Stephen Tharp

 

Stephen Tharp, hailed as "every bit the equal of any organist" (The American Organist magazine) and "the consummate creative artist" (Michael Barone, Pipedreams), is recognized as one of the great concert organists of our age. Having accumulated 33 intercontinental solo tours and over 800 North American concerts, Stephen Tharp has built one of the most well-respected international careers in the world, earning him the reputation as the most traveled concert organist of his generation. He is listed in the 2008 edition of Who's Who in America, and was a featured artist at the 2008 National Convention of the American Guild of Organists.

His list of performances since 1987 includes such distinguished venues as St. Bavo, Haarlem; The Royal Albert Hall, London; St. Eustache, Paris; St. Peter's Basilica, Rome; The Hong Kong Cultural Centre; the Town Hall, Sydney, Australia; Tchaikovsky Hall, Moscow; the Tonhalle, Zurich; Cologne Cathedral and the Gewandhaus, Leipzig, Germany; Dvorak Hall, Prague; the Hallgrimskirkja, Reykjavik, Iceland; The Kimmel Center, Philadelphia; The Crystal Cathedral, Garden Grove, CA; Grace Cathedral, San Francisco; The Riverside Church, New York City; and Severance Hall, Cleveland.Ever since performing Aaron Copland's Piano Variations at age 13 for the composer, Stephen Tharp has embraced a great passion for music of our time, leading him to commission works from such composers as Samuel Adler, David Briggs, Thierry Escaich, Eugenio Fagiani, Jean Guillou, Philip Moore, Anthony Newman, Martha Sullivan and Morgan Simmons.

In April 2008, Stephen Tharp was named the Official Organist for the NY visit of Pope Benedict XVI, playing for three major events attended by more than 60,000 people that were broadcast live worldwide. In November 2005, Pipedreams broadcast an entire programme dedicated soley to his career. His numerous organ recordings can be found on the JAV, Aeolus, Naxos, Organum and Ethereal labels, and are available from the Organ Historical Society and JAV Recordings.

Stephen Tharp earned his BA degree, magna cum laude, from Illinois College, Jacksonville, IL and his MM from Northwestern University, Chicago, where he studied with Rudolf Zuiderveld and Wolfgang Rübsam, respectively. He also worked privately with Jean Guillou in Paris.

 

Recital Program (subject to change):

Thierry Escaich (b. 1965) 
Trois Poèmes (2002)
III. Vers l‘Esperance
 
Charles-Marie Jean Albert Widor (1844-1937)
Organ Symphony No. 8, Op. 42, No. 4
VI. Adagio
VII. Finale
 
Jeanne Demessieux (1911-1968)
Six Études, Op. 5
IV. Accordes alternés
VI. Octaves
 
Sigfried Karg-Elert (1877-1933)
Valse Mignonne, Op. 142, No. 2
 
Max Reger (1873-1916)
Fantasia and Fugue on How brightly shines the morning star, Op. 40, no. 1

 

 

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