BIOGRAPHY

Praised for his “consummate musicianship, virtuosity, and commitment,” (American Record Guide, September/October 2020) concert organist JAMES D. HICKS, creator of the celebrated Nordic Journeys series of recordings and publications, held liturgical positions throughout the USA for thirty-five years but now devotes himself exclusively to concerts, publishing, and recording projects. A graduate of the Peabody Conservatory of Music, Yale University, and the University of Cincinnati, Hicks also studied at the Royal School of Church Music in the UK. 

Over the past fifteen years, James has researched the music of the Nordic lands resulting in the ongoing venture entitled Nordic Journey. The endeavor emphasizes new music, and he has commissioned over seventy compositions from Nordic composers and other musicians of northern Europe, as well as researching repertoire from the past that has hitherto never been recorded or published. With the December 2023 release of Nordic Journey Volume XV, Baltic Sojourn, the series now comprises twenty-four discs, all produced for the American label Pro Organo, distributed by Naxos, and available to stream on major digital platforms.

A parallel aspect of the Nordic Journey project is the production of hardbound editions of music featured in the series, including premiere publications of many of the works James has commissioned and several previously unavailable compositions from earlier eras. In 2018, the Norwegian firm Cantando released The Nordic Journey Series Volume I, and in 2020, Norsk Musikforlag published The Nordic Journey Series Volume II (both available at musikkforlagene.no). In October 2022, Norsk Musikforlag produced the third volume of the series, and a fourth volume is set for release in 2025. James has also collaborated with the Finnish publisher, Edition Tilli (editiontilli.fi) to produce premiere editions of Finnish and Baltic organ music. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, James wrote the first full-length book devoted to the complete works for organ by Norwegian composer Kjell Mørk Karlsen on the occasion of the artist's seventy-fifth birthday. He also contributed a chapter to a study of the music of Swedish composer Fredrik Sixten. Norsk Musikforlag published the Karlsen book in March 2022 and the Sixten project will appear later in 2024. 

Continuing the Nordic Journey project, James traveled to Germany in May  2024 to record Nordic Journey Volume XVI-Germanic Connections using the organ of Pauluskirche, Ulm in a program demonstrating the interaction of influences between the Teutonic and Nordic traditions. Upcoming recording projects include the double-disc Nordic Journey XVII-North Atlantic Voyage, a recording scheduled for August 2024 featuring music from Norway, mainland Scotland, the Hebrides, Orkney, Shetland, Faroe, Iceland, and Greenland. This endeavor will be produced in northern Norway at Bodø Cathedral and Halgrímskirkja, Reykjavík, Iceland.

In addition to his work concerning the organ and its literature, James is an enthusiastic exponent of traditional music from the British Isles, performing on several instruments associated with these traditions. James is also an avid hiker and has walked the historic Hadrian's Wall trail in Northern England and traversed numerous sections of the Appalachian Trail in the USA. He currently lives and works in Califon, New Jersey.