THOMAS BROWN
is the Minister of Music of University Presbyterian Church. He
coordinates a diverse and comprehensive music ministry, and works with
the Senior Pastor and other clergy of University Church to plan and lead
services of worship. He directs the Chancel Choir and plays the
Sanctuary Organ for all services.
Thomas Brown was born
in Kansas City, Missouri, and spent his boyhood among the rocks and
hills of Colorado Springs, Colorado. He is a graduate of the University
of Missouri/Kansas City Conservatory of Music and is a recipient of the
University's Alumni Achievement Award. He also holds the Master of
Music degree from The Juilliard School in New York City and, while a
student there, was named an Outstanding Young Artist of America by the
Editors of Musical America magazine. Mr. Brown made his
critically acclaimed debut in Chicago's Orchestra Hall as part of the
prestigious Allied Arts Piano Series, whose other artists that season
included Artur Rubinstein, Alfred Brendel, Alicia de Larrocha, and
Vladimir Horowitz. He was re-engaged on the spot and has since
performed around the world as recitalist and as concerto soloist with
orchestra, including the Jerusalem Symphony during its first tour of
North America.
In addition to his
duties at University Church, Thomas Brown enjoys an active and varied
career as soloist, chamber musician and collaborative artist both as
pianist and organist, and occasionally as harpsichordist. He regularly
participates in a variety of music festivals and chamber music events,
is frequently heard as solo recitalist, and occasionally teaches and
serves as an adjudicator, including having been a featured artist and
juror at the Gina Bachauer International Competition in Salt Lake City.
He played his first organ recital at the age of 15 and has since
appeared on many of the important organ recital venues in the United
States and Canada, including regional and national conventions of the
American Guild of Organists and The Organ Historical Society. He was
the featured soloist for the International Bamboo Organ Festival in The
Philippines during one of three tours to Southeast Asia, and recorded a
CD on the famous Bamboo organ there. He has a keen interest in
organbuilding and design, and his articles have appeared in The American Organist, The Diapason, The Herald and The Northeast Organist magazines. His performances have been heard on Pipedreams,
National Public Radio and the CBC, and he has recorded for The
Repertoire Recording Society, RBW Records, Viennola Gramophone Austria
and Raven Recordings.
During his four
decades as a church musician, Thomas Brown has served a variety of
denominations in the mid-West, Connecticut and New York City, and he
brings a broad and diverse element to his work at University Church.
His wide-ranging choral experience includes the direction of a choir of
men and boys, a choral society, a variety of volunteer choirs, the
formation and direction of an all-professional choir, and the
establishment and nurture of several youth and children's choirs.
Thomas Brown began his work at University Presbyterian Church in June,
2002.
