Christopher Mark Houlihan (born October 6, 1987) is an American
concert 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 h ...
noted for his clarity, flexibility of rhythm,
and technical achievement.
His Vierne 2012 tour in which he performed
Louis Vierne's complete
organ symphonies
An organ symphony is a piece for solo pipe organ in various movements. It is a symphonic genre, not so much in musical form (in which it is more similar to the organ sonata or suite), but in imitating orchestral tone color, texture, and symphoni ...
in six cities across North America was met with critical acclaim.
Biography
Originally from
Somers, Connecticut
Somers is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut. The population was 10,255 at the 2020 census. The town center is listed by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place (CDP). In 2007, ''Money Magazine'' listed Somers 53rd on its "100 Be ...
, Houlihan began studying the organ at the age of 12 with
John Rose, and at the age of 15, he won first prize in the Albert Schweitzer National Organ Competition. Houlihan attended
Trinity College Trinity College may refer to:
Australia
* Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales
* Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...
in Hartford where he continued to study with John Rose and made his orchestral debut with the Hartford Symphony. After graduating from Trinity College, he attended the
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 elit ...
in New York where he studied with the Grammy Award-winning organist
Paul Jacobs.
In 2005–2006, Houlihan was organ scholar at the
Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford and then at
Christ Church Cathedral in Hartford from 2006 to 2007. Houlihan later studied at the French National Regional Conservatory in Versailles where he was a student of Jean-Baptiste Robin and where he earned the “Prix de Perfectionnement” (equivalent to a university artist's diploma in the US). While in France, he served as an assistant musician at the
American Cathedral in Paris and had the honor of performing for the then President and First Lady of the United States, Mr. and Mrs. George W. Bush.
His first CD, ''Louis Vierne: Second Symphony for Organ'' was released by Towerhill Recordings in 2007, and featured music of
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 th ...
and Louis Vierne. Houlihan was praised for his "elegant playing"and named "a major talent." His second CD, ''Joys, Mournings, and Battles: Music of Duruflé and Alain,'' recorded on the historic Aeolian-Skinner organ in All Saints Church, Worcester, MA, was released in January 2010. Houlihan was praised for his “passion and great technical facility” by audiophile.
In 2012 Houlihan launched his “Vierne 2012” tour commemorating the 75th anniversary of the French composer's death. Houlihan played the complete organ symphonies of Louis Vierne in six North American cities (New York, Denver, Chicago, Los Angeles, Montreal, and Dallas). His tour launch concert in New York City at the
Church of the Ascension is “considered as one of New York’s all-time great organ recitals.”
Mark Swed of the Los Angeles Times described the tour as a "major revelation" and credited it with “launching a major career.”
Houlihan has been a featured performer at four conventions of the American Guild of Organists. He has performed professionally in 29 states as well as in Canada, France and Scotland.
Approach and style
Houlihan is noted for his flexibility, clarity,
technical achievement,
and clear-cut American sense of rhythm.
As an artist, he has placed an importance on “taking the organ, and organ music, out of the corner it's in as a second-class citizen in the classical music world.”
Recordings
2007: ''Louis Vierne: Second Symphony for Organ''
2010: ''Joys, Mournings, and Battles: Music of Duruflé and Alain''
2017: ''Christopher Houlihan Plays Bach''
2023: ''Franck & Vierne: First and Last''
Awards
References
External links
Official WebsiteVierne 2012
{{DEFAULTSORT:Houlihan, Christopher
Living people
American classical organists
American male organists
1987 births
Musicians from Connecticut
Trinity College (Connecticut) alumni
People from Somers, Connecticut
21st-century American keyboardists
21st-century organists
21st-century American male musicians
Male classical organists