Gerre Hancock Memorial Concert
Dr. Gerre Hancock
The Sewanee Church Music Conference has named the traditional Wednesday evening concert in memory of Dr. Gerre Hancock. A renowned and beloved champion for Anglican Church music, Dr. Hancock served numerous times on the Sewanee Church Music Conference faculty. His memory lives on in the minds and hearts of not only his students, but those fortunate enough to have worked with him and to have called him friend.
Dr. Hancock, along with his lovely and talented wife, Dr. Judith Hancock, served for many years as directors of Music at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in New York City, leaving forever an indellible mark of musical excellence which continues to this day. Upon retirement from St. Thomas Church, Dr. Hancock served, until the time of his death, as Professor of Organ and Church Music at the University of Texas. A reception at the beautiful Sewanee Inn will follow the recital.
Dr. Hancock, along with his lovely and talented wife, Dr. Judith Hancock, served for many years as directors of Music at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in New York City, leaving forever an indellible mark of musical excellence which continues to this day. Upon retirement from St. Thomas Church, Dr. Hancock served, until the time of his death, as Professor of Organ and Church Music at the University of Texas. A reception at the beautiful Sewanee Inn will follow the recital.
Sewanee Church Music Conference - 2019
Gerre Hancock Memorial Concert
Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Jack Mitchener, organist
-PROGRAM-
Prelude and Fugue in D Major, BWV 532 Johann Sebastian Bach
(1685-1750)
Repertoire for the Liturgical Year
Advent
Chorale-Improvisation on Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, Op. 65, No. 33 Sigfrid Karg-Elert
(Sleepers wake, a voice is calling) (1877-1933)
Christmas
Noël polonais (Variations on the Polish carol “Infant holy, infant lowly) Alexandre Guilmant
(1837-1911)
Epiphany
Prélude sur l’introït de l’épiphanie, Op. 13 Maurice Duruflé
(1902-1986)
Lent
Chorale Prelude on Wenn wir in höchsten Nöten sein, BWV 641 J. S. Bach
(Whenever we are in deepest need)
Good Friday
Chorale Prelude on Herzliebster Jesu, Op. 122, No. 2 Johannes Brahms
(Ah, holy Jesus) (1833-1897)
Easter
Saraband (for the Morning of Easter) Herbert Howells
(1892-1983)
Ascension
Chant donné en hommage à Jean Gallon Maurice Duruflé
From L’Ascension Olivier Messiaen
(1908-1992)
III. Transports de joie d’une âme devant la gloire du Christ qui est la sienne
(Outbursts of joy of a soul before the glory of Christ which is its own glory)
Pentecost
Veni Sancte Spiritus (2017) Margaret Vardell Sandresky
Five Versets on the Golden Sequence (b. 1921)
Invocation: “Come, thou Holy Spirit, come”
1. “Shed a ray of light divine”
2. “Thou of comforters, the best”
3. “Shine within these hearts of thine”
4. “Guide the steps that go astray”
5. “In thy sev’nfold gifts descend, Give them joys that never end.”
From Celebrations of God in Nature (1979) Robert Ward
1. The Glorious Sun (1917-2013)
2. The Pensive Moon
From Symphonie III, Op. 28 Louis Vierne
V. Final (1870-1937)
Program Notes
The focus of this program is a musical reflexion on the liturgical year. Framing these pieces will be works of Bach, Ward and Vierne.
The Prelude and Fugue in D Major, BWV 532, is an exuberant work of the composer’s youth. It is typical of Bach’s output from his years in Arnstadt and early in his Weimar tenure. The Prelude opens with pedal scales and is in three main sections, the closing of which is rife with dramatic chromaticism and double pedal. The fugue subject features repetitive figuration standard for 17th century German keyboard music. The fugue is playful throughout and ends with a jubilant pedal cadenza.
