Secrets Of Organ Playing Podcast

Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast #62! Today's guest is Robin Gullbrandsson from Sweden who knows a whole lot about preserving heritage old churches and organs. He was born in 1980 and grew up on the countryside in western Sweden. Currently Robin is a heritage officer at Västergötland Museum in Skara from this winter, prior to that 2006-2016 he worked at Jönköping County Museum. His main field of expertise is controller and heritage expert in restoration works concerning churches, but also from time to time he deals with exhibitions and book projects. Robin graduated from Gothenburg university in 2003 with a master in archaeology combined with art history and heritage studies and had special interest in building archaeology. Robin is also a passionate black-and-white photographer and during several years he has traveled a lot through Transilvania. His iinterest for historical organs became more and more vivid after he started working in the heritage care with inventorisation of churches around

Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast #61! http://www.organduo.lt/podcast Today's guest is Arjan Breukhoven from the Netherlands who is the titular organist of the old church (builded in 1732) in Berkel and Rodenrijs. He plays each year about 450 concerts and services. He has worked on numerous recordings for radio and TV and about 200 CD’s and DVD’s. Besides all this, he is also the director of three large and well-known Dutch Male choirs. As a composer he is renowned for his many compositions for choir, organ and other instruments.Arjan was born in Rotterdam, studied organ and church music at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. At the same time, he studied piano, singing, improvisation and choir direction. Annually Arjan Breukhoven gives a great number of concerts as an international concert organist both at home and Europe, USA, Russia and Australia. In 2016 he shall play in USA, Austria and twice in Germany. The largest organ he ever played was the organ of the St. Patrick’s Basilica of Fremantl

Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast #60! https://www.organduo.lt Today's guest is ​Sławomir Zubrzycki – outstanding Polish pianist, soloist and chamber musician specializing in performing contemporary music, composer, and constructor of musical instruments. He's a graduate of the Academy of Music in Cracow (1988, piano – prof. T. Żmudziński’s class, modern music – prof. A. Kaczyński’s class) and The Boston Conservatory of Music (1990-91). Fulbright Scholar. Prize winner at the prestigious Polish Piano Art Festival in Słupsk (1987). Sławomir Zubrzycki has been giving concerts in USA, Germany, Austria, Spain, Great Britain and Ukraine. He has made several recordings for Polskie Nagrania (Polish recording company), Polish Radio and Television. He was a lecturer at Summer Academy of Contemporary Music – Avantgarde Tirol in Austria (2005, 2007). In 2009, Zubrzycki came across the traces of a real rarity – Viola Organista – the instrument designed by Leonardo da Vinci, but which had almost been unknown a

​Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast #59! http://www.organduo.lt/podcast Today's guest is Dr. Scott Elsholz who currently serves as Music Director/Organist at the Catholic Church in Bartlett, TN, where he leads a vibrant music ministry of five vocal and instrumental ensembles. Previously, he served as Canon Organist/Choirmaster at St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral in Memphis, where he led a comprehensive cathedral music program, was responsible for developing larger diocesan-wide music and liturgy initiatives, and served as artistic director for the Music at St Mary’s concert series. In 2013, Scott was awarded Doctor of Music degree summa cum laude in Organ Performance/Literature at Indiana University, where he studied with Drs. Marilyn Keiser and Larry Smith. He also served the Jacobs School of Music as an Associate Instructor, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in Church Music, Piano, and Music Theory. Scott received his B.M. and M.A. degrees in organ performance from Eastern Michigan Uni

​Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast #58! Today's guest is David Knight, an organist from England. He was educated at the University of London and the Royal Academy of Music in London. He has held posts as Director of Music at an English secondary school and a college of higher education. During this time he also had posts as accompanist and conductor of a selection of choirs. ​He has been a church organist for over forty years, not only for the Church of England, but also for the Church of Norway. He lived near Kristiansund on the west coast of Norway for four years. He taught at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama for seven years and was an examiner for the Royal Schools of Music. He has performed in cathedrals in England, Ireland, Norway and Hong Kong. At present, he is Musical Director of the West Somerset Singers of Taunton, the Watchet Choral Society, and the Apollo Wind Band of Bristol. He is also the organist and choirmaster of Holy Trinity Church, Taunton. We have recorded this conv

