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Carol Williams (organist)

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Carol Williams
Dr. Carol Williams
Dr. Carol Williams
Background information
Born1962
Great Britain
GenresClassical
Occupation(s)Organist, composer
InstrumentPipe organ
Years active1984–present
LabelsMelcot Music
Websitehttp://www.melcot.com/

Carol Anne Williams D.M.A., ARAM, FRCO, FTCL, ARCM (born 1962) is a British-born international concert organist and composer, residing in America. She served from October 2001 and resigned her post in October 2016[1][2][3][non-primary source needed] as Civic Organist for the city of San Diego, California, performing regularly at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion.[4][5] She was formerly the Artist in Residence at St. Paul's Cathedral San Diego.[6]

Upon stepping down from her post as Civic Organist for the city of San Diego in October 2016, Williams was awarded the title of San Diego Civic Organist Emerita in recognition of her fifteen years of service. She is currently residing in her home country of Britain with her husband Kerry and their dog Wolfgang Amadeus Bell.[citation needed]

Carol Williams performing "Flight of the Bumblebee" at the West Point Cadet Chapel.

Early life and education

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Williams was born in Great Britain in a Welsh family with musical influences. Her formal training started with five years at the Royal Academy of Music where she specialised in the organ, performing as a student of David Sanger. She obtained the academy's prestigious Recital Diploma, together with the LRAM for both organ and piano. She was awarded all the major prizes for organ performing and, during her studies, she became a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists and a Fellow of Trinity College London, as well as an Associate of the Royal College of Music.

Williams has also studied with Daniel Roth, the Organist at the Church of St. Sulpice, Paris. Moving to the United States, Williams undertook postgraduate study at Yale University[7] under the direction of Thomas Murray. She was appointed University Chapel Organist and was awarded an Artist Diploma (AD) together with the Charles Ives Prize for outstanding achievement. She then relocated to New York City where she became the Associate Organist at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Long Island's Garden City. She undertook doctoral study under McNeil Robinson at the Manhattan School of Music, where she received the Helen Cohn award for her Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) degree.[8]

Career

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Williams has performed around the world, including: St. Sulpice and Notre Dame, Paris; Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles;[9] Westminster Abbey; St Paul's Cathedral; King's College, Cambridge; The Queen's College, Oxford; Salisbury Cathedral;[10] Blenheim Palace;[11] Woolsey Hall, Yale University; Memorial Chapel, Harvard University; St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York; Washington National Cathedral; St. Ignatius Loyola, New York; Riverside Church, New York. She has also given numerous concerts in Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Monaco, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Germany, Denmark, Singapore, China and Russia.

Williams has been elected an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM) in recognition of her contribution to music. A regular broadcaster in the UK and in America, she has been the guest performer with a number of leading orchestras including the BBC Concert Orchestra, San Diego Symphony Orchestra and the Beijing Symphony Orchestra. She performed the inaugural recitals on a newly installed Austin organ in Beijing's Forbidden City Concert Hall.

Williams has been interviewed on many radio programs, in which she has highlighted her 'profound love' of the organ[citation needed], and she is featured in the national-awareness video Pulling out all the Stops when she was filmed in concert at St. Thomas' Church on New York's Fifth Avenue. She also took part in the Virgil Fox Memorial Concert[12][13] held in the fall of 2000 at New York's Riverside Church, and a recording of the event was released.

In October 2001, Williams became the first woman in the United States to be appointed Civic Organist. She served as the San Diego Civic Organist and Artistic director of the Spreckels Organ Society in San Diego, California from 2001 to 2016.[14][15][16] Williams performs an average of 75 concerts a year worldwide.

Philanthropy

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Williams performs about 20 hours of free organ concerts a year to raise awareness and funds for various charitable organisations.[17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]

References

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  1. ^ Varga, George (8 September 2016). "San Diego Civic Organist Carol Williams stepping down". sandiegouniontribune.com. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  2. ^ "December 2018". 30 August 2016.
  3. ^ "Balboa Park". Retrieved 20 December 2018 – via Facebook.
  4. ^ "Spreckels Organ Pavilion | Balboa Park". Archived from the original on 11 May 2012. Retrieved 23 April 2012.
  5. ^ "Civic Lesson: Carol Williams talks about life as San Diego's civic organist". 27 February 2012. Archived from the original on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  6. ^ "St. Paul's Organ | St. Pauls Cathedral 4 the City". Archived from the original on 24 June 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
  7. ^ "Carol Williams '98AD is first American woman to serve as civic organist". Yale School of Music. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  8. ^ "System – Error 404". alumniconnections.com. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  9. ^ "Bio at Walt Disney Concert Hall". Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  10. ^ bio at Salisbury Cathedral Archived 5 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ "Carol at Blenheim Palace". melcot.com. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  12. ^ "Virgil Fox Memorial Concert". Archived from the original on 23 February 2002. Retrieved 23 April 2012.
  13. ^ "Virgil Fox Memorial Concert". The Gothic Catalog. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  14. ^ "With Jets Providing Accompaniment, a Rare City Treasure Stands Exposed", The New York Times, 28 April 2007
  15. ^ "San Diego Civic Organist Carol Williams stepping down", The San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 September 2016
  16. ^ "Career transition for Dr. Carol Williams", Spreckels Organ Society, 30 August 2016
  17. ^ [1][dead link]
  18. ^ "Pipe Organ Marathon Concert to benefit Operation Rebound | Balboa Park". Archived from the original on 7 June 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2013.
  19. ^ "Blackbaud Internet Solutions – Online Events and Marketing Solutions". Operationrebound.kintera.org. 2 April 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  20. ^ "Bark in the Park 7 Offers Tail-Wagging Fun for All | Balboa Park". Archived from the original on 16 February 2013. Retrieved 19 February 2013.
  21. ^ "Spreckels Organ Concert Benefits the San Diego Chapter of the American Red Cross : Presidio Sentinel". presidiosentinel.com. 5 December 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  22. ^ "12-Hour Organ Concert Marathon – San Diego Civic Organist Dr. Carol Williams – Spreckels Organ Pavilion". performingartslive.com. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  23. ^ Dr. Carol Williams (13 July 2015). "Dr. Carol Williams plays 12 straight hours in Balboa Park – 6 News". Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2018 – via YouTube.
  24. ^ Dr. Carol Williams. "Dr. Carol Williams to play 12 hour concert at Balboa Park – 10 News". Retrieved 20 December 2018 – via YouTube.
  25. ^ "Civic Organist Plans Free New Year's Day Concert at Spreckels". 31 December 2014. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  26. ^ "Give us a home!". 7 August 2015. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  27. ^ "Carol Williams (A.D. '97) – Institute of Sacred Music". ism.yale.edu. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
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