Karg-Elert was a late-romantic German composer who wrote primarily for the organ and harmonium. In 1919 he was appointed professor of music theory and composition at the Leipzig Conservatory. His first major work for the organ, the Chorale-Improvisations, Op. 65, appeared in 1909. This is a collection of 66 chorale-based pieces; the setting on Wachet auf is one of the finest examples in the set. This piece is reflective of the text with expressive changes in dynamics and tempo.
Alexandre Guilmant was admired worldwide as a performer, being one of the first organists to travel extensively for concerts. He played throughout Europe and was featured in 40 recitals for the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. He also served for 30 years as organist of the Church of the Holy Trinity (La Trinité) in Paris and was a sought-after teacher. In 1896 he succeeded Widor as professor of organ at the Paris Conservatory. In addition, he was one of the most important French organ composers of the 19th century. He wrote prolifically for his instrument and among his works are numerous pieces for Christmas. His Noël polonais is a beautiful set of variations on the Polish carol “Infant holy, infant lowly.”
Maurice Duruflé, organist at the Church of St. Étienne-du-Mont in Paris and professor of harmony at the Paris Conservatory, was among the most important French organ and choral composers of the 20th century. Even though his total oeuvre is relatively small, the quality of his works is remarkable. The Prélude sur l’introït de l’épiphanie was composed in 1961 and is written in the style of an improvisation on the Introit (plainsong) for the Feast of the Epiphany.
Bach’s setting on Wenn wir in höchsten Nöten sein (Whenever we are in deepest need) is one of the 46 chorale preludes in the Orgelbüchlein (Little Organ Book), a compendium of the various techniques Bach used in elaborating chorales. Most of the pieces in this collection were written around 1714 when Bach was in Weimar. This piece, BWV 641, is an exquisite example of Bach’s use of French ornamentation.
Johannes Brahms, with Bach, is among the most important composers in the canon of western art music. Despite his relative lack of organ music, he had great appreciation for the instrument. With Clara and Robert Schumann, he made extensive study of counterpoint and in particular, the works of Bach. His early works for organ include two preludes and fugues and a sublime Fugue in A flat minor. At the end of his life, he composed, in memory of Clara Schumann, his Elf Choralvorspielen (Eleven Chorale Preludes), Op. 122. All are beautiful, but the setting on Herzliebster Jesu is particularly poignant.
The name Herbert Howells is synonymous with the great tradition of Anglican choral music. In addition to his nearly 20 settings of the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis, he composed a significant amount of organ music including his Rhapsodies and many Psalm-Preludes. The Saraband (for the Morning of Easter) hearkens back to the sarabandes of the English Renaissance with the standard triple meter and accent on the second beat. The harmonic language is the epitome of Howells and the registrations make full use of the organ. The majestic ending expresses the exultation of the risen Christ and the overwhelming joy of Easter.
Duruflé’s brief Chant donné en hommage à Jean Gallon comes from a collection of 64 short pieces composed in honor of Jean Gallon, professor of harmony at the Paris Conservatory, 1919-1949. This gentle piece was chosen to serve as a bridge between the much louder selections before and after it.
Olivier Messiaen was, like Guilmant, organist at La Trinité in Paris. Messiaen’s tenure, though, was double that of Guilmant. He served the church from 1931 until his death in 1992, some 61 years. He also was known as a legendary professor of composition at the Paris Conservatory. Equally exemplary was his career as one of the most important and influential composers of the 20th century. All of his compositions are imbued with the mysticism of his deep and fervent Roman Catholic faith. L’Ascension was originally composed in 1932-33 as four symphonic meditations for orchestra. In 1933-34 Messiaen transcribed the work for solo organ, but replaced the original third movement, Alleluia sur la trompette, Alleluia sur la cymbale, with a new piece: Transports de joie… This magnificent and brilliant toccata places supreme demands on instrument and performer alike, and it demonstrates the ecstasy and glory of Christ’s ascension.
