ORGAN REPERTOIRE RECITAL SERIES
Jonathan Ryan, organist
Friday, May 2, 2025, 7:30 p.m.
St. Michael’s Episcopal Church
2040 McRae Road, Bon Air
2010 Taylor & Boody organ, 3 manuals, 36 stops
Acclaimed as “one of the brightest younger artists in the field today” (The Diapason), Jonathan Ryan consistently elicits acclaim for his “considerable depth of musicianship, imagination, and passion” (Ibid.), “sense of architecture” (Choir & Organ), and “great sensitivity within the composer’s spirit” (Frankfurter Neue Presse). His exceptionally large repertoire from every period of music, coupled with “true virtuosity” (Reutlingener Generalanzeiger), enables the bold, imaginative programming and exceptional use of each organ’s unique capability for which he is noted. His ability to captivate listeners has “left the audience in a breathless awe” (Ibid.).
Mr. Ryan has the rare distinction of winning six First Prize awards at international and national organ competitions. He most notably entered the international spotlight when he was awarded both First Prize and the only auxiliary prize, the Letourneau Concerto Prize, in the 2009 II Jordan International Organ Competition.
Ryan’s newest recording, entitled Influences, features major works by Dupré and Willan, the premiere recording of a work by Ad Wammes, and a commissioned work by renowned English composer Philip Moore. His debut solo organ recording, A Cathedral’s Voice (Raven 941), was released to immediate critical acclaim, including a five-star review in the London-based Choir & Organ magazine. Mr. Ryan’s performances have been featured on the national radio programs Pipedreams and With Heart and Voice.
Solo performance engagements have taken him to numerous prominent venues, festivals, and conventions throughout the United States and Europe, including St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, the Nicolai-kirche in Leipzig, the Cathédrale St-André in Bordeaux, international organ festivals in Zürich, Hamburg, and Lübeck, and multiple conventions of the AGO and Organ Historical Society. A recent performance project was recitals of J .S. Bach’s monumental Clavier-Übung III played on historically-based organs throughout the United States.
Ryan holds degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music and Eastman School of Music. In 2024, he concluded a double term as Vice President and Councilor for Competitions and New Music of the AGO. He enjoys combining his passions for conducting, performing, and teaching in many contexts, including in the interdisciplinary nature of liturgy. In early 2024, he was appointed Director of Music at Christ Church Cranbrook (Episcopal) in Bloomfield Hills, MI. There, he leads the semi-professional Christ Church Choir and the chorister program based on the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM). Previously, he served as Director of Music at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in Dallas, preceded by church positions in Greenwich CT, Chicago, Lake Forest IL, and Rochester NY. Jonathan Ryan is represented in North America exclusively by Karen McFarlane Artists, Inc.
PROGRAM
Prelude & Fugue in E-flat Major (“St. Anne”) – Johann Sebastian Bach
Christ lag in Todesbanden – Franz Tunder
Chaconne in B-flat Major – Johann Bernhard Bach
At the Ballet, from Five Dances – Calvin Hampton
Variations on “The Last Rose of Summer” – Dudley Buck
Toccata, Fugue, and Hymn on “Ave Maris Stella” – Flor Peeters
MAY CHAPTER MEETING
Tuesday, May 20, 2025
May Chapter Meeting and Scholarship Student Recital
First Presbyterian Church
4602 Cary Street Rd, Richmond, VA 23226
6:00 PM Dinner
7:00 PM Recital