Carol Anne Williams

D.M.A. The doctor of musical arts (DMA) is a doctoral academic degree in music. The DMA combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization (usually music performance, music composition, or conducting) with graduate-level academic study in su ...

ARAM Aram may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Aram'' (film), 2002 French action drama * Aram, a fictional character in Japanese manga series '' MeruPuri'' * Aram Quartet, an Italian music group * ''Aram'' (Kural book), the first of the three ...

FRCO The Royal College of Organists (RCO) is a charity and membership organisation based in the United Kingdom, with members worldwide. Its role is to promote and advance organ playing and choral music, and it offers music education, training and dev ...

, FTCL,

ARCM Associate of the Royal College of Music (ARCM) was a professional qualification awarded by the Royal College of Music. Like the Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music (LRAM), it was offered in teaching or performing. There is no obvious succes ...

(born 1972) is a British-born international concert organist and composer, now residing in America. She served from October 2001 and resigned her post in October 2016 as Civic Organist for the city of

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, California, performing regularly at the

Spreckels Organ Pavilion The Spreckels Organ Pavilion is an outdoor venue that houses the open-air Spreckels Organ in Balboa Park (San Diego), Balboa Park in San Diego, California. With more than 5,000 pipes, the Spreckels Organ is the world's largest pipe organ in a ful ...

. She was formerly the Artist in Residence at St. Paul's Cathedral San Diego. Upon stepping down from her post as Civic Organist for the city of

in October 2016, in recognition of her fifteen years of service, Carol was awarded the title of San Diego Civic Organist Emerita. Presently residing in her homeland country with her husband Kerry and their dog Wolfgang Amadeus Bell. As a featured musician on many media platforms, she highlights her profound love for the "King of Instruments." Carol hosts ''TourBus'', a documentary series exploring the large and small, famous and unique pipe organs of the world,"TourBus"
Bell Video and also, hosts a YouTube talk show series called "On The Bench with Dr. Carol" where she interviews musical artists.

Early life and education

Williams was born in Great Britain in a Welsh family with musical influences. She began private lessons at age five and was able to read music before she was reading English. Her formal training started with five years at the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is one of the oldest music schools in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the firs ...

where she specialised in the organ, performing as a student of David Sanger. She obtained the academy's prestigious Recital Diploma, together with the

LRAM Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music (LRAM) is a professional diploma, or licentiate, formerly open to both internal students of the Royal Academy of Music and to external candidates in voice, keyboard and orchestral instruments and guitar, as ...

for both organ and piano. She was awarded all the major prizes for organ performing and, during her studies, she became a

Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

of the

Royal College of Organists The Royal College of Organists (RCO) is a charity and membership organisation based in the United Kingdom, with members worldwide. Its role is to promote and advance organ playing and choral music, and it offers music education, training and de ...

and a Fellow of

Trinity College London Trinity College London (TCL) is an examination board based in London, United Kingdom which offers graded and diploma qualifications across a range of disciplines in the performing arts and English language learning and teaching. Trinity Colleg ...

, as well as an Associate of the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music (RCM) is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including pe ...

. Williams has also studied with Daniel Roth, the Organist at the Church of St. Sulpice, Paris. Moving to the United States, Williams undertook postgraduate study at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

under the direction of Thomas Murray. She was appointed University Chapel Organist and was awarded an Artist Diploma (AD) together with the

Charles Ives Prize The Charles Ives Awards are scholarships for young composers, awarded annually by the American Academy of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain exce ...

for outstanding achievement. She then relocated to New York City where she became the Associate Organist at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Long Island's Garden City. She undertook doctoral study under McNeil Robinson at the

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music a ...

, where she received the

Helen Cohn Helen Barbara Kruger (July 29, 1913 – April 7, 2006) also known as Bobbie Nudie, was an American apparel designer and retailer. Kruger was born in Mankato, Minnesota. She met her future husband Nudie Cohn at her parents’ boarding house. H ...

award for her Doctor of Musical Arts (

) degree.