Margaret Vardell Sandresky is one of the oldest living composers in the world today. She was 98 on April 28, 2019 and continues to live independently in Winston-Salem, NC. She received a master’s degree from the Eastman School of Music where she studied composition with Howard Hanson and Bernard Rogers and organ with Harold Gleason. She later studied in Germany as a Fulbright Scholar with Helmut Walcha. Sandresky’s organ works comprise 10 volumes published by Wayne Leupold Editions. One of her most recent compositions, Veni Sancte Spiritus, was written in 2017 and is unpublished. This work shows the lyricism and tonal beauty for which Sandresky is known. Among the variations are colorful registrations and delightful text painting. The second variation, “Thou of comforters, the best,” is the longest variation, and the fourth, “Guide the steps that go astray,” is particularly descriptive of the text. In this variation, the pedal line moves in constant eight notes from high F down to low C and back up to the highest pedal note, G natural. After a glorious crescendo to the climax, the piece ends quietly in the fifth and final variation.
Robert Ward, a peer of Sandresky, also studied at Eastman with Howard Hanson. Ward composed in most genres and has been lauded for his work in opera. He received the Pulitzer Prize for The Crucible, an opera based on the play of the same title by Arthur Miller. Ward was commissioned by the American Guild of Organists to write a work for the 1980 AGO national convention in Minneapolis, MN. Celebrations of God in Nature, the result of this commission, was completed in 1979 and includes three movements: The Glorious Sun; The Pensive Moon, and The Capricious Wind. The brief opening section of the first movement is followed by a jaunty fugue. There is a wide range of dynamics throughout and a crescendo builds gradually as the sun seems to emerge through the clouds. The second movement is softer and slower, but has great intensity. There are moments when the influence of American blues is evident. This is the most profound of the three movements. The third movement, The Capricious Wind, will be the closing voluntary for the Eucharist on Thursday, July 11.
Louis Vierne, the blind French organist who served the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris from 1900 until his death at the console in 1937, is known as one of the last great French romantic composers. The Vierne work on this recital was chosen as a way of paying homage to the great composer and organist, but also as a tribute to the grand sacred space he loved so immensely. Vierne toured in the 1920s playing recitals in order to garner financial support for Notre Dame and its restoration. The great fire of 2019 marks yet another time in history when this extraordinary edifice faces a new era after restoration. Vierne’s Third Organ Symphony was composed in 1911 after a period of great tragedy and despair for the composer. Much of the symphony shows the angst and sadness experienced by Vierne. The Final is a brilliant French toccata with a solid structure. The form, sonata-allegro, is clearly defined with straightforward statements of the first and second themes in the exposition. The main sections, exposition - development - recapitulation & coda are evident and brought about by changes in registration. The struggle suggested in the thematic material, chromatic harmony, and tonal center of F sharp minor shift to a glorious and majestic closing section in F sharp major. Thus the work is brought to a magnificent close.
J.M.
——--
Jack Mitchener is Professor of Organ and Church Music, University Organist, Chairman of the Keyboard Department and Director of the Townsend-McAfee Institute of Church Music in the Townsend School of Music at Mercer University, Macon, Georgia. In addition, he is Organist & Artist-in-Residence at the Cathedral of St. Philip (Episcopal) in Atlanta. He previously served as Organist/Choirmaster at Christ Church, Episcopal, in Macon, GA and Organist at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Winston-Salem, NC. He also is a former organ professor at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Salem College, and the Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School.
Jack Mitchener has been praised for playing that is technically brilliant, yet expressive and poetic. According to The American Organist, "Mitchener brings music to life with his supple rhythmic control, clear phrasing, energy, and sensitivity." In response to his recording on the historic Salem Tannenberg organ, Dulcet Tones, a reviewer for the International Record Review of London asserted: "Superb…an impressive and rather moving listening experience.” He was invited to participate as a performer for the 2016 Eastman Rochester Organ Initiative in Rochester, NY and garnered this review: “Mitchener’s masterful playing and sensitivity to both congregation and instrument was the high point of the conference,” The Diapason.
