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EMMA WHITTEN

Organist

Biography

Photo and Video Gallery

Events

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Emma Whitten: Welcome
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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.

Emma Whitten: Profiles
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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.

Emma Whitten: About Us
Emma Whitten: Video
Emma Whitten: Pro Gallery

EVENTS

FACULTY RECITAL

October 9, 2022, 3:00 PM

Concordia University, Irvine, CU Center 

Irvine, California

Faculty recital on Concordia University Irvine's III/59 Casavant organ

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

HERE

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 

HERE


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

WOMEN IN THE WEST: MUSFORUM CONFERENCE 2024

May 2024 (details TBA)

Pinnacle Presbyterian Church

Scottsdale, Arizona

A concert of music by women composers, featuring practical works that span the liturgical year. Performed on the three-manual Richards, Fowkes, & Co. organ of Pinnacle Presbyterian

Emma Whitten: Events
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