Stephen Hamilton
STEPHEN HAMILTON, virtuoso concert organist, has long been prominent on the American organ scene.
The New York Times wrote of Hamilton's performance of the Bach
Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor: 'Hamilton, as minister of music at the church, obviously knew the instrument's sonorous capabilities and brought them powerfully to bear in a rousing account.'
The Charleston Daily Mail reviewed: 'This performance had to be one of the supreme moments of music making in this year's or any other year's Orgelfest offerings.' For the past thirty years, such consistent critical review has earned Hamilton acclaim as a thoroughly engaging and popular artist and has firmly established his reputation as a leading and much sought-after personality.
Highlights of Hamilton's career include the premiere performance of Kenton Coe's
Concerto for Organ, Strings and Percussion with the Festival of Comminges Orchestra, Jean-Pierre Marty conducting, in France, and a performance of the Enrico Bossi
Organ Concerto with the Detroit Symphony, David Zinman, conducting. He frequently appears with regional orchestras playing concertos of Handel, Albinoni, Hindemith, Piston, Copland, Rheinberger, and Poulenc; and recently appeared with the Austin (Texas) Symphony orchestra, Peter Bay, conductor performing the Barber
Toccata Festiva.
Hamilton has been heard in hundreds of solo recitals and on the nationally broadcast radio program
Pipe Dreams as well as WETS-FM's
Pipes, Pedals and Pistons. His recitals feature solo works from the standard repertoire as well as ensemble works for organ and instruments. Often in these recitals he enjoys collaborating with local musicians. Additionally he has been heard as collaborative artist with choral ensembles in the concert
Requiems of Fauré, Duruflé, Mozart, and Vierne, and Handel's 'Messiah.'
Hamilton has gained an increasingly popular presence for his vivid and moving interpretation of Marcel Dupré's
Le Chemin de la Croix, in over forty concert performances. In 1992 a stunningly inspirational performance in New York City featured narration, dramatic lighting, and modern dance choreographed by Lynn Parkerson which led to subsequent liturgical dance collaborations. His compact disc release of
Le Chemin de la Croix met with exceptional reviews from a number of magazines and trade journals including
The American Organist and ...
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