He has concertized extensively throughout the USA, Europe, and Asia, and many of his performances have been heard on American Public Media's “Pipe Dreams.” He has performed in notable venues such as the Church of St. Sulpice and the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris; St. Thomas Church, New York City; the Church of St. Augustine in Vienna; the Church of St. James (Jacobikirche) in Lubeck, Germany; and the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. He also has collaborated with Nick Eanet (Concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra), the Mendelssohn and Ying String Quartets, lutenist Paul O'Dette, and composer John Corigliano. While still an undergraduate student, he was the national winner of the Music Teachers National Association Organ Competition. Later he was a laureate in the Dublin International Organ Competition. He has recorded numerous CDs (both as soloist and collaborator) for the Raven, Albany and other labels.
He has performed the complete organ works of J. S. Bach in a series of fifteen recitals and also has given recitals, lectures, and master classes for national and regional conventions of the American Guild of Organists, the Organ Historical Society, the Music Teachers National Association, the Historical Keyboard Society in North America, the Society for Seventeenth-Century Music, the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada, the Association of Anglican Musicians, the Fellowship of United Methodist Musicians, and the Presbyterian Association of Musicians. He has been a guest performer and teacher at numerous universities throughout the USA as well as institutions in Hong Kong and Japan. He also has premiered works by Emma Lou Diemer, Dan Locklair, and Margaret Vardell Sandresky.
His major teachers include Marie-Claire Alain, David Craighead, David Higgs, John Mueller, and Russell Saunders (organ); Gerre Hancock (improvisation); Louise Leach, Kimberly Kabala, and Clifton Matthews (piano); and Arthur Haas and Huguette Dreyfus (harpsichord). He took three degrees (DMA, master’s in organ and master’s in harpsichord) as well as two Performer’s Certificates in organ and harpsichord from The Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester. During his studies at the Conservatoire National de Rueil-Malmaison, France, he was unanimously awarded the Médaille d'or (Gold Medal), Prix d'Excellence, and Prix de Virtuosité. His high school diploma and bachelor's degree are from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
For the American Guild of Organists, Jack Mitchener currently serves as dean of the Atlanta chapter. A former dean of the Winston-Salem chapter, he also was a member of the National Committee on Professional Education. He has served as an adjudicator for numerous competitions including the Biarritz International Competition in France and the AGO national competition in July 2018 in Kansas City. He is a former President of the Board of Trustees of the Moravian Music Foundation and is a member of the Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society. He is represented by Penny Lorenz Artist Management of Seattle, Washington.
Gerre Hancock Memorial Concert
Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Jack Mitchener, organist
-PROGRAM-
Prelude and Fugue in D Major, BWV 532 Johann Sebastian Bach
(1685-1750)
Repertoire for the Liturgical Year
Advent
Chorale-Improvisation on Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, Op. 65, No. 33 Sigfrid Karg-Elert
(Sleepers wake, a voice is calling) (1877-1933)
Christmas
Noël polonais (Variations on the Polish carol “Infant holy, infant lowly) Alexandre Guilmant
(1837-1911)
Epiphany
Prélude sur l’introït de l’épiphanie, Op. 13 Maurice Duruflé
(1902-1986)
Lent
Chorale Prelude on Wenn wir in höchsten Nöten sein, BWV 641 J. S. Bach
(Whenever we are in deepest need)
Good Friday
Chorale Prelude on Herzliebster Jesu, Op. 122, No. 2 Johannes Brahms
(Ah, holy Jesus) (1833-1897)
Easter
Saraband (for the Morning of Easter) Herbert Howells
(1892-1983)
Ascension
Chant donné en hommage à Jean Gallon Maurice Duruflé
From L’Ascension Olivier Messiaen
(1908-1992)
III. Transports de joie d’une âme devant la gloire du Christ qui est la sienne
(Outbursts of joy of a soul before the glory of Christ which is its own glory)
Pentecost
Veni Sancte Spiritus (2017) Margaret Vardell Sandresky
Five Versets on the Golden Sequence (b. 1921)
Invocation: “Come, thou Holy Spirit, come”
1. “Shed a ray of light divine”
2. “Thou of comforters, the best”
3. “Shine within these hearts of thine”
4. “Guide the steps that go astray”
5. “In thy sev’nfold gifts descend, Give them joys that never end.”
