Michael Hey plays the Duruflé Toccata

Michael Hey and Christiana Liberis play J. S. Bach’s Violin Concerto in E Major, BWV 1042, at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York City.

Two classically trained musicians, both with broad musical interests and a variety of work in many of New York City’s musical circles, Michael Hey and Christiana Liberis embarked on a partnership in 2017 to bring a new and fresh approach to the organ and violin repertoire. They continue to explore and create different styles and genres of music for these two instruments.

In 2015, Michael Hey was appointed Associate Director of Music and Organist of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, where one of his first major tasks was to perform for the first U.S. visit of Pope Francis. Michael plays at the Cathedral for services throughout the week which are broadcast on Sirius XM radio, television, and online. Not exclusively a solo organist, Michael enjoys playing piano and collaborating with other artists. He is a graduate of The Juilliard School where he received his B.M. and M.M. degrees in organ performance under Paul Jacobs. www.michaelhey.com

Born in Italy of Italian, Greek, and Polish heritage, violinist/violist Christiana Liberis is a performer of international reach. Based in New York City, Christiana has been heard in concert venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Madison Square Garden, and Radio City Music Hall. Christiana’s most recent work encompasses various commercial recording sessions for Philip Glass, recording for the 2021 Superbowl LIV, playing on director Lulu Wang’s new short film “Nian” for Apple-shot entirely on an iPhone 12 Pro Max and in celebration of the Chinese New Year, and performing in a string quartet for a televised special on Bravo for the launch of Brooklyn Point with Ryan Serhant of “Million Dollar Listing.” www.christianaliberis.com

The Hey-Liberis Duo is represented in North America exclusively by Phillip Truckenbrod Concert Artists, LLC. 
www.concertartists.com 

See their artist spotlight at https://www.thediapason.com/artists/michael-hey-and-christiana-liberis

Described as “scintillating” and “tremendously virtuosic” (The Straits Times, Singapore), Michael Hey has established himself as a reputable concert organist in the U.S. and abroad. Hey performs solo and collaboratively, from organ concertos with top American orchestras to organ performances in historic cathedrals and churches.

In 2023, Michael was appointed director of music and organist of the historic Marble Collegiate Church in Manhattan. Founded in 1628, it is the oldest church congregation in New York State. Michael also serves as assistant music director at Park Avenue Synagogue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

Prior to his appointment at Marble Collegiate Church, Michael served at two other distinguished congregations on Fifth Avenue, most notably as associate director of music and organist of the famed Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City from 2015–2023, where one of his first major tasks was to perform for the first U.S. visit of Pope Francis. Michael played at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral for services throughout the week and had been heard by millions visiting the cathedral or on live broadcasts via Sirius XM radio, television, and online. From 2010–2015, Michael was assistant organist at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church.

Michael has performed solo recitals and lectured for several American Guild of Organists conventions and conferences. In 2017, Michael received first prize in the First Shanghai Conservatory of Music International Organ Competition, held at the Shanghai Oriental Arts Theater. In 2017, Michael released his premiere solo CD recording, Michael T. C. Hey plays the Great Organ of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, by the JAV recording label. In 2016, he was recognized as one of the top “20 Under 30” organists by The Diapason magazine and was a finalist in the Longwood Gardens Organ Competition.

Michael has appeared with the San Francisco Symphony on several occasions. In 2014, he was the featured organ soloist for the New York City Ballet’s newly commissioned work Acheron. Set to the music of Francis Poulenc’s Organ Concerto, his performance at its premiere was "vividly played" (The New York Times, 2014). Michael has performed at notable venues such as Lincoln Center (New York), Carnegie Hall (New York), Madison Square Garden (New York), the Kimmel Center (Philadelphia), the Kennedy Center (Washington D.C.), the Esplanade (Singapore), and Overture Hall (Madison).

Not exclusively a solo organist, Michael enjoys a varied career that includes collaborations with other musicians, solo piano recitals, improvising, and transcribing works. He is a proponent of new works for organ and has premiered a number of compositions. He performs works and arrangements for violin and organ with violinist Christiana Liberis in the Hey-Liberis duo.

A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Michael graduated from the accelerated five-year degree program at The Juilliard School, where he received both his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees in organ performance under Paul Jacobs.