Career

Williams has performed around the world, including: St. Sulpice and

Notre Dame, Paris Notre-Dame de Paris ( ; meaning "Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris"), often referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the River Seine), in the 4th arrondissement of Paris, France. It ...

;

Walt Disney Concert Hall The Walt Disney Concert Hall at 111 South Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles, California, is the fourth hall of the Los Angeles Music Center and was designed by Frank Gehry. It was opened on October 23, 2003. Bounded by Hope Street, Grand Av ...

, Los Angeles;

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

;

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

;

King's College, Cambridge King's College, formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, is a List of colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college lies beside the River Cam and faces ...

;

The Queen's College, Oxford The Queen's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault, queen of England. It is distinguished by its predominantly neoclassi ...

;

Salisbury Cathedral Salisbury Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Church of England, Anglican cathedral in the city of Salisbury, England. The cathedral is regarded as one of the leading examples of Early English architecture, ...

;

Blenheim Palace Blenheim Palace ( ) is a country house in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Dukes of Marlborough. Originally called Blenheim Castle, it has been known as Blenheim Palace since the 19th century. One of England's larg ...

;

Woolsey Hall Woolsey Hall is the primary auditorium at Yale University, located on the campus' Hewitt Quadrangle in New Haven, Connecticut. It was built as part of the Bicentennial Buildings complex that includes the Memorial Rotunda and the University Com ...

; Memorial Chapel,

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

; St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York;

Washington National Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Episcopal Diocese of Washington, commonly known as Washington National Cathedral or National Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Episcopal Church. The cathedral is located in Wa ...

;

St. Ignatius Loyola Ignatius of Loyola ( ; ; ; ; born Íñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola; – 31 July 1556), venerated as Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a Basque Spaniard Catholic priest and theologian, who, with six companions, founded the religious order of the So ...

, New York;

Riverside Church Riverside Church is an interdenominational church in the Morningside Heights, Manhattan, Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The church is associated with the American Baptist Churches USA and the Un ...

, New York. She has also given numerous concerts in Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Monaco, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Germany, Denmark, Singapore, China and Russia. Williams has been elected an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM) in recognition of her contribution to music. A regular broadcaster in the UK and in America, she has been the guest performer with a number of leading orchestras including the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

Concert Orchestra, San Diego Symphony Orchestra and the Beijing Symphony Orchestra. She performed the inaugural recitals on a newly installed Austin organ in Beijing's Forbidden City Concert Hall. Williams has been interviewed on many radio programs, in which she has highlighted her 'profound love' of the organ, and she is featured in the national-awareness video ''Pulling out all the Stops'' when she was filmed in concert at St. Thomas' Church on New York's Fifth Avenue. She also took part in the

Virgil Fox Virgil Keel Fox (May 3, 1912 in Princeton, Illinois – October 25, 1980 in Palm Beach, Florida) was an American organist, known especially for his years as organist at Riverside Church in New York City, from 1946 to 1965, and his flamboyant "Heav ...

Memorial Concert held in the fall of 2000 at New York's Riverside Church, and a recording of the event was released. Williams also hosts a video series ''TourBus'', which focuses on various pipe organs around the world as with the music, people and places associated with them. Dr. Carol Williams™ is produced, managed and owned by Kerry Jay Bell In October 2001, Williams became the first woman in the United States to be appointed Civic Organist. She served as the San Diego Civic Organist and

Artistic director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogu ...

of the

Spreckels Organ The Spreckels Organ is a pipe organ that was designed by Ernest M. Skinner. It was installed in 1924 at the Legion of Honor (museum), Legion of Honor museum in San Francisco, California. Public performances are held on Saturdays, 4:00–4:45 ...

Society in

, California from 2001 to 2016. Williams performs an average of 75 concerts a year worldwide. Williams regularly attracts new audiences to the pipe organ with charismatic humor and programs of intense genre diversity, including collaborations with various jazz, blues, pop and rock bands. Concert patrons have received her live performances with 'rock star' enthusiasm.

