Jeffrey Brillhart
Encyclopedia
Jeffrey Brillhart is an American organist
and conductor
. He has served as Director of Music and Fine Arts at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church since January 1983. He is Music Director of Philadelphia's Singing City Choir, one of the first racially and religiously integrated symphonic choir
s in America. He teaches organ improvisation at Yale University
. He first gained national recognition for his abilities in organ improvisation after winning the 1994 National Competition in Organ Improvisation, sponsored by the American Guild of Organists
.
, where he studied with Russell Saunders and Barbara Lister Sink. A native Iowa
n, Brillhart has served as Director of Music and Fine Arts at the Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church since January 1983. His responsibilities at Bryn Mawr Church include directing the Senior Choir and Bryn Mawr Chamber Singers; oversight of the Vespers Series; oversight of all children and youth choirs; the West Philadelphia Children's Choir, and the church's arts outreach and visual arts ministries. He is the church's principal organist.
In June 1999, Brillhart was appointed the fourth Music Director of Singing City, having served as Associate Director in the 1998-99 season, when he worked closely with then Music Director Joseph Flummerfelt. As Music Director, Brillhart provides artistic leadership for a rich program of concerts, educational instruction in local schools, and outreach to diverse communities. He directs the choir and oversees all aspects of Singing City's musical initiatives. During his tenure with Singing City the choir has traveled to Cuba
, Northern Ireland
and the Republic of Ireland
, presented more than one hundred-fifty concerts, performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra
and the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia
, and worked with such internationally renowned artists as Helmuth Rilling
, Dave Brubeck
, Nick Page
, Moses Hogan
, Andre Thomas, Anton Armstrong
, and Weston Noble
, and Rossen Milanov. His organ, teaching, and conducting engagements have taken him throughout America, Europe
and South America
, with engagements in Paris
, Philadelphia, San Diego, Seattle, Birmingham, Alabama
, Waco, Chicago
, Pittsburgh, New York City
, Iowa City, Des Moines, Walla Walla
, and Worcester, Massachusetts
. In May 2006, he made his Pittsburgh Symphony debut in one of the inaugural concerts of the new Dobson Organ in Kimmel Center.
In May 2005, he was appointed Lecturer in Organ Improvisation at Yale University.
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
and conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
. He has served as Director of Music and Fine Arts at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church since January 1983. He is Music Director of Philadelphia's Singing City Choir, one of the first racially and religiously integrated symphonic choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
s in America. He teaches organ improvisation at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. He first gained national recognition for his abilities in organ improvisation after winning the 1994 National Competition in Organ Improvisation, sponsored by the American Guild of Organists
American Guild of Organists
The American Guild of Organists, or AGO, is a national organization of academic, church, and concert organists in the U.S., headquartered in The Interchurch Center in New York City. It was founded in 1896 as both an educational and service organization...
.
Life
He earned his MM from the Eastman School of MusicEastman School of Music
The Eastman School of Music is a music conservatory located in Rochester, New York. The Eastman School is a professional school within the University of Rochester...
, where he studied with Russell Saunders and Barbara Lister Sink. A native Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
n, Brillhart has served as Director of Music and Fine Arts at the Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church since January 1983. His responsibilities at Bryn Mawr Church include directing the Senior Choir and Bryn Mawr Chamber Singers; oversight of the Vespers Series; oversight of all children and youth choirs; the West Philadelphia Children's Choir, and the church's arts outreach and visual arts ministries. He is the church's principal organist.
In June 1999, Brillhart was appointed the fourth Music Director of Singing City, having served as Associate Director in the 1998-99 season, when he worked closely with then Music Director Joseph Flummerfelt. As Music Director, Brillhart provides artistic leadership for a rich program of concerts, educational instruction in local schools, and outreach to diverse communities. He directs the choir and oversees all aspects of Singing City's musical initiatives. During his tenure with Singing City the choir has traveled to Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
and the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, presented more than one hundred-fifty concerts, performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra
Philadelphia Orchestra
The Philadelphia Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. One of the "Big Five" American orchestras, it was founded in 1900...
and the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia
A founding resident company of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia is a 33-member professional ensemble led by Dirk Brossé...
, and worked with such internationally renowned artists as Helmuth Rilling
Helmuth Rilling
Helmuth Rilling is an internationally known German choral conductor, founder of the Gächinger Kantorei , the Bach-Collegium Stuttgart , the Oregon Bach Festival , the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart and other Bach Academies worldwide, and the "Festival Ensemble Stuttgart"...
, Dave Brubeck
Dave Brubeck
David Warren "Dave" Brubeck is an American jazz pianist. He has written a number of jazz standards, including "In Your Own Sweet Way" and "The Duke". Brubeck's style ranges from refined to bombastic, reflecting his mother's attempts at classical training and his improvisational skills...
, Nick Page
Nick Page
Nick Page may refer to:*Nick Page *Nick Page *Nick Page , a fictional character on the Australian soap opera Neighbours...
, Moses Hogan
Moses Hogan
Moses George Hogan was an African-American composer and arranger of choral music. He was best known for his very popular and accessible settings of spirituals. Hogan was a pianist, conductor and arranger of international renown...
, Andre Thomas, Anton Armstrong
Anton Armstrong
Dr. Anton Armstrong is the conductor of the St. Olaf Choir as well as the Harry R. and Thora H. Tosdal Professor of Music at St. Olaf College of Northfield, Minnesota in the USA. Armstrong became only the fourth director of the St. Olaf Choir in 1990, continuing the tradition begun by the choir's...
, and Weston Noble
Weston Noble
Weston Noble is a highly accomplished and honored American music educator and conductor.Currently guest conductor of the Augustana Choir at Augustana College in...
, and Rossen Milanov. His organ, teaching, and conducting engagements have taken him throughout America, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, with engagements in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Philadelphia, San Diego, Seattle, Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, Waco, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Pittsburgh, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Iowa City, Des Moines, Walla Walla
Walla Walla, Washington
Walla Walla is the largest city in and the county seat of Walla Walla County, Washington, United States. The population was 31,731 at the 2010 census...
, and Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
. In May 2006, he made his Pittsburgh Symphony debut in one of the inaugural concerts of the new Dobson Organ in Kimmel Center.
In May 2005, he was appointed Lecturer in Organ Improvisation at Yale University.
External links
- http://www.bmpcfinearts.org
- http://www.singingcity.org
- http://www.yale.edu/music/depts/pages/organ.html
- http://www.JeffreyBrillhart.com