Today’s guest is Lynne Davis, an American concert organist, pedagogue, and recording artist. She is world-renown for her expertise in French music, culture, and style. Having been educated by the finest American and French organ masters, her career was launched by taking First Prize at the 1975 St. Albans International Organ Competition in England – the eighth organist to receive that honor since the competition’s founding in 1962. Now a leading international concert artist and master teacher at the Wichita State University School of Music in Kansas, she has performed in nearly every cathedral in France, numerous major cities throughout Europe, and from coast to coast in the United States. Her activities have included being a featured performer and lecturer at two national conventions of the American Guild of Organists, a member of Chartres, Dallas, St. Albans, Tariverdiev, and Montréal international organ competition juries, and giving master classes and lectures about French organ literature and its histo

Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast #55! Helping Reach Your Dreams: http://www.organduo.lt Today's guest is Frederik Magle, a contemporary composer, concert organist and pianist from Denmark. His music has been performed by The London Philharmonic Orchestra, Zürcher Kammerorchester, The Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Danish National Chamber Orchestra, Riga Philharmonic Orchestra, South-Jutland Symphony Orchestra, violinist Nikolaj Znaider and many other ensembles and soloists. Frederik Magle also works with film scores and crossover music/fusion, blending contemporary classical music with other genre such as jazz, rock, electronica, and even hip-hop. On October 25th 2009 the first pipe organ with tonal design by Frederik Magle was inaugurated in Jørlunde church, Denmark. The instrument has 24 stops and 1360 pipes and is built by the organ builders Frobenius on specifications by Frederik Magle, who was hired as consultant by the church council. As a soloist on piano or pipe organ Frederik Ma

Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast #54! Secrets of Organ Playing - Helping Reach Your Dreams with Vidas Pinkevicius, DMA: http://www.organduo.lt Today's guest is Jeremy David Tarrant, an internationally acclaimed concert organist and church musician from Detroit, Michigan. In performances that are consistently hailed as elegant, communicative, and powerfully artistic, Mr. Tarrant is increasingly recognized as one of the finest organists of his generation. ​ ​​Since 2000, Jeremy has served as Organist and Choirmaster of the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Detroit where, in addition to playing for liturgies and concerts, he conducts the famed Cathedral Choirs. Prior to this appointment he served as the Cathedral’s Assistant Organist joining the staff in 1994. In April of 2007, he was seated as Canon Precentor of the Cathedral in thanksgiving and recognition of his role in the liturgical and musical life of the Cathedral community. He is the founding director of the Cathedral Choir School of Metrop

Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast #53! (hosted by Vidas PInkevicius, DMA) Secrets of Organ Playing - Helping Reach Your Dreams: http://www.organduo.lt Today's guest is Glenn Tompkins from Mesa, Arizona who is a fellow blogger, artist, improviser on accordion and a great lover of organ music. He has always been fascinated by sound, textures, color and atmosphere. Early in his life he learned to love music, having been drawn to such art by listening to his grandfather play the violin, harmonica, piano, organ and mandolin. His Uncle Walter gave him his 1930's Hohner accordion which stimulated a lifelong fascination with the study of instrumental music. In the 1950's his father provided for him to start music lessons at an accordion school in Bound Brook, New Jersey. From 1960 to 1965 Glenn attended Middlesex High School, then went on to Drew University at Madison, New Jersey from 1965 through 1970. At Drew he initially wanted to major in English, but subsequently decided to change his major to A

Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast #52! Today's guest is Dr. Marie Rubis Bauer who is Archdiocesan Director of Music – Cathedral Organist at Saint Cecilia Cathedral in Omaha, Nebraska which houses the landmark Martin Pasi, Op. 14 dual temperament pipe organ. Since 2010 she has also served as organ instructor on the Creighton University faculty. In this conversation, Dr. Rubis Bauer shares her ideas in her work as a church musician. Relevant link: http://www.stceciliacathedralmusic.org

Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast #51! (hosted by Vidas Pinkevicius, DMA): http://www.organduo.lt William Whitehead has gained a wide reputation for his engaging and inspiring interpretation of the organ repertoire. His concert career was given a boost when he won first prize at the Odense International organ competition in Denmark, 2004. Since then he has traveled widely giving concerts in Europe and the US. Trained at Oxford University and the Royal Academy of Music, William Whitehead is now a sought after organ teacher, teaching many students at both Oxford and Cambridge Universities. Previously he has held appointments as Assistant Organist, Rochester Cathedral, and was a professor at both the Royal Academy of Music and Trinity College of Music. As curator of the Orgelbüchlein project, William Whitehead is seeing through a large-scale project to 'complete' Bach's unfinished collection. This international project has already garnered much interest and is fast becoming a cross-section of the mos

Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast #50! (hosted by Vidas Pinkevicius, DMA) http://www.organduo.lt/podcast Today's guest is Dr. Crista Miller, who is the Director of Music and Organist at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Houston, Texas. She is a Committee Chair for procuring Martin Pasi's Opus 19 organ and leads a growing music and concert program at the Sacred Heart. A member of EastWest Organists, she has performed in seven countries and twenty states, including her 2015 multi-media series "Projections" for Houston Arts Alliance and the City of Houston. In this conversation we talk about her work leading the New Music Committee at the 2016 AGO National Convention in Houston as well as her presentation about the modal music of Tournemire and Hakim which was presented at the convention and published in 2014’s Mystic Modern: The Music, Thought and Legacy of Charles Tournemire, the Op. 19 organ by Martin Pasi, and her newest double CD recording "Bonjour and Willkommen" on Acis Productions. Mak

Today's guest is Dr. Don Cook who is an Associate Professor of Organ at Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah where he has been teaching since 1991. In that capacity he has blended multimedia with traditional one-on-one instruction in teaching beginning organ instruction to well over 5000 pianists. Prior to that time he held full-time organist positions at First UMC, Lubbock, Texas, and at Christ Church Cranbrook, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. He received Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from BYU, the DMA from the University of Kansas, and holds the AAGO certification. In his capacity as AGO National Councillor for Education, Dr. Cook is placing particular emphasis on harnessing the power of current technology in the educational work of the Guild. In this conversation, Dr. Cook talks about the AGO New Organist Web Page with free video tutorials which will be of great help to organists everywhere. ​Enjoy and share your comments below. ​ And don't forget to help spread the word about the SOP Podcast by sha

Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast #48! (hosted by Vidas Pinkevicius, DMA): http://www.organduo.lt Today's guest is Dr. Martin Jean who is Professor of Organ and Director of the Yale Institute of Sacred Music. Professor Jean has performed widely throughout the United States and Europe and is known for his wide repertorial interests. He was awarded first place at the international Grand Prix de Chartres in 1986, and in 1992 at the National Young Artists’ Competition in Organ Performance. A student of Robert Glasgow, in the fall of 1999 he spent a sabbatical with Harald Vogel in North Germany. He has performed on four continents and in nearly all fifty states. In 2001 he presented a cycle of the complete organ works of Bach at Yale, and his compact discs of The Seven Last Words of Christ by Charles Tournemire and the complete Six Symphonies of Louis Vierne, both recorded in Woolsey Hall, have been released by Loft Recordings. Recordings of the organ symphonies and Stations of the Cross of Marcel Du

SOP Podcast #47 - What Does It Take To Play An Organ Duet (by Vidas PInkevicius, DMA and Ausra-Motuzaite-Pinkeviciene, DMA) Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast #47! Today is a very special podcast. Ausra and I are in the beautiful resort town of Nida on the peninsula of the Baltic coast. The entire region (Curonian Spit) is protected by UNESCO. Last night we performed an organ duet recital where we played 6 Sonatas for 4 Hands by Franz Seydelmann (you can see the engraving from the title page of the original publication below). It's the second time we appeared in public with this program (the first was 6 weeks ago at Vilnius University St. John's church). In this conversation we will talk about what does it take to prepare and perform an organ duet recital and how to deal with the element of surprise when the organ doesn't behave. ​Enjoy and share your comments below. ​ And don't forget to help spread the word about the SOP Podcast by sharing it with your organist friends. Thanks for caring. Re

Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast #46 (hosted by Vidas Pinkevicius, DMA) http://www.organduo.lt/podcast Today's guest is Tom Trenney, an American organist who is known for his engaging improvisations on hymns, submitted themes, silent films, scripture, poetry, and artwork, Tom became the first organist to be awarded First Prize and Audience Prize in the American Guild of Organists’ (AGO) National Competition in Organ Improvisation in 2006. Tom serves as Minister of Music to First-Plymouth in Lincoln, NE, ​guiding the Plymouth Choir (adults) and the Choristers (grades 3-5), playing the magnificent Schoenstein organ, and serving as Artistic Director of Abendmusik: Lincoln, the Abendmuisk Chorus, and ABENDCHOR. Tom is also Music Director of sounding light- the chamber choir of Many Voices…One Song, an extensive music outreach program he founded in Southeastern Michigan. A graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Eastman School of Music, Tom is grateful for his teachers and mentors: Anton

Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast #45! Today's guest Dr. Michael Dierks, a Swedish organist from the German church in Stockholm. This church is famous because in the 17th century there worked one of the most significant students of Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, the master Dutch organist, composer, and teacher, Andreas Duben. Michael has the privilege to play an organ which Duben himself also played. In this conversation Michael shares his insights about what it takes to play an organ from the 17th century and to adapt it to the 21st century needs, performing not only ancient music but also modern compositions. Enjoy and share your comments below. ​ And don't forget to help spread the word about the SOP Podcast by sharing it with your organist friends. Thanks for caring. Related links: Michael Dierks on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/michael.dierks), YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrycnsE_zLw7KXdoGTc-Lg), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-dierks-36826358) Video of Michae

SOP Podcast 44 - On Church Organ Music In Lithuania (hosted by Vidas PInkevicius with Ausra Motuzaite-Pinkeviciene and Paulius Grigonis) Secrets of Organ Playing - Helping Reach your Dreams: http://www.organduo.lt Today's guests are my wife, Ausra Motuzaite-Pinkeviciene and my friend and colleague, Paulius Grigonis who is an organist at St. Joseph church in Vilnius. Back in 2007 all 3 of us have founded National Association of Organists in Lithuania with the aim to unite Lithuanian organists for the common goal of promoting quality organ music and help pipe organ art survive the 21st century in our country. In this conversation we talk about our efforts to perform multiple organ demonstrations for children and adults in various village and town churches and about church organ music situation in Lithuania. Enjoy and share your comments below. ​ And don't forget to help spread the word about the SOP Podcast by sharing it with your organist friends. Thanks for caring. Related links: Ausra's channel on YouT

Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast #43! http://www.organduo.lt/podcast (hosted by Vidas Pinkevicius, DMA) Today's guest is Prof. Guy Bovet from Switzerland who is appreciated in the musical world as a many-sided, original and cultivated artist, active in many fields. He is constantly on the road travelling to all parts of the world where organs are played, and keeps a busy concert schedule of about 60 recitals per year. ​His discography of more than 50 records and CD’s includes recordings made mostly on historical instruments of Switzerland, France, Spain, Latin America and lately also in Japan and in the Philippines. Several of these recordings have been distinguished with prizes like the French « Laser d’or » or the German « Grammi » award. His activities in the preservation of historical instruments are appreciated all over the world and he has advised organ builders and restorers in Europe, Japan and both Americas, as well as in the Republic of the Philippines. With his wife, Marisa, he has r

Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast #42! Today's guest is Dr. Carl Dodrill, Ph.D., who is past dean of the Seattle AGO Chapter and also president of the Pipe Organ Foundation. His work has focused on encouraging young people’s interest in organ and also on making the pipe organ appealing to and available to people in the general population. Dr. Dodrill is also Professor Emeritus of Neurology, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Neurological Surgery at the University of Washington. In today's conversation we will talk about what it takes to increase public's interest in organ recitals, a subject very relevant these days when church attendance is slowly declining in Western society. ​Enjoy and share your comments below. ​ And don't forget to help spread the word about the SOP Podcast by sharing it with your organist friends. Thanks for caring. Related link: Pipe Organ Foundation (Dr. Carl Dodrill's 3 articles on the topic of increasing attendance of organ recitals): http://www.pipeorganfoundatio