the choir made two recordings and was chosen from an audition tape to sing for the national convention of the American Choral Directors Association in 1989. By that time, I had been choirmaster/organist for seven years and had been studying and growing as a musician. That summer, the choir made an extended tour of Europe, singing in England, Austria, and France. Our tour concluded at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, where we sang a pre-service a cappella program prior to singing the Vierne Messe Solennelle at Sunday morning Mass. (I also played the afternoon organ recital.)

AP: You’ve played recitals on organs of various historic periods throughout the United States and Europe. Out of the hundreds of recitals you’ve played, do any stand out in your mind? 

WJ: I am very grateful for the experience of playing so many diverse instruments, both electro-pneumatic and tracker. Some have been in large cathedrals with much reverberation and some have been small historic instruments. I appreciated being able to play the first Cavaillé-Coll of 1850 in Paris at the Cathedral of St. Denis, as well as later instruments of the same builder. At St. Denis, because the pedal pipes are so far from the console and there is no Barker lever for the pedal, I had to stand on final long notes with all the weight I could manage in order for all the pipes to sound! I enjoyed playing an Åkerman instrument in Uppsala, Sweden (Åkerman was a pupil of Cavaillé-Coll), a Schnitger organ in Germany, St. Paul’s in London, and many small tracker instruments in the Netherlands. I must admit I love a reverberant cathedral sound. This wide variety of experiences helps in my understanding of the overall repertoire and my ability to communicate appropriate registration to students. I do enjoy spending time planning the registration.

AP: You’re continuing to learn new repertoire. Do you have a particular style, period, or composer in which you specialize? 

WJ: I especially enjoy learning, performing, and registering the Romantic and contemporary literature. Additionally, I keep exploring repertoire for voluntaries for services, both for myself and students, and occasionally substitute for services at St. George’s and other churches. I have been given some out-of-print repertoire, which I later performed and recorded. As a result, several of these compositions now appear as archival editions. I am so looking forward to playing soon the newly renovated 1932 Aeolian organ at Duke Chapel. I have just learned all three of Eric Delamarter’s Nocturnes and will use the Chimes, Harp, Celesta and many solo stops as indicated in the score.

AP: You have current and former students across the country. Are there students with whom you are still in touch?

WJ: There are too many to name! Some are high-profile professionals. I am equally proud of many other students who are making invaluable contributions in their current positions. I stay in touch with many former students and enjoy hearing about their teaching, church positions, and performing. You might say talking on my cell phone to former students is my hobby!

AP: Do you still teach a monthly masterclass in Nashville? 

WJ: Yes, I did teach a monthly masterclass for many years for anyone who wanted to attend. This season, however, I am so busy with recitals, classes, and other commitments that, at least for the moment, I am taking a break.

AP: You recently released an extensive teaching video and booklet, “Organizing Notes in Space.” Why did you start this project?

WJ: This project was important to me to help communicate some of my teaching concepts as part of my legacy. After considerable study of the physical aspects of keyboard technique, I have developed an approach to help students overcome problems and develop a facile technique. And, of course, one arrives at a satisfactory musical result only through a controlled technique. As a result, I wanted to demonstrate these ideas by teaching former students in a video.

 AP: Is it true that you once played in a masterclass for Bonnet?

WJ: Yes, I played in a masterclass for Joseph Bonnet when I was twelve. I thought it was a recital, not a class. Since I was the first to play, I was humiliated that he stopped me for his suggestions.  At the conclusion of my playing, I went to a corner in the back of the room and shed many tears.

AP: Besides being a past dean of the Nashville AGO chapter, have you served in other AGO positions?

WJ: In addition to being Dean-elect and Dean for the two-year period, I have served on many program, executive and education committees through the years. Also, I have judged competitions, taught at Pipe Organ Encounters—both beginner and advanced—and taught masterclasses throughout the U.S. I am on the workshop committee for the Nashville 2012 AGO national convention. 

AP: What are your thoughts on the need for piano study before studying organ?

WJ: I think piano study is essential at a young age for developing a natural, flexible, facile technique. In mid-life, I had developed some wrist tension, too heavy thumbs, and resulting weak fourth and fifth fingers. I sought the coaching of Ernestine Scott, an incredible piano teacher in Oklahoma City. This study and extensive readings she recommended have changed my approach to technique and resulting musicianship. My new teaching video is dedicated to her. Sometimes when we are young we have a natural, facile technique that may change with lack of continued piano practice. Finding those skills again is a truly valuable gift at any age.

