Dorothy Jean Papadakos (born 1960) is an American concert organist, composer, lyricist, playwright, and author. She is the former organist at the
Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City (1990–2003), the first female organist to hold that post. She was also organist for the
Paul Winter Consort
The Paul Winter Consort is an American musical group. Bassist Eliot Wadopian has been a member.
Discography
Films
*''Canyon Consort'' (1985)
References
External linksLiving Music- Paul Winter's record label
{{Authority control
American j ...
at the Cathedral's Easter and Christmas services and performed with the ensemble on their
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
-winning album ''
Silver Solstice'', released in 2005.
In 2005, Papadakos co-produced ''Pompeii the Musical'', for which she wrote the book, music and lyrics. Its production was well-received, breaking box office records when it premiered in
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and the county seat of New Hanover County in coastal southeastern North Carolina, United States.
With a population of 115,451 at the 2020 census, it is the eighth most populous city in the state. Wilmington is the ...
.
In 2017, her first novel, ''The Kingdom of Winter'', was published. Using fantasy characters to
address climate change
Climate change mitigation is action to limit climate change by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases or removing those gases from the atmosphere. The recent rise in global average temperature is mostly caused by emissions from fossil fuels b ...
concerns, the book is now used in a science and literature curriculum for middle-school students.
Early years
Papadakos was born in 1960, the daughter of actress
Dorothy M. Johnson
Dorothy Marie Johnson (December 19, 1905 – November 11, 1984) was an American writer best known for her Western fiction.
Biography
Early life
Dorothy Marie Johnson was born in McGregor, Iowa, the only daughter of Lester Eugene Johnson and Ma ...
and Greek-American aeronautical designer Peter J. Papadakos.
As a child, she began studying piano while living with her family in
Reno, Nevada
Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...
, and soon became interested in jazz and improvisation. She attended
Reno High School
Reno High School (RHS) is a public secondary school in Reno, Nevada, United States. It is a part of the Washoe County School District. The school's teams are known as the Reno Huskies, and the school colors are red and blue.
History
Reno High wa ...
.
After graduating from
Barnard College
Barnard College of Columbia University is a private women's liberal arts college in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Columbia ...
in 1982, Papadakos earned a master's degree in Organ Performance at 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 el ...
in 1988.
In 1984, she began studying improvisation with
Paul Halley
Paul Halley (born 1952 in Romford, England) is a keyboardist, vocalist and composer. He is perhaps best known as being a member of and composer for the Paul Winter Consort.
Biography
Paul Halley was born in England in 1952. His father was a ...
and, in 1987, became Halley's assistant organist at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.
Career
Cathedral organist (1990–2003)
In 1990, Paul Halley resigned as organist of New York City's
Cathedral of St. John the Divine to pursue his solo career. Papadakos, who had been Halley's assistant, succeeded him as Cathedral Organist, becoming the first woman to be appointed organist at the largest
Gothic-style cathedral in the world.
![Stjohn divine2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Stjohn_divine2.jpg)
As organist at the
Episcopalian
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the l ...
edifice, Papadakos eschewed a staid, conservative style of music-making in favor of a creative, improvisational approach. Her playing, said ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', imparts "jazz, African rhythms and real heart to centuries-old hymns".
She also had to cope with the acoustic challenges of playing in such an immense space, with an eight-second reverberation time, as she demonstrated to a ''
Smithsonian magazine
''Smithsonian'' is the official journal published by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. The first issue was published in 1970.
History
The history of ''Smithsonian'' began when Edward K. Thompson, the retired editor of ''Life'' maga ...
'' reporter in 1997. When she returned to Reno, Nevada, for a performance in 1995, a ''
Reno Gazette-Journal
The ''Reno Gazette Journal'' is the main daily newspaper for Reno, Nevada. It is owned and operated by the Gannett Company. It came into being when the ''Nevada State Journal'' (founded on November 23, 1870) and the ''Reno Evening Gazette'' (fou ...
'' critic called her a "sensational organist" and "among the toasts of Manhattan".
