Bio
“Alan Morrison possesses a technique that could chew holes through solid concrete – and sensitive musicianship to boot.” (The Diapason)
Alan Morrison is recognized as one of America's premier concert organists and enjoys a versatile career and his concert performances throughout North America, South America, Europe and Russia have all been
“Alan Morrison possesses a technique that could chew holes through solid concrete – and sensitive musicianship to boot.” (The Diapason)
Alan Morrison is recognized as one of America's premier concert organists and enjoys a versatile career and his concert performances throughout North America, South America, Europe and Russia have all been received with enthusiastic praise for his quality programming, colorful use of the organ and interpretive integrity. Morrison was recently honored by the Philadelphia Chapter of The American Guild of Organists with the Distinguished Achievement Award in recognition of his teaching and career. He has appeared in concert with groups such as Chanticleer, Empire Brass, Rodney Marsalis Philadelphia Big Brass, and the U.S. Army Chorus as well as with orchestras throughout the United States performing concertos by Jongen, Poulenc, Paulus, Barber, Sessler, Handel, Chilcott and others. He is a regular performer at Philadelphia’s Verizon Hall where he performs as soloist, concerto soloist, with choral and brass groups and with The Philadelphia Orchestra.
Collaboration with other artists plays a major role in Morrison’s career. For over a decade he toured with his mother, pianist Jeannine Morrison, performing major works and transcriptions for piano and organ. They were featured at the 2006 National AGO Convention in Chicago and recorded a CD (“Festive Duo”) in Spivey Hall. In Philadelphia he has collaborated with all the major choral ensembles: Choral Arts Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Singers, Mendelssohn Club, and Singing City. He has also appeared with Dolce Suono Ensemble several times as harpsichordist and organist. As a pianist he has been featured as concerto soloist performing works such as Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto #1, Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Gershwin’s Concerto in F (all with the DeKalb Symphony Orchestra conducted by Fyodor Cherniavsky), Mozart’s Concerto for Two Pianos and Three Pianos (Atlanta Chamber Symphony conducted by Juan Ramirez), Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy (Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia conducted by Jeffery Brillhart), and Gillingham’s Concerto for Piano and Percussion Orchestra (Orlando, FL). As winner of the GMEA Concerto Competition he performed the Piano Concerto #1 by Shostakovich (Larry Newland conducting the Georgia All State Orchestra) which was broadcast on TV. Other TV appearances include two episodes of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood as both pianist and organist. He was subsequently invited to play for his memorial service at Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh where other guests included Yo-Yo Ma, Hillary Hahn and Isaac Stern. He currently collaborates regularly with The Orlando Chambers Soloists as a founding member. They have recently received awards from Chamber Music America and National Endowment for the Arts. He has also partnered several times with renowned cellist Andres Diaz at Brevard Music Festival and Spivey Hall among other venues playing major works of Rachmaninoff, Martinu, Lutosalwski, and Debussy. Recent collaborations include concerts with soprano Karen Slack, Principal Trumpet Christopher Martin (NY Phil), Principal Flutist Christina Smith and Concertmaster David Coucheron (Atlanta Symphony Orchestra), and pianists Min Kwon and Michelle Cann.
A champion of American composers, Alan Morrison has premiered important new works by William Bolcom, Adolphus Hailstork, Rachel Laurin, David Conte, Dan Locklair, Emily Maxson-Porter, Mary Beth Bennett, Eric Sessler, Kyle Smith, Jon Spong, Brent Weaver, Daniel Crozier, as well as the American premier of Dances for Organ and Orchestra by Bob Chilcott. One of Morrison’s CD recordings, “American Voyage” features an all-American program with works by Creston, King, Crozier, Locklair, Stover and Sessler. His numerous CD recordings are currently available through the internet or on iTunes.
Morrison has been chosen by his peers to perform for five national conventions of the AGO (Atlanta ’92, New York City ’96, Philadelphia ’02, Chicago ’06 and Atlanta 2020 (as the Saint Cecilia Recitalist/Artist) as well as numerous regional conventions. In 2002, Alan Morrison was appointed head of the organ department at the world renowned conservatory, The Curtis Institute of Music, where he holds the Haas Charitable Trust Chair in Organ Studies. He has served as College Organist at Ursinus College in Collegeville, PA since 1995 and as Organist-in-Residence at Spivey Hall where he holds the McGehee Family Organist Residency. A graduate of both Curtis Institute of Music (BMus in Organ and MMus in Piano Accompanying) and Juilliard School of Music (Professional Studies in Organ), his teachers were Sarah Martin, Cherry Rhodes and John Weaver (organ) and Robert Harvey, Vladimir Sokoloff and Susan Starr (piano).
Alan Morrison is under the exclusive management of Karen McFarlane Artists, Inc. (Cleveland).