Master Organist - James O’Donnell-Organist Emeritus of Westminster Abbey
The Friends of the Music at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church New Canaan, CT Presents
Master Organist - James O’Donnell-Organist Emeritus of Westminster Abbey
Saturday, April, 5pm in the soaring mid-century modern St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 111 Oenoke Ridge, New Canaan, CT.
Internationally recognized as a conductor, organist and teacher, James O’Donnell has performed all over the world. Following a distinguished 23-year tenure as Organist and Master of the Choristers at Westminster Abbey, Mr. O’Donnell now holds the post of Professor in the Practice of Organ at Yale School of Music and the Yale Institute of Sacred Music in New Haven CT, as professor to graduate organ majors and other students in sacred music.
In his tenure at Westminster Abbey Mr. O’Donnell was responsible for all musical aspects of the Abbey’s work, training and conducting the Abbey Choir in its daily choral services, recordings, concerts, and broadcasts and at the great national occasions for which the Abbey is known, including directing the music for the September 2022 State Funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, which was broadcast live throughout the world to an estimated audience of over 4 billion people. He has toured extensively with the Choir of Westminster Abbey to the United States, the Far East, Australia, and Europe. Prior to his appointment at Westminster Abbey, Mr. O’Donnell served for twelve years as Master of Music at Westminster (Roman Catholic) Cathedral where under his direction the renowned Cathedral Choir made many recordings and won the coveted Gramophone Record of the Year award, unprecedented for such a choir.
Selections from the concert will include…
Fantasia and Toccata, D minor, Opus 57 Charles Villiers Stanford
Pièce d’Orgue, BWV 572 J. S. Bach
Chorale, No. 2, B minor César Franck
A light reception follows.