AP: Would you like to tell us a bit about your family? 

WJ: I have two children, seven grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. I frequently visit my daughter and her family near Chicago. The oldest two of three girls attend Indiana University School of Business, and I was able to visit them in Bloomington while attending conferences last year. My son lives in Orlando. His three girls and one boy are rather scattered geographically, but we all manage to meet in Orlando. 

My daughter played the piano well and was fortunate to study with my teacher, Ernestine Scott. When she was in junior high, she was the registrant for my first European tour in Holland. She thought it was not as glamorous as she had expected! All seven grandchildren stomped their feet and said, “We are not taking any more piano lessons!”

AP: What changes in organ design have you seen during your career?

WJ: I recall experiencing the Orgelbewegung; then later Romantic organs including trackers, which became larger and larger; again more small historic trackers into the mix; and back and forth we go. I love it all!

AP: What do you perceive are the challenges of music in the contemporary church?

WJ: Just as we cannot seem to make up our minds about what kind of organ is best for each church, we seem to be having issues in choosing a traditional service with classical music or a contemporary service thought to be more appealing to young people. This issue has just come to the forefront at St. George’s in Nashville. The first modern liturgical service was just held a few weeks ago in a secondary worship space, which has been created with an altar, screens, microphones, etc. I attended the first service, and it was very successful and well done. I am pleased it was held in a place other than the main worship space. I believe it is essential to make the traditional service as beautiful, moving, and exciting as possible. The music of this new service was sensitive, set in a liturgical context, and still within the form of this modern style of worship. If that happens, there will be a place for both services to exist peacefully “in harmony.”

As for positions for church musicians, I believe if you can develop a really fine program that has meaning musically and spiritually, as well as make yourself invaluable to the program, there will be a good job for you.

AP: Thank you so much, Wilma!

Kudos to the AGO planning committees and everyone involved for balanced programming with plenty to enjoy for both organ music lovers and connoisseurs

During my doctoral studies at Boston’s New England Conservatory, I had the privilege of serving as organ scholar and assistant university organist and choirmaster at Harvard University’s Memorial Church. I fell in love with the city and thoroughly enjoyed its many riches. Balancing work and academics was trying, though, and I often felt like an underachiever, never having enough time to do everything as well as I would have liked to do. Simply put, I was busy, and I could not possibly imagine a busier life. It was around that time that one of my teachers said: “If you think you are busy now . . . just wait till you get out of school.” 

Fast forward to the spring of 2012. Just as my teacher had predicted, life was more than busy, and I was tired from a hectic year, looking forward for things to slow down during the summer. When the time came to register for the 2012 AGO National Convention in Nashville I was reluctant to do so. Just thinking of all the masterclasses, services, and concerts made me tired, wanting to curl up in a ball and go to sleep. To make matters worse, the convention’s programming included a number of Greatest Hits concerts—some performed on electronic organs! 

Indeed, the puritan in me rebelled against all this nonsense. But reminding myself of the very successful 2010 national convention softened my spirit, so I went ahead and registered—reluctantly though—for this year’s convention. Because of scheduling conflicts I was unable to attend the weekend programming, but I hit the ground running on Monday, July 2. With my carry-on still in hand I arrived at the Nashville Convention Center to hear Jayne Latva’s presentation on Schumann’s Six Fugues on B-A-C-H, Op. 60. Dr. Latva’s lecture was refreshing and inspiring. She introduced several new and insightful angles on the matter, and her piano background was instrumental in connecting some missing dots regarding Schumann as composer, organist, and pianist. At the conclusion of this presentation I felt recharged; I was glad to be at the convention and was eagerly anticipating the upcoming week. To say that my expectations were met would be an understatement. 

Several of Nashville’s own were featured at a collaborative pre-convention recital at beautiful West End United Methodist Church. Wilma Jensen played Vierne’s Étoile du Soir, Tournemire’s Choral-Improvisation on “Victimae paschali,” Fugue by Honegger, and Thierry Escaich’s Five Versets on “Victimae paschali.” Conductor Don Marler, Andrew Risinger (Grand Orgue), Gregg Bunn (Petit Orgue), and the West End United Methodist Church Chancel Choir performed Vierne’s Messe Solennelle and Widor’s Messe à deux choeurs et deux orgues—a program well suited for the 1983 V/136 Möller organ.