Philanthropy

Williams performs about 20 hours of free organ concerts a year to raise awareness and funds for various charitable organisations.

Compositions

Published by Melcot Music: *TourBus (For Organ and Drums) *Twilight Op.3 (For Organ) *Major Something, Non Fat Latte! Op.4 (For Organ) *Bonnie Eriskay (For Organ and Bagpipes) *Suite For Organ Op.5 *Daisy Violin Op.6 (Violin and Organ) *Dragon Dance Op.7 (Violin and Organ) *Venus Toccata Op.9 (For Organ) *Three Thoughts Op.10 (For Piano) *Freedom Op.12 (For Organ) *Centennial Spreckels Fanfare Op.14 (For Organ) *Tiger Lilly Waltz (For Organ) *Divine Song Op.15 (For Organ and Voice) *For Michael Op.16 (For Piano) *Dietrich's Dilemma! Op.17 (For Organ) *Andromeda Op.19 (For Organ) *Sophie's Game (For Organ) *Backer's Bash Op.20 (for Organ) *Flight of the Bumble Bee (arr. C Williams) *The Magic of Sweet Briar Op.21 (for Organ) *Quick Fix Toccata! Op.22 (for Organ) *Symphony of Time Op.23 (for Organ) *Prismatic Op.24 (for Organ) *Glass of Hope Op.28 *Hymn for Lent (Organ & Voice) *Christmas is Here (for Choir) *Mass for Lent (organ & Voice) *Sing Again! (Piano, Bass & Voice)

Discography

Produced by Melcot Music: *Rejoice with Dr. Carol MCTCD023 *Just Carol Compositions MCTCD022 *Carol's Christmas MCTCD021 *Carol Williams Plays – Volume 2, Madness! MCTCD020 *Carol Williams Plays MCTCD019 *Mainly French MCTCD018 *Hey Wurlitzer MCTCD016 *Maid in China MCTCD015 *Wurlitzer Plus! MCTCD014 *Orchestral! MCTCD013 *Tour de Force MCTCD012 *Classic Power: Popular Organ Music From Winchester Cathedral MCTCD011 *Just Rags MCTCD007 *Hammond Today MCTCD002 *Carol Williams' Collection *Sunday at 2 *Blenheim Palace *Oxford Town Hall Produced by Rumley Music: *House of Scotland RMCD1220

Videos

Produced by Valentine Music: *Blenheim Palace – A Musical Tour OSV-507 *Organ Showcase OSV-508 Produced by Melcot Music & Video (formerly Bell Video): *TourBus 1 to the King of Instruments MCTDVD001 *TourBus 2 goes to Methuen MCTDVD002 *TourBus 3 goes to Spreckels MCTDVD003 *TourBus 4 goes to Paris MCTDVD004 *TourBus 5 goes to Luxembourg MCTDVD005 *TourBus 6 goes to Ocean Grove MCTDVD006 *TourBus 7 goes to Disney Hall MCTDVD007 *TourBus 8 goes Celtic MCTDVD008 *TourBus 9 First Congregational Church, Los Angeles MCTDVD009 *TourBus 10 goes to St. Paul's Cathedral San Diego MCTDVD010 *TourBus 11 goes to the Compenius Organ in Denmark MCTDVD011 *TourBus 12 goes to the Salomons' Welte Organ in England MCTDVD012 *TourBus 13 goes to the Peragallo Pipe Organ Company USA MCTDVD013

References

External links

Carol Williams' official website

Carol Williams' FaceBook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Carol American classical organists American women organists British classical organists British women organists British expatriate musicians in the United States Living people Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music Associates of the Royal College of Music Fellows of the Royal College of Organists Musicians from San Diego People from Valley Center, California Articles containing video clips 1962 births 20th-century British organists 20th-century American women musicians 21st-century organists 21st-century American women musicians Classical musicians from California 21st-century American keyboardists