Papadakos also accompanied the
Paul Winter Consort
The Paul Winter Consort is an American musical group. Bassist Eliot Wadopian has been a member.
Discography
Films
*''Canyon Consort'' (1985)
References
External linksLiving Music- Paul Winter's record label
{{Authority control
American j ...
at the Cathedral's Easter and Christmas services. She later performed with the ensemble on three of their recordings, including the
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
-winning album ''
Silver Solstice'', released in 2005.
In the wake of the
September 11, 2001, terrorist attack in Manhattan, Papadakos performed in "An Evening of Peace" gathering at nearby
Riverside Church
Riverside Church is an interdenominational church in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, on the block bounded by Riverside Drive, Claremont Avenue, 120th Street and 122nd Street near Columbia University's Mornings ...
, joining other activists including Vietnamese Buddhist monk
Thích Nhất Hạnh
Thích Nhất Hạnh ( ; ; born Nguyễn Xuân Bảo; 11 October 1926 – 22 January 2022) was a Vietnamese Thiền Buddhist monk, peace activist, prolific author, poet and teacher, who founded the Plum Village Tradition, historically recogni ...
,
Judy Collins
Judith Marjorie Collins (born May 1, 1939) is an American singer-songwriter and musician with a career spanning seven decades. An Academy Award-nominated documentary director and a Grammy Award-winning recording artist, she is known for her ec ...
, and
Paul Winter
Paul Winter (born August 31, 1939) is an American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. He is a pioneer of world music and earth music, which interweaves the voices of the wild with instrumental voices from classical, jazz and world music. The ...
. The concert's theme was criticized afterwards by
Kay S. Hymowitz
Kay S. Hymowitz (born December 25, 1948) is an American author.
Early life and education
Born in Philadelphia, she earned her B.A. at Brandeis University, and her M.A. in English literature from Tufts University.
Career
She taught English lit ...
and
Harry Stein, writing in ''
The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
''. The columnists decried what they called "multiculturalism, the enemy within," saying it was at variance with the majority of American opinion favoring a sustained military response.
On the morning of December 18, 2001, a
five-alarm fire began in the Cathedral's gift shop, located in the north
transept
A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform ("cross-shaped") building withi ...
.
Although the Great Organ's oak casework and its thousands of pipes were not consumed by the conflagration, the organ console and pipes were blanketed in ash and soot, rendering the instrument unplayable.
Undaunted, Papadakos carried on as organist for the throngs attending the church's popular Christmas services, playing a digital 3-manual organ, provided by the Allen Organ Company, so Cathedral Christmas services could proceed. She continued as Cathedral organist until 2003.
Playwright
After visiting the ruins of
Pompeii
Pompeii (, ) was an ancient city located in what is now the ''comune'' of Pompei near Naples in the Campania region of Italy. Pompeii, along with Herculaneum and many villas in the surrounding area (e.g. at Boscoreale, Stabiae), was buried ...
in Italy, Papadakos began writing a stage play about life in the ancient Roman city that ended in 79 AD with the cataclysmic
eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. The resulting ''Pompeii: The Musical'' premiered in November 2005, in
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and the county seat of New Hanover County in coastal southeastern North Carolina, United States.
With a population of 115,451 at the 2020 census, it is the eighth most populous city in the state. Wilmington is the ...
. After opening night at the Thalian Center for the Performing Arts, successor to historic
Thalian Hall
Thalian Hall is a historic city hall and theatre located at Wilmington, New Hanover County, North Carolina. It was built in 1858, and is a two-story, five bay, stuccoed brick building with a combination of restrained Classical Revival and flamboya ...
, the performances were sold out for its two-week run, breaking 150-year-old box office records as more than six thousand attended, forcing the theatre to open its rarely used third tier for overflow seating. ''Pompeii,'' later re-titled ''BACCHUS'', also won
''Encore Magazine'''s "Best Theatre Production of 2006" Award.
