David Hurd (born 1950) is a

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

, concert

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

, choral director and educator.

Education

Hurd attended the

High School of Music & Art The High School of Music & Art, informally known as Music & Art (or M&A), was a public specialized high school located at 443-465 West 135th Street in the borough of Manhattan, New York, from 1936 until 1984. In 1961, Music & Art and the High S ...

, the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...

, both in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, and

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1833, it is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational lib ...

. He holds honorary

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

s from

Berkeley Divinity School Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, founded in 1854, is a seminaries, seminary of Episcopal Church in the United States of America, The Episcopal Church in New Haven, Connecticut. Along with Andover Newton Theological School and the Yale Institute ...

at Yale, Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, and

Church Divinity School of the Pacific Church Divinity School of the Pacific (CDSP) is an Episcopal seminary in Berkeley, California. It is one of the nine seminaries in the Episcopal Church and a member of the Graduate Theological Union. The only Episcopal seminary located in the ...

, given in recognition of his contributions to

sacred music Religious music (also sacred music) is a type of music that is performed or composed for religious use or through religious influence. It may overlap with ritual music, which is music, sacred or not, performed or composed for or as a ritual. Reli ...

. In 1977 he received first prizes in both Organ Performance and in Organ Improvisation from the International Congress of Organists, being the only person to ever win both prizes in the same year.

Career

Hurd was Professor of Sacred Music and Director of Chapel Music at the

General Theological Seminary The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church (GTS) is an Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal seminary in New York City. Founded in 1817, GTS is the oldest seminary of the Episcopal Church and the longest continuously operating ...

, Chelsea,

, for 39 years. He was also the Music Director at the Church of the Holy Apostles, also in Chelsea, until May 2013. He is presently the Director of Music at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin (Manhattan) in

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and Neighborhoods in New York City, neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway (Manhattan), ...

, New York City. Hurd has held several church staff positions, including Assistant Organist, Trinity Church, and Director of Music at the Church of the Intercession and All Saints' Church, both in Manhattan.

Works

His ''Intercession Mass'' setting is used by many congregations across the United States. With over 100 choral and organ works in print, his compositions have appeared in numerous recordings in both the United States and England. Hurd is regularly sought out by congregations and organizations seeking to commission new anthems and organ works. Significant premieres have included "Gloria, gloria", for four-part choir and instrumental accompaniment, commissioned by the Boys Choir of Harlem, and premiered at

Avery Fisher Hall David Geffen Hall is a concert hall at Lincoln Center on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. The 2,200-seat auditorium opened in 1962, and is the home of the New York Philharmonic. The facility, designed by Max Abramovitz, was o ...

; "O the Depth of Love Divine," for four-part choir, brass and organ, commissioned by J. Neil Alexander, Bishop of Atlanta, and premiered at his consecration; and "Arioso & Final" for organ, commissioned by the Queens Chapter of the

American Guild of Organists The American Guild of Organists (AGO) is an international organization of academic, church, and concert organists in the US, headquartered in New York City with its administrative offices in the Interchurch Center. Founded as a professional educa ...

. The most recent major work is "Sonata for Saxophone and Organ", commissioned by the Hall-Powers Duo, and premiered in

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

, at the International Saxophone Congress in 2006. In 2014, Hurd completed a commissioned anthem for St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church,

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, based on

Psalm 100 Psalm 100 is the 100th psalm in the Book of Psalms in the Tanakh. In English, it is translated as "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands" in the King James Version (KJV), and as "O be joyful in the Lord, all ye lands" in the Book of C ...

in a modern, gender-neutral translation. Hurd's sacred compositions can be found in many

hymnal A hymnal or hymnary is a collection of hymns, usually in the form of a book, called a hymnbook (or hymn book). They are used in congregational singing. A hymnal may contain only hymn texts (normal for most hymnals for most centuries of Christia ...

s, including the Episcopal Hymnal, 1982. Hurd is one of the world's most visible and successful classical organists who is

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

Personal life

References

External links

"David Hurd", ''Concert Artists''"Organ Virtuoso David Hurd to Perform at St. Paul’s, Fayetteville, Arkansas, October 9-10"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hurd, David 1950 births Living people American classical organists American male composers 21st-century American composers Oberlin College alumni The High School of Music & Art alumni Juilliard School alumni General Theological Seminary faculty 21st-century organists 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American keyboardists 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American musicians American male classical organists