From Celebrations of God in Nature (1979) Robert Ward
1. The Glorious Sun (1917-2013)
2. The Pensive Moon
From Symphonie III, Op. 28 Louis Vierne
V. Final (1870-1937)
Program Notes
The focus of this program is a musical reflexion on the liturgical year. Framing these pieces will be works of Bach, Ward and Vierne.
The Prelude and Fugue in D Major, BWV 532, is an exuberant work of the composer’s youth. It is typical of Bach’s output from his years in Arnstadt and early in his Weimar tenure. The Prelude opens with pedal scales and is in three main sections, the closing of which is rife with dramatic chromaticism and double pedal. The fugue subject features repetitive figuration standard for 17th century German keyboard music. The fugue is playful throughout and ends with a jubilant pedal cadenza.
Karg-Elert was a late-romantic German composer who wrote primarily for the organ and harmonium. In 1919 he was appointed professor of music theory and composition at the Leipzig Conservatory. His first major work for the organ, the Chorale-Improvisations, Op. 65, appeared in 1909. This is a collection of 66 chorale-based pieces; the setting on Wachet auf is one of the finest examples in the set. This piece is reflective of the text with expressive changes in dynamics and tempo.
Alexandre Guilmant was admired worldwide as a performer, being one of the first organists to travel extensively for concerts. He played throughout Europe and was featured in 40 recitals for the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. He also served for 30 years as organist of the Church of the Holy Trinity (La Trinité) in Paris and was a sought-after teacher. In 1896 he succeeded Widor as professor of organ at the Paris Conservatory. In addition, he was one of the most important French organ composers of the 19th century. He wrote prolifically for his instrument and among his works are numerous pieces for Christmas. His Noël polonais is a beautiful set of variations on the Polish carol “Infant holy, infant lowly.”
Maurice Duruflé, organist at the Church of St. Étienne-du-Mont in Paris and professor of harmony at the Paris Conservatory, was among the most important French organ and choral composers of the 20th century. Even though his total oeuvre is relatively small, the quality of his works is remarkable. The Prélude sur l’introït de l’épiphanie was composed in 1961 and is written in the style of an improvisation on the Introit (plainsong) for the Feast of the Epiphany.
Bach’s setting on Wenn wir in höchsten Nöten sein (Whenever we are in deepest need) is one of the 46 chorale preludes in the Orgelbüchlein (Little Organ Book), a compendium of the various techniques Bach used in elaborating chorales. Most of the pieces in this collection were written around 1714 when Bach was in Weimar. This piece, BWV 641, is an exquisite example of Bach’s use of French ornamentation.
Johannes Brahms, with Bach, is among the most important composers in the canon of western art music. Despite his relative lack of organ music, he had great appreciation for the instrument. With Clara and Robert Schumann, he made extensive study of counterpoint and in particular, the works of Bach. His early works for organ include two preludes and fugues and a sublime Fugue in A flat minor. At the end of his life, he composed, in memory of Clara Schumann, his Elf Choralvorspielen (Eleven Chorale Preludes), Op. 122. All are beautiful, but the setting on Herzliebster Jesu is particularly poignant.
The name Herbert Howells is synonymous with the great tradition of Anglican choral music. In addition to his nearly 20 settings of the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis, he composed a significant amount of organ music including his Rhapsodies and many Psalm-Preludes. The Saraband (for the Morning of Easter) hearkens back to the sarabandes of the English Renaissance with the standard triple meter and accent on the second beat. The harmonic language is the epitome of Howells and the registrations make full use of the organ. The majestic ending expresses the exultation of the risen Christ and the overwhelming joy of Easter.
