Stephen J. Tharp (born 12 April 1970) is an American

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists. In addition, an organist may accompany congregational ...

and composer.Stephen Tharp website
Retrieved 11 May 2023.

Education and training

Tharp received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

degree from

Illinois College Illinois College is a private liberal arts college in Jacksonville, Illinois. It is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the Presbyterian Church (USA). It was the second college founded in Illinois, but the first to grant a degree ( ...

and a Master of Music degree from

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Chart ...

, where he studied with Rudolf Zuiderveld and

Wolfgang Rübsam Wolfgang Friedrich Rübsam (born October 16, 1946, in Gießen) is a German-American organist, pianist, composer and pedagogue. Biography After his musical training with Erich Ackermann in Fulda, Germany, Rübsam studied at the Musikhochschule in ...

, respectively. He also studied privately in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

with

Jean Guillou Jean Victor Arthur Guillou (18 April 1930 – 26 January 2019) was a French composer, organist, pianist, and pedagogue. Titular Organist at Saint Eustache in Paris, from 1963 to 2015, he was widely known as a composer of instrumental and voca ...

Career

From 1995 to 1997 Tharp served as organist at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York, and from 1998 to 2002 he was associate organist at St. Bartholomew's Church in the same city. In 2008 he was selected as the official organist during Pope Benedict XVI's visit to New York, playing at three major events that were attended by more than 60,000 people. Tharp was an artist-in-residence at

Grace Church Grace Church may refer to: Canada * Grace Church on-the-Hill, Toronto China * Grace Church, Guanghan Poland * Grace Church, Teschen or Jesus Church, a Lutheran basilica in Teschen, Poland United Kingdom United States * Grace Cathedral (disa ...

in New York for the 2013−2014 season, and since then has been an artist-in-residence at St. James's Church on Madison Avenue. Tharp has performed extensively as a concert organist, having played at over 1,600 concerts during 62 tours worldwide. He has given masterclasses at venues such as

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

Westminster Choir College , mottoeng = Let us be judged by our deeds , established = 1926 , type = Private , president = Gregory G. Dell'Omo , dean = Marshall Onofrio , city = Dayton, OH (1926–1929), Ithaca, NY (1929–1932), Princeton, NJ (1932–2020), Lawrencev ...

and

Cleveland Institute of Music The Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) is a private music conservatory in Cleveland, Ohio. Founded in 1920 by Ernest Bloch, it enrolls 325 students in the conservatory and approximately 1,500 students in the preparatory and continuing educa ...

, and has served on juries for competitions at

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most ...

and

. In addition to being a composer and transcriber in his own right, Tharp is a frequent performer of modern works, having premiered those of Philip Moore, Anthony Newman,

Thierry Escaich Thierry Joseph-Louis Escaich (born 8 May 1965) is a French organist and composer. Life Born in Nogent-sur-Marne, Escaich studied organ, improvisation and composition at the Conservatoire de Paris (CNSMDP), where he won eight First Prizes ...

and others. He also plays the piano and harpsichord. Tharp has recorded numerous CDs, including works by

Jeanne Demessieux Jeanne Marie-Madeleine Demessieux (13 February 1921 – 11 November 1968) was a French organist, pianist, composer, and teacher. She was the chief organist at Saint-Esprit for 29 years and at La Madeleine in Paris starting in 1962. She perfo ...

Marcel Dupré Marcel Jean-Jules Dupré () (3 May 1886 – 30 May 1971) was a French organist, composer, and pedagogue. Biography Born in Rouen into a wealthy musical family, Marcel Dupré was a child prodigy. His father Aimable Albert Dupré was titular ...

Louis Vierne Louis Victor Jules Vierne (8 October 1870 – 2 June 1937) was a French organist and composer. As the organist of Notre-Dame de Paris from 1900 until his death, he focused on organ music, including six organ symphonies and a ''Messe solennelle' ...

and

Charles-Marie Widor Charles-Marie-Jean-Albert Widor (21 February 1844 – 12 March 1937) was a French organist, composer and teacher of the mid-Romantic era, most notable for his ten organ symphonies. His Toccata from the fifth organ symphony has become one of the ...

.Stephen Tharp website: Recordings
Retrieved 11 May 2023.

Awards and recognition

Tharp has been described as "one of the most brilliant concert organists around these days". His recording of the complete organ works of Jeanne Demessieux won the

Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik The Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik ("German Record Critics' Award") was established in Germany in 1963 by publisher Richard Kaselowsky with the aim of setting the "most rigorous standards for supreme achievement and quality" in the field ...

in 2009. In 2011 he was named International Performer of the Year by the New York City 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 educat ...

, and in 2015 he won the

Paul Creston Paul Creston (born Giuseppe Guttoveggio; October 10, 1906 – August 24, 1985) was an Italian American composer of classical music. Biography Born in New York City to Sicilian immigrants, Creston was self-taught as a composer. His work tends ...

Award. Listed in ''

Who's Who in America Marquis Who's Who ( or ) is an American publisher of a number of directories containing short biographies. The books usually are entitled ''Who's Who in...'' followed by some subject, such as ''Who's Who in America'', ''Who's Who of American Wome ...

'' and ''

Who's Who in the World Marquis Who's Who ( or ) is an American publisher of a number of directories containing short biographies. The books usually are entitled ''Who's Who in...'' followed by some subject, such as ''Who's Who in America'', ''Who's Who of American Wome ...

'', Tharp has also featured in a number of programs on

American Public Media American Public Media (APM) is an American company that produces and distributes public radio programs in the United States, the second largest company of its type after NPR. Its non-profit parent, American Public Media Group, also owns and o ...

Pipedreams ''Pipedreams'' is a radio music program produced and distributed by American Public Media (APM) based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, created and hosted since its inception by J. Michael Barone. History Each one or two-hour show features organ mu ...

Discography

* ''Louis Vierne: Complete Organ Symphonies, Vol. III'', Aeolus (2019) * ''Stephen Tharp: The St. James's Recital'', Aeis (2016) * ''Variations on "Rouen" (Iste Confessor)'', iTunes (2012) * ''Stephen Tharp Plays Bach's Goldberg Variations'', JAV Recordings (2011) * ''Organ Classics from Saint Patrick's Cathedral in New York City'', JAV Recordings (2010) * ''Stephen Tharp Plays the Organ at Saint Bavo, Haarlem'', JAV Recordings (2009) * ''Jeanne Demessieux: The Complete Organ Works'', Aeolus (2009) * ''Duruflé: Messe Cum Jubilo'', JAV Recordings (2009) * ''Hymns Old and New'', JAV Recordings (2008) * ''Stephen Tharp Plays the Anderson Organ'', JAV Recordings (2007) * ''Marcel Dupré: Le Chemin de la Croix'', JAV Recordings (2005) * ''The Widor Mass, Op. 36'', JAV Recordings (2005) * ''The Art of the Symphonic Organist, Vol. II'', JAV Recordings (2004) * ''Stephen Tharp at St. Sulpice, Paris, France'', JAV Recordings (2002) * ''Stephen Tharp: Debut in Europe'', Organum Classics (2001) * ''Stephen Tharp at Trumbull'', Ethereal Recordings (1999) * ''World Premieres and Transcriptions, Vol. I'', Ethereal Recordings (1998) * ''Legendary Organ Works, Vol. I'', Ethereal Recordings (1997) * ''Mendelssohn: The Six Organ Sonatas'', Naxos (1996)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tharp, Stephen 1970 births Living people Illinois College alumni Northwestern University alumni American organists American male organists 21st-century organists 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American keyboardists