Matthew Dirst presented a masterclass on performance issues in the Baroque repertoire. Dirst used several samples of Handel and Monteverdi scores to demonstrate solutions to commonly encountered problems in this music. This kind of problem solving was very interesting and served as a medium towards critical thinking in future performance issues. 

Spanish organist Raúl Prieto Ramírez played with great flair at St. Henry Catholic Church. The program included Saint-Saëns’ Danse Macabre and Liszt’s Mephisto Waltz, sandwiched by Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in G Major, BWV 541, and Guilmant’s Sonata No. 1 in D Major, Op. 42. Mr. Ramirez’s positive, energetic style was quite infectious and his arrangement of Liszt’s Mephisto Waltz was very well received. 

Cherry Rhodes’s recital at Nashville First Baptist Church included the American premiere of Yuankai Bao’s Young Girl Carrying Water on a Shoulder Pole. Originally written for piano in 1963, Bao arranged the piece for strings, added an allegro section, and included it as a movement in his China Sight and Sounds Orchestral Suite. The work was transcribed by organist Weicheng Zhao, a former composition student with Bao, and currently an organ student with Cherry Rhodes.

A special feature of this year’s convention was the Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge, conducted (with a pencil) by Stephen Layton. The choir—its appearance made possible through a generous gift by Peter and Lois Fyfe—presented an exquisite program with impeccable precision and clarity. The first set of anthems (Arvo Pärt’s Bogoróditse Djévo and John Tavener’s Mother of God, here I stand) was performed without conductor (!), and one could hear a pin drop in the capacity-filled sanctuary. Next was a chilling rendition of Robert Parsons’ Ave Maria, with its unsurpassed, elongated Amen. It was amazing to see how the choir handled a long, taxing program, without the slightest sign of fatigue. 

Sophie-Véronique Cauchefer-Choplin played a recital in the beautiful new sanctuary of Covenant Presbyterian Church, with its stunning 2009 Fisk organ. Her program included a variety of well-known pieces, including toccatas by Renaud and Bélier, Franck’s Choral No. 3, and, as expected, an improvisation on a given theme. Later that week she presented an improvisation workshop, during which she used a simple melody to demonstrate how to expound on melodic lines and rhythmic cells while exploring modes and tonal centers. 

While his French counterpart provided insight in the exploration of modes etc., Tom Trenney took a practical approach to hymn improvisation. He skillfully demonstrated how hymn motifs can be used in hymn improvisation. Improvisation masterclasses can at times be intimidating, to say the least. Kudos to Tom Trenney for his personable approach and his ability to break the music down into very practical building blocks. Trenney played a nicely varied program at beautiful West End United Methodist Church, which featured, among other works, Ives’s Variations on ‘America’, Alain’s Deuxième Fantaisie, Bach’s Passacaglia, and several improvisations, including an improvisation on Ora Labora, offered in memory of Dr. Gerre Hancock (1934–2012). 

George Stauffer, general editor of the Leupold edition of the complete organ works of J. S. Bach, lectured about performance issues in Bach’s organ works. His presentation complemented his earlier masterclass (co-presented with Wayne Leupold), which dealt with editorial problems in J. S. Bach’s organ works. Discrepancies in surviving texts pose numerous problems, and both presenters explained the how-and-why process of their editorial efforts. The combined efforts of the research team resulted in more than interesting findings and performance possibilities, as is evident in the new Leupold Bach editions. 

Leo H. Davis, Jr. offered a glimpse into the realm of lesser-known organ repertoire: organ music by composers of African descent (including but not limited to African-American composers). Davis negated the general misconception that most African organ music is based on the Negro spiritual, and through various samples introduced a wealth of organ repertoire that remains virtually unknown. His extensive illustrations included compositions based on spirituals, plainchant, original themes, Protestant hymnody, German chorales, music from the Jewish liturgical tradition, and African-tribal tunes, as well as civil rights themes.

Vance and Peggy Wolverton took a similar approach in their presentation of Baltic organ music. Vance Wolverton discussed the works of chiefly unknown composers, while his wife accompanied his remarks with excerpts of Baltic organ literature. With the possible exception of Estonian Arvo Pärt, the majority of Baltic composers remains unknown, primarily as a result of more than 50 years of Soviet occupation. 