Duruflé’s brief Chant donné en hommage à Jean Gallon comes from a collection of 64 short pieces composed in honor of Jean Gallon, professor of harmony at the Paris Conservatory, 1919-1949. This gentle piece was chosen to serve as a bridge between the much louder selections before and after it.
Olivier Messiaen was, like Guilmant, organist at La Trinité in Paris. Messiaen’s tenure, though, was double that of Guilmant. He served the church from 1931 until his death in 1992, some 61 years. He also was known as a legendary professor of composition at the Paris Conservatory. Equally exemplary was his career as one of the most important and influential composers of the 20th century. All of his compositions are imbued with the mysticism of his deep and fervent Roman Catholic faith. L’Ascension was originally composed in 1932-33 as four symphonic meditations for orchestra. In 1933-34 Messiaen transcribed the work for solo organ, but replaced the original third movement, Alleluia sur la trompette, Alleluia sur la cymbale, with a new piece: Transports de joie… This magnificent and brilliant toccata places supreme demands on instrument and performer alike, and it demonstrates the ecstasy and glory of Christ’s ascension.
Margaret Vardell Sandresky is one of the oldest living composers in the world today. She was 98 on April 28, 2019 and continues to live independently in Winston-Salem, NC. She received a master’s degree from the Eastman School of Music where she studied composition with Howard Hanson and Bernard Rogers and organ with Harold Gleason. She later studied in Germany as a Fulbright Scholar with Helmut Walcha. Sandresky’s organ works comprise 10 volumes published by Wayne Leupold Editions. One of her most recent compositions, Veni Sancte Spiritus, was written in 2017 and is unpublished. This work shows the lyricism and tonal beauty for which Sandresky is known. Among the variations are colorful registrations and delightful text painting. The second variation, “Thou of comforters, the best,” is the longest variation, and the fourth, “Guide the steps that go astray,” is particularly descriptive of the text. In this variation, the pedal line moves in constant eight notes from high F down to low C and back up to the highest pedal note, G natural. After a glorious crescendo to the climax, the piece ends quietly in the fifth and final variation.
Robert Ward, a peer of Sandresky, also studied at Eastman with Howard Hanson. Ward composed in most genres and has been lauded for his work in opera. He received the Pulitzer Prize for The Crucible, an opera based on the play of the same title by Arthur Miller. Ward was commissioned by the American Guild of Organists to write a work for the 1980 AGO national convention in Minneapolis, MN. Celebrations of God in Nature, the result of this commission, was completed in 1979 and includes three movements: The Glorious Sun; The Pensive Moon, and The Capricious Wind. The brief opening section of the first movement is followed by a jaunty fugue. There is a wide range of dynamics throughout and a crescendo builds gradually as the sun seems to emerge through the clouds. The second movement is softer and slower, but has great intensity. There are moments when the influence of American blues is evident. This is the most profound of the three movements. The third movement, The Capricious Wind, will be the closing voluntary for the Eucharist on Thursday, July 11.
Louis Vierne, the blind French organist who served the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris from 1900 until his death at the console in 1937, is known as one of the last great French romantic composers. The Vierne work on this recital was chosen as a way of paying homage to the great composer and organist, but also as a tribute to the grand sacred space he loved so immensely. Vierne toured in the 1920s playing recitals in order to garner financial support for Notre Dame and its restoration. The great fire of 2019 marks yet another time in history when this extraordinary edifice faces a new era after restoration. Vierne’s Third Organ Symphony was composed in 1911 after a period of great tragedy and despair for the composer. Much of the symphony shows the angst and sadness experienced by Vierne. The Final is a brilliant French toccata with a solid structure. The form, sonata-allegro, is clearly defined with straightforward statements of the first and second themes in the exposition. The main sections, exposition - development - recapitulation & coda are evident and brought about by changes in registration. The struggle suggested in the thematic material, chromatic harmony, and tonal center of F sharp minor shift to a glorious and majestic closing section in F sharp major. Thus the work is brought to a magnificent close.