Silent film accompanist
Papadakos makes frequent appearances providing improvised organ music to accompany
silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...
screenings, a genre she began to play at the Cathedral when asked to fill in as a last-minute substitute for theater organist
Lee Erwin. In the early 2000s, Papadakos started her annual ''Halloween Horror Tour'', which brings silent film's classics, such as
''Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'' and
''Phantom of the Opera'' to life on the world's pipe organs. Her silent film appearances have included such classics as a rendition of the ''
Hunchback of Notre Dame
''The Hunchback of Notre-Dame'' (french: Notre-Dame de Paris, translation=''Our Lady of Paris'', originally titled ''Notre-Dame de Paris. 1482'') is a French Gothic novel by Victor Hugo, published in 1831. It focuses on the unfortunate story o ...
'' at a New Year's Eve 2011 celebration at
Grace Cathedral, San Francisco
Grace Cathedral is an Episcopal cathedral located in the heart of San Francisco. It is a famed sightseeing destination for its striking architecture, stunning stained glass, labyrinths, Interfaith AIDS Chapel, and arts and cultural programs. G ...
, and ''
Nosferatu
''Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror'' (German: ''Nosferatu – Eine Symphonie des Grauens'') is a 1922 silent German Expressionist horror film directed by F. W. Murnau and starring Max Schreck as Count Orlok, a vampire who preys on the wife ...
'' at Kansas City's
Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts center in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, USA, at 16th and Broadway, near the Power & Light District, the T-Mobile Center and the Crossroads Arts District. Its construction was a ...
organ in 2014.
Explaining her fondness for silent movie accompaniment, Papadakos told an interviewer:
Author
Papadakos published a novel about climate change and its effect on Earth's seasons, entitled ''The Kingdom of Winter,'' in 2017.
Using fictional characters, such as the wicked "Fire Witch", to portray global warming, the book seeks to present these issues in an understandable fantasy appealing to a broad audience.
Well received by the climate science community and
STEM
Stem or STEM may refer to:
Plant structures
* Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang
* Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure
* Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...
teachers, it was turned into a Science and Literature curriculum for middle school students, ''The Kingdom of Winter, A Curriculum Guide'' by science educator Joshua Hunter and was endorsed by the
International Honor Society in Education.
Personal life
Papadakos is married to landscape designer Tracy McCullen. ''The New York Times'' reported that their wedding, held at the Cathedral on May 20, 2000, had
Renaissance music
Renaissance music is traditionally understood to cover European music of the 15th and 16th centuries, later than the Renaissance era as it is understood in other disciplines. Rather than starting from the early 14th-century '' ars nova'', the Tr ...
ians and costumed ushers.
In 2003, Papadakos left New York and the Cathedral for the couple's home near
Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina
Wrightsville Beach is a town in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. Wrightsville Beach is just east of Wilmington and is part of the Wilmington Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,477 at the 2010 census. The town c ...
.
Discography
Papadakos has recorded several CDs of solo works for organ as well as various ensembles.
Her recordings include:
* ''
Solstice Live!'' (1993), with
Paul Winter Consort
The Paul Winter Consort is an American musical group. Bassist Eliot Wadopian has been a member.
Discography
Films
*''Canyon Consort'' (1985)
References
External linksLiving Music- Paul Winter's record label
{{Authority control
American j ...
at the Cathedral
* ''Gubaidulina: In Croce for Violoncello and Organ'' (1995)
* ''Great Organs of New York'' (1996; )
* ''Dorothy Over the Rainbow'' (1996), organ improvisations
* ''I Do! Me, Too!'' (1997), interfaith wedding music
* ''Shades of Green'' (1999), organ improvisations with guest artists
* ''Christmas Traveler'' (1999), international holiday music with guest artists
* ''Journey with the Sun'' (2000), with Paul Winter Consort
* ''Café St. John – Organ Improvisations'' (2001)
* ''
Silver Solstice'' (2005), with Paul Winter Consort
References
External links
*
Dorothy Papadakos at ''Sacred Classics''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Papadakos, Dorothy
1960 births
Living people
American organists
Women organists
Juilliard School alumni
American women dramatists and playwrights
People from Coral Gables, Florida
21st-century organists
21st-century American women musicians
21st-century American keyboardists
Paul Winter Consort members