Organized Rhythm blew the crowd away with their rendition of Gustav Holst’s The Planets. Organist Clive Driskill-Smith and percussionist Joseph Gramley treated the audience to a shortened version, which included the Mars, Venus, and Jupiter movements, with an added Pluto, newly composed by Stephen Eddins. Ironically, Holst disliked shortened versions of this work, especially ones ending with the jolly Jupiter¹. Nobody except for Gustav seemed to mind, though. The duo ended their program with a performance of Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals, interspersed with short, witty poems by Ogden Nash. This program was incredibly appealing and can serve as a vehicle to pique youngsters’ interest in the organ and classical music—highly recommended! 

The Thursday afternoon program at Belmont University Hall started with two new choral works, sung by the Nashville Chamber Singers. First we heard Alan Smith’s There Is a Flow’r (AGO/ECS Publishing Award in Choral Composition), followed by Rosephanye Powell’s multi-movement work The Cry of Jeremiah (commissioned for the 2012 convention). After a brief pause the recital proceeded with Matthew Dirst, harpsichord; Colin St. Martin, traverso; and Mary Springfels, viola da gamba. The trio played a nice variety of works by François Couperin, Jean-Marie Leclair, C.P.E. Bach (harpsichord solo), and J.S. Bach.

Thomas Trotter’s appearance was made possible through a generous gift by Marianne Webb, Professor of Music and Distinguished University Organist at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. As stated in the program, “Miss Webb’s endowment, established in perpetuity, will present world-renowned concert organists in recital during the biennial National Conventions of the American Guild of Organists.” The diverse program perfectly suited the Schoenstein organ at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, and Thomas Trotter—Birmingham City Organist (U.K.), among other things—was right at home at the console of this orchestral instrument. Handel’s Organ Concerto Op. 4 No. 2 sounded surprisingly well on the Schoenstein, and Schumann would have been very pleased with the performance of two of his Canonic Studies. The audience was clearly amazed at Trotter’s technical and musical abilities and the lengthy standing ovation at the conclusion of the program (Rossini’s William Tell Overture) was more than deserved. 

Friday evening’s program featured organists Nathan Laube and Todd Wilson in a spectacular program with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra. This concert was made possible through the generous gifts of Murray and Hazel Somerville, and Hank Woerner. The program included Brahms’s Academic Festival Overture, Mendelssohn’s Variations Sérieuses (transcribed by N. Laube), Dvorák’s Carnival Overture, and Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. In addition, the audience was treated to organ concertos by two living composers: Puerto Rican-born composer Roberto Sierra’s Organ Concerto, which was commissioned for the 2012 convention, and Stephen Paulus’s Grand Organ Concerto. Since the majority of organs are found in houses of worship, these works have the ability to reach a crowd that might ordinarily not be exposed to organ music on a regular basis. Indeed a great outreach opportunity for the AGO!

And then there was Hector Olivera. What can I say? I have to admit that I was reluctant to go hear Mr. Olivera’s recital. All these transcriptions on electronic organs—how could it possibly be any good? How ironic that a pipe organ builder encouraged me to go. Well, the whole show was electrifying (no pun intended). Mr. Olivera, or Hector, is ever as much a showman as an organist. Here we were in the large, non-resonant hotel ballroom, listening to transcriptions played on an electronic organ. Yet, somehow it didn’t matter. It was exhilarating, witty—fun! Hector’s ability to combine technique, musicality, and personality simply brought the house down, and he surely gained numerous fans, including yours truly. 

All in all, Nashville had much more to offer than I had expected. In addition to the many fine restaurants there was a plethora of exciting live performances in the many clubs and bars for those who needed a break from pedals and pipes. The many worship services were uplifting, combining standard choral repertoire with some stellar new compositions. A sincere thank you to the many contributors, who through their financial gifts enabled the many fabulous performances. And kudos to the AGO planning committees and everyone involved for balanced programming with plenty to enjoy for both organ music lovers and connoisseurs. Congratulations on a wonderful convention. Goodbye Nashville and hello Boston. I will see you in 2014!

Notes

1. Imogen Holst, A Thematic Catalogue of Gustav Holst’s Music (London: Faber and Faber, 1974), p. 73.