J.M.
——--
Jack Mitchener is Professor of Organ and Church Music, University Organist, Chairman of the Keyboard Department and Director of the Townsend-McAfee Institute of Church Music in the Townsend School of Music at Mercer University, Macon, Georgia. In addition, he is Organist & Artist-in-Residence at the Cathedral of St. Philip (Episcopal) in Atlanta. He previously served as Organist/Choirmaster at Christ Church, Episcopal, in Macon, GA and Organist at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Winston-Salem, NC. He also is a former organ professor at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Salem College, and the Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School.
Jack Mitchener has been praised for playing that is technically brilliant, yet expressive and poetic. According to The American Organist, "Mitchener brings music to life with his supple rhythmic control, clear phrasing, energy, and sensitivity." In response to his recording on the historic Salem Tannenberg organ, Dulcet Tones, a reviewer for the International Record Review of London asserted: "Superb…an impressive and rather moving listening experience.” He was invited to participate as a performer for the 2016 Eastman Rochester Organ Initiative in Rochester, NY and garnered this review: “Mitchener’s masterful playing and sensitivity to both congregation and instrument was the high point of the conference,” The Diapason.
He has concertized extensively throughout the USA, Europe, and Asia, and many of his performances have been heard on American Public Media's “Pipe Dreams.” He has performed in notable venues such as the Church of St. Sulpice and the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris; St. Thomas Church, New York City; the Church of St. Augustine in Vienna; the Church of St. James (Jacobikirche) in Lubeck, Germany; and the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. He also has collaborated with Nick Eanet (Concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra), the Mendelssohn and Ying String Quartets, lutenist Paul O'Dette, and composer John Corigliano. While still an undergraduate student, he was the national winner of the Music Teachers National Association Organ Competition. Later he was a laureate in the Dublin International Organ Competition. He has recorded numerous CDs (both as soloist and collaborator) for the Raven, Albany and other labels.
He has performed the complete organ works of J. S. Bach in a series of fifteen recitals and also has given recitals, lectures, and master classes for national and regional conventions of the American Guild of Organists, the Organ Historical Society, the Music Teachers National Association, the Historical Keyboard Society in North America, the Society for Seventeenth-Century Music, the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada, the Association of Anglican Musicians, the Fellowship of United Methodist Musicians, and the Presbyterian Association of Musicians. He has been a guest performer and teacher at numerous universities throughout the USA as well as institutions in Hong Kong and Japan. He also has premiered works by Emma Lou Diemer, Dan Locklair, and Margaret Vardell Sandresky.
His major teachers include Marie-Claire Alain, David Craighead, David Higgs, John Mueller, and Russell Saunders (organ); Gerre Hancock (improvisation); Louise Leach, Kimberly Kabala, and Clifton Matthews (piano); and Arthur Haas and Huguette Dreyfus (harpsichord). He took three degrees (DMA, master’s in organ and master’s in harpsichord) as well as two Performer’s Certificates in organ and harpsichord from The Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester. During his studies at the Conservatoire National de Rueil-Malmaison, France, he was unanimously awarded the Médaille d'or (Gold Medal), Prix d'Excellence, and Prix de Virtuosité. His high school diploma and bachelor's degree are from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
For the American Guild of Organists, Jack Mitchener currently serves as dean of the Atlanta chapter. A former dean of the Winston-Salem chapter, he also was a member of the National Committee on Professional Education. He has served as an adjudicator for numerous competitions including the Biarritz International Competition in France and the AGO national competition in July 2018 in Kansas City. He is a former President of the Board of Trustees of the Moravian Music Foundation and is a member of the Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society. He is represented by Penny Lorenz Artist Management of Seattle, Washington.
