John Walker

Organ

Church musician and concert organist, John Walker is Minister of Music Emeritus at Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church in Baltimore and Artist-in-Residence at Trinity Episcopal Church, Long Green, MD, following distinguished tenures at The Riverside Church in the City of New York and Shadyside Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh. He is acclaimed for his dynamic skills in service playing, which he has presented in workshops throughout America and Asia. Gothic Pro Organo and JAV recordings have issued numerous CD recordings of his organ performances and choirs under his direction.

As a concert organist, John Walker has performed throughout America, Europe and Asia. In 2005, he performed his third solo recital at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris; in 2006, he made his fourth concert visit to Korea and his 11th such visit to Taiwan. In 1999, John Walker was a Fulbright Fellow to Taiwan, where he appeared frequently with the National Symphony Orchestra and performed and taught throughout the country.

He has appeared in recitals and with orchestras and choruses throughout America. In several seasons with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, he performed Lou Harrison's Concerto for Organ and Percussion, Leos Janácek's Glagolithic Mass, and the world premier of Steven Mackey's Pedal Tones, commissioned by the San Francisco Symphony. He has performed recitals, presented hymn festivals and workshops both at regional and national conventions of the American Guild of Organists, the Montreat Conference, the Mo Ranch Conference, and the Colby Institute.

Choirs under John Walker's direction have toured England and Wales, singing for services of Evensong at Westminster Abbey and York Minster; and Taiwan, presenting concerts and workshops in Tainan, Taichung, and Taipei. In America, his choirs have appeared at regional conventions of the American Choral Directors Association, and performed major works with orchestra ranging from Monteverdi through Stravinsky.

John Walker earned the Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance Practices at Stanford University, where he was Assistant University Organist. He holds two Master of Music degrees cum laude in organ and music theory from American Conservatory of Music, where he was also a member of the faculty. He has been Chair of the Organ Department at Manhattan School of Music and a member of the organ faculties at Dequesne University and San Jose State University. He is a Fellow of the American Guild of Organists.

Dr. Walker's former students hold distinguished positions in churches and academia throughout America and Asia. They have earned first prizes in performance competitions and established distinguished careers in church music and organ performance.