Westminster Abbey Organist and Choirmaster Visits Campus

On Monday, March 2, St. Mark’s welcomed to campus the 2015 Robert E. Dennard Visiting Scholar, James O’Donnell, for three days of Master Classes and performances with students. Since 2000, James O’Donnell has served as Organist and Master of the Choristers at Westminster Abbey in London.

 

A highlight of Mr. O’Donnell’s visit is a special evening recital for the community featuring the Roosevelt Family Pipe Organ. The recital will be at 7:00 p.m. in the St. Mark's Chapel and admission is free.

 

In addition to his full schedule of daily choral services at Westminster Abbey, Mr. O’Donnell’s responsibilities have recently included directing the music for a service in the presence of Pope Benedict XVI in 2010, the Wedding of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in April 2011, and the recent service to mark the 60th anniversary of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth. The Abbey Choir has toured to the Far East, the United States, Australia, Denmark, Germany, Russia, Spain, Hungary, and Rome, where in 2012 it participated in a Papal Mass with the Sistine Chapel Choir at the invitation of the Pope. Mr. O’Donnell has worked widely as a soloist and a director with many of the country’s leading orchestras and ensembles. He is Music Director of St. James’s Baroque and Visiting Professor of Organ and of Choral Conducting at the Royal Academy of Music.

 

Mr. O’Donnell’s visit is made possible through the Robert E. Dennard Visiting Scholars Program, supported by the Robert E. Dennard Memorial Fund, the D. Gordon Rupe Foundation, and the Margaret McDermott and Ida Green Lectureship Fund. The Program brings to campus noted professionals who share their knowledge and experience with the School community.