Michael Hey is represented in North America exclusively by Phillip Truckenbrod Concert Artists, LLC. 
www.concertartists.com
E-mail:  [email protected]
Phone: 860-560-7800
10 Abbott Lane, Dearborn, MI 48120-1001 

Joshua Stafford plays Nearer, My God, to Thee, by Karg-Elert, on the Massey Memorial Organ, Chautauqua Institution.

In April 2021, Joshua Stafford was installed as the Director of Music Ministries and Organist at Riverside Presbyterian Church in Jacksonville, Florida. Prior to his Jacksonville appointment, he was director of music at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Morristown, New Jersey, from 2013–early 2021. In 2020, he was named Director of Sacred Music and the Jared Jacobsen Chair Organist of the Chautauqua Institution in western New York State.

A native of Jamestown, New York, Mr. Stafford received the Bachelor of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music in 2010 as a scholarship student of Alan Morrison. In 2012 he received his Master of Music degree from the Yale School of Music as a student of Thomas Murray (organ performance) and Jeffrey Brillhart (organ improvisation). Joshua was the recipient of both a full-tuition scholarship and the Robert Baker Award, given to a first year organ student who exhibits exceptional promise and achievement in their field of study.

See his artist spotlight: https://www.thediapason.com/artists/joshua-stafford

Joshua Stafford is represented in North America exclusively by Phillip Truckenbrod Concert Artists, LLC. 
www.concertartists.com 

Raúl Prieto Ramírez plays Suggestion Diabolique, op. 4, no. 4, by Sergei Prokofiev, transcribed for organ by Raúl Prieto Ramírez; and Orgía (danza fantástica no. 3), by Joaquín Turina, transcribed for organ by Raúl Prieto Ramírez.

Ramírez is San Diego Civic Organist and Artistic Director of the Spreckels Organ Society, where he presides over the famed Austin organ at the city’s Balboa Park Pavilion—the largest open-air musical instrument in the world. Mr. Ramírez is the eighth Civic Organist to serve San Diego on the Spreckels organ bench. https://spreckelsorgan.org/

From 2013–2017, Mr. Ramírez was organist-in-residence at Sursa Concert Hall and served on the organ faculty at Ball State University, Indiana. He continues as the Artistic Director and Founder of the Barcelona Summer Organ Festival and Academy. Mr. Ramírez has been widely recorded and interviewed for radio and television in several European countries and in the US. His first two compact discs, on the Brilliant Classics label, were recorded at Milan Cathedral in Italy (music of Franck, Liszt, Reger, and Saint-Saëns) and at the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona (music for piano and organ duet). In June 2016, Mr. Ramirez and his wife, Spanish pianist Maria Teresa Sierra, were featured duo artists at the American Guild of Organists’ national convention in Houston.

Raúl Prieto Ramírez is represented exclusively in North America by Phillip Truckenbrod Concert Artists, LLC; www.concertartists.com 

See his artist spotlight on The Diapason website: https://www.thediapason.com/artists/raul-prieto-ramirez

Damin Spritzer plays Marche Triomphale: Ite missa est, by René Louis Becker. This is from her recital at the Cathedral of St. Philip, Atlanta, Georgia, February 20, 2022.

Aeolian-Skinner Opus 1399, four manuals, 96 ranks. 
https://www.cathedralatl.org/worship/music/organs/cathedral/

Dr. Damin Spritzer is Area Chair and Associate Professor of Organ at the University of Oklahoma and Interim Director of Music and Organist for St. Thomas More University Parish in Norman. She continues to work with the Cathedral Church of Saint Matthew in Dallas as Artist-in-Residence for Cathedral Arts. Formerly Adjunct Professor at the University of North Texas teaching Organ Literature and Sacred Music, she is active in the Dallas and Oklahoma City Chapters of the American Guild of Organists and serves on committees for the Organ Historical Society, the Association of Anglican Musicians, and Organlive Media Foundation. She received her doctorate from the University of North Texas, her Master of Music from the Eastman School of Music, and her Bachelor of Music from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.

See her artist spotlight at https://www.thediapason.com/artists/damin-spritzer-0

Damin Spritzer is represented in North America exclusively by Phillip Truckenbrod Concert Artists, LLC. www.concertartists.com