
BIOGRAPHY
EMMA WHITTEN is an accomplished organist specializing in early Baroque and contemporary repertoire. She regularly performs across the United States and internationally, captivating audiences and introducing the organ to new listeners. Her programs are engaging and diverse, drawing from an extensive repertoire spanning eight centuries of organ music.
Dr. Whitten serves as Associate Organist at Christ Cathedral (formerly Crystal Cathedral) in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange County, California. The Cathedral campus is home to two landmark instruments, the five-manual Hazel Wright Organ in the Cathedral and the four-manual Fred Swann Organ in the Arboretum. As Associate Organist, Emma plays for major liturgies at the Cathedral and accompanies the Diocesan Choir. In September 2022, she released her debut recording, Hazel Is Back! (Gothic Records 49338), in celebration of the Hazel Wright Organ's recent restoration. Emma also acts as Music Coordinator at the historic Church of the Immaculate Conception in San Diego. In the Fall of 2022, she joined the faculty of Concordia University Irvine as Adjunct Professor of Organ and Church Music.
Performance venues and festivals include the Los Angeles Presidents' Day Organ Festival, St. Paul's Cathedral (San Diego, CA), Catalina Organ Festival (Tucson, AZ), Saints Simon & Jude Cathedral (Phoenix, AZ), Arizona State University, University of Arizona, Saint Mary's Basilica (Phoenix, AZ), and University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Emma has performed for American Guild of Organists chapters including Los Angeles, San Diego, Palomar, Central Arizona, and Knoxville. Internationally, Emma has performed on historic organs in Germany, Spain, Colombia, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
In addition to solo performances, Emma has accompanied large choral and orchestral works including Requiem for the Living (Dan Forrest), Lux Aeterna (Martin Lauridsen), Requiem (Fauré), Dona nobis pacem (Vaughan Williams), Crown Imperial (Walton), Messe solennelle (Vierne), and Rejoice in the Lamb (Britten).
Emma maintains a private teaching studio in Oceanside, California where she works with organists of all ages, from beginning students to professionals. She regularly acts as an adjudicator for scholarship auditions and competitions including the AGO/Quimby Regional Competitions for Young Organists and the AGO certification programs. She has served as both faculty and featured performer for Pipe Organ Encounters, week-long educational workshops for high school organists. Emma is passionate about introducing the organ to new audiences, and she is currently designing a virtual STEM workshop for high school students, introducing the physics of the organ, organ-building techniques, and repertoire inspired by scientific concepts.
In December 2014, Emma graduated with her D.M.A. in Organ Performance from Arizona State University, where she studied with Kimberly Marshall. Her doctoral dissertation, entitled “Synthesizing Styles: International Influence on Organ Music in Restoration England,” explores French and Italian musical elements in the organ works of Matthew Locke, John Blow, and Henry Purcell. In 2011, Emma received her Master of Music degree from the University of Kansas under Michael Bauer, and in 2009 she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of Notre Dame, where she studied organ with Craig Cramer. Her previous teachers include László Attila Almásy of the Bartók Conservatory in Budapest and John Brock of the University of Tennessee.

NOW STREAMING!
Emma Whitten performs on the re-envisioned and restored Hazel Wright Organ in Christ Cathedral's fresh acoustical space. With more than 17,000 pipes, 300 stops and 300 ranks. "Hazel," as the instrument is affectionately called, plays from all four corners of the cathedral building giving listener's a "surround sound" experience.














EVENTS
SOLO RECITAL
February 5, 2023, 2:00 PM
Church of the Immaculate Conception
San Diego, California
SOLO RECITAL
February 26, 2023, 2:00 PM
Spreckels Organ Pavilion
San Diego, California
Sunday recital series on the world’s largest outdoor organ
SOLO RECITAL
March 5, 2023, 5:00 PM
Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine
New York, New York
Works by Alain, Demessieux, Bach, Decker, Dupré, and Duruflé
"A WOMEN'S LITURGICAL YEAR"
March 12, 2023, 3:00 PM
Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church
San Diego, California
Sponsored by the Palomar Chapter of the American Guild of Organists
Emma Whitten and friends celebrate the liturgical year with music by women composers, especially focusing on the season of Lent
SOLO RECITAL
March 26, 2023, 2:00 PM
Church of the Immaculate Conception
San Diego, California
SOLO RECITAL
Friday, April 14, 2023, 1:00 PM
St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral
San Diego, California
Available to Live-Stream
SOLO RECITAL
April 30, 2023, 4:00 PM
Kettering Seventh Day Adventist Church
Dayton, Ohio
Emma Whitten performs on Kettering's three-manual Casavant organ
YEAR OF HAZEL - DR. EMMA WHITTEN IN CONCERT
May 3, 2023, 7:30 PM
Christ Cathedral
Garden Grove, California
The 2022-2023 concert season at Christ Cathedral in the Diocese of Orange is the Year of Hazel, celebrating the completed restoration of the iconic Hazel Wright Organ
SOLO RECITAL
Friday, May 12, 2023, 1:00 PM
St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral
San Diego, California
Available to Live-Stream
SOLO RECITAL
July 22, 2023, 1:00 PM
St. Bartholomew’s Church
Wilmslow, Cheshire, UK
Featuring the Three-manual York Organ of St. Bart's Wilmslow
"DANCING UNDER THE STARS"
35TH SAN DIEGO INTERNATIONAL SUMMER ORGAN FESTIVAL
July 31, 2023, 7:30 PM
Spreckels Organ PavilionBalboa Park, San Diego, California
Free admission
2023 CONCORDIA CHURCH MUSIC CONFERENCE
October 7, 2023, 8:30 AM - 5:30 AM
Concordia University
Irvine, California
Workshop on "Organ Chorale Preludes by Women Composers" - Explores settings of Lutheran chorales by women composers from the 19th century to the present day. Works presented will feature practical organ repertoire for use throughout the liturgical year.
SOLO RECITAL
November 3, 2023, 1:00 PM
St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral
San Diego, California
Available to Live-Stream HERE
SOLO RECITAL
November 26, 2023, 7:00 PM
Saint Vincent de Paul
Fort Wayne, IN
Organ recital celebrating the feast of Christ the King
RANCHO BERNARDO COMMUNITY CHURCH 2023-2024 CONCERT SERIES
March 10, 2024, 4:00 PM PDT
Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church
San Diego, California
SOLO RECITAL - FISK ORGAN SERIES
May 17, 2024, 7:00 PM MST
Camelback Bible Church
Paradise Valley, Arizona
Dedication Recital Series for C.B. Fisk's Op. 67a
WOMEN IN THE WEST: MUSFORUM CONFERENCE 2024
May 18-19, 2024
Pinnacle Presbyterian Church
Scottsdale, Arizona
A lecture recital on women organists in Latin America, from the 16th century to the present. Performed on the three-manual Richards, Fowkes, & Co. organ of Pinnacle Presbyterian