Organist

A performer who is comfortable with many genres, John Edward Cantrell, is considered one of the most versatile church musicians in New York City and is referred to as a "musician's musician" by his colleagues. From Carnegie Hall to European Cathedrals to Rock Arenas, John has performed as an organist, pianist, and multi-instrumentalist throughout the United States, England, Ireland, and Western Europe. John holds a Master of Music degree in Organ Performance from Yale University and a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Louisville. His teachers have included noted performers and scholars Melvin Dickinson, Thomas Murray, and Martin Jean. While at Yale, John received private coaching sessions with artists Susan Landale, Ludger Lohman, and Charles Kriegbaum. John is the

Choirmaster & Organist for St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in the Upper West Side of Manhattan - the home of one of the most highly coveted organs in New York – a 55 rank, three manual, Von Beckerath organ, built in 1967. Visit www.nycago.org for more information about the org.

 

"I had the great privilege of serving on the committee which recommended that John Cantrell be hired as Music Director at St. Michael's Church. In addition to John's stunning and stylish fluency in a great variety of organ and choral repertoire, his skilled leadership, coupled with his warm personal flair, has propelled the total musical experience at St. Michael's to increasingly dazzling heights."
— Raymond Hughes Chorus Master, Metropolitan Opera, 1991-2007

 

"It is a rare treat to experience an organist that expresses such depth and finds such joy in the instrument as John Cantrell. His playing is alluring and his interpretations of the organ repertoire are inventive and imaginative. The organ is "The King of Instruments", and the gifted Mr. Cantrell spins magic from the organ bench!

—Andrea Andros, asst. Concertmaster, Radio City Music Hall Orchestra

 

"Cantrell delivered a perfectly balanced program of music that delighted the downtown community. His own transcription for the organ of Mendelssohn's "Scherzo" from "Trois Fantasies ou Caprices," Op. 16) showed particular flair and technical command, as did the fiery end, Jehan Alain's "Litanies." John Cantrell is a solid player who also knows how to put together a not-so-ordinary program."
—Andrew Scanlon, Director of Music, First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburg

"John Cantrell is one of those rare organists who serves the music as it was intended, with all the understanding and sensibilities that a composer and audience could hope for. A consummate musician with great talent for style and interpretation, Mr. Cantrell is setting a higher bar for all organists."
—Dr. Michael J. Diorio, Organist & Director of Music, Church of the Redeemer, Bryn Mawr, PA

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Reviews

“…A great concert played by a great artist, honored with a long-lasting applause.”
- The Rheinische Post.

 

“…wizardly playing.”
- Album review “Love Jones Live in Hollywood,” Classic Records, Los Angeles

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“…a truly versatile musician!”

- Thomas Murray, Yale University.

 

“John Cantrell is a very exciting recitalist: he plays with rhythmic verve and a strong sense of color. I would not hesitate in securing him as soon as possible for your recital series!”
– Bruce Neswick

 

…John Cantrell’s accompaniment of Raymond Ward’s poem “Simple Pleasures,” in the words of one critic, “managed to invoke, in ten fingers, Manhattan itself.”
- Prism, the Journal of the Institute of Sacred Music, Yale University

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Listen

Max Reger: Introduction and Passacaglia in d minor  >             
Recorded live in concert at St. Francis in the Fields Episcopal Church, Louisville, KY, October 2011.