STEPHEN PRICE

Organist

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"Stephen Price's debut CD, Paris Impact Organ Suites is a wonderful representation of both the artist and the instrument. The registration is fabulous plus style, musicality, appeal, and excitement for the listener."

- Wilma Jensen (August 2021)

"Stephen Price brilliantly played a recital featuring 20th and 21st century compositions for the organ on the Noack, Op. 152, at the Cathedral of St. Joseph the Workman, Lacrosse, WI. An exciting program."

- Michael Barone (August 2021)

"Stephen Price's artistry on the Dobson, Op.54 was absolutely superb and the Lanquetuit Toccata was beyond exciting."

- John Sasse, St. Paul's Lutheran, Columbus, Indiana, Concert Series

NOW AVAILABLE FROM

RAVEN COMPACT DISCS

"It’s very difficult to fault this disc: a splendid and versatile instrument, formidably played in significant and not over-familiar repertoire." Paris Impact Organ Suites CD Review - Barnaby Page

Notes from Stephen Price:

I have chosen music to demonstrate the tonal palette of the Goulding & Wood organ, Op. 45, in Sursa Hall at Ball State University. Having served on the faculty beginning in 2018, it has been a joy exploring the instrument. I constantly discover the variety of tonal colors available, ranging from the French Classical, French Romantic, as well as Germanic characteristics, to 20th-century schools of organ playing. The theme, Paris Impact Organ Suites, centers around works by Pierre DuMage, Jehan Alain, and Ned Rorem, all of whom studied composition in Paris. The pieces featured represent the impact of their formal education on their compositional output.

BIOGRAPHY

STEPHEN PRICE currently teaches organ, church music, and music theory at Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana. He is a native of Buffalo, New York, where he served as Assistant Minister of Music at Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church, and Organ Scholar during his senior year of high school at St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral. Subsequently, he attended Western Connecticut State University, where he received a Bachelor of Music degree and served as Organ Scholar at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church on the Green in Norwalk, Connecticut. Following his undergraduate career, Dr. Price received a Fulbright Scholarship to Toulouse, France, where he studied “Historical and Modern” performance practices of French Organ Music. Dr. Price then attended the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, receiving the Master of Music and Doctor of Music degrees under the tutelage of Dr. Janette Fishell. During his graduate studies, Dr. Price competed and garnered awards in several international competitions, including the Franz Schmidt Organ Competition (Austria), André Marchal Organ Competition (France), and the Canadian International Organ Competition (Montreal). He also was the first recitalists to play on the Supernova Series, a partnership between Piedmont College, Demorest, Georgia, and the Indiana University Organ Department under the direction of Dr. James Mellichamp.

After completing his course work at Indiana University, Dr. Price accepted a full-time position as Associate Director of Music and Organist at First United Methodist Church, San Diego, California, serving from 2015-17. His duties included accompanying the 150 plus member Sanctuary Choir and Masterworks Chorale both under the direction of Dr. Stan Wicks. Additionally, he was invited to perform at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park. In 2019, Dr. Price was a performer and served on the jury for the Regional Competition for Young Organists at the Northeast Regional American Guild of Organists Convention in Buffalo, New York. Most recently, Dr. Price was a presenter for the OrganFest 2020 virtual PipeTalk series, titled "A Discussion for New Organ Teachers: Where to Start and How to Proceed?" In the fall of 2020, Dr. Price participated in a new webinar series on teaching, presenting on “Building an Organist Artistry through Literature Choices” sponsored by the AGO’s committee on continuing professional education. Concert performances have included venues throughout the Midwest and Alaska.

Recent appearances include: The Episcopal Cathedral of St. Philip (Atlanta, GA); Christ Church Episcopal Cathedral (Indianapolis, IN); Music For A Great Space Series (Greensboro, NC); First Presbyterian (South Bend, IN); Hyde Park Community United Methodist (Cincinnati, OH), and the January 2022 Pipedreams Broadcast (program #2205), The Price is Right! hosted by Michael Barone.

In addition to his teaching duties at Ball State, Dr. Price is the coordinator for the Sursa American Organ Competition; a National Event started by his predecessor, Raúl Prieto Ramírez. Dr. Price served on the Indianapolis AGO executive committee 2019-2022, and currently serves on the Organ Historical Society’s Advisory Membership committee. Recently, Dr. Price served as an adjudicator for the First Presbyterian National Organ Playing Competition (Fort Wayne, IN) and the Strader Organ Scholarship Competition (University of Cincinnati). Dr. Price has served as Music Director at Holy Trinity Lutheran (ELCA), New Castle, Indiana, and most recently as Organist at High Street United Methodist Church, Muncie, IN, working alongside colleague Dr. Andrew Crow (Music Director and Ball State Choral Faculty). Together, they have implemented an organ scholar program at High Street UMC with the hopes of inspiring and training future church musicians.

Additional teachers and mentors include Marguerite Robinson, Andrew Scanlon, Stephen Roberts, Vince Edwards, Michel Bouvard, Jan Willem Jansen, Bruce Neswick, Elisabeth Wright, and Dr. Wilma Jensen.

Recently, Dr. Price's debut album Paris Impact Organ Suites was released by the Raven recording label and is available for purchase HERE.