February 8, 2025

Michael Burkhardt

Improvisation Masterclass at 10:00 AM and

Hymn Festival at 7:00 PM

Check out some of Michael’s videos here and here.

Internationally known for innovative and inspiring hymn festivals and for creative work with children, Michael Burkhardt is in frequent demand as a choral clinician, educator, organ recitalist, and hymn festival leader.

Dr. Burkhardt is Professor of Organ at Eastern Michigan University, and Founder-Artistic Director of hearts, hands and voices Worship and Fine Arts Program for Children in Southeast Michigan. From 2008-2017 Michael served Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Livonia, Michigan, as Music Mentor and Cantor, and from 2001-2007 served on the faculty of Carthage College (ELCA) in Kenosha, Wisconsin, as Director of Choral Activities, College Organist, and Artist in Residence. Prior to the appointment at Carthage, Dr. Burkhardt was a Faculty Associate in organ at Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona. A graduate of Carthage College, Kenosha, WI, Michael earned the M.M. degree from Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, and D.M.A. degree from Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.

Michael has performed and led seminars at both national and regional events for the American Guild of Organists, the Hymn Society, the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians, the Presbyterian Association of Musicians, the Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts, and the American Choral Directors Association, and since 2003 has made ten performance-teaching tours to South Korea and Singapore.

Dr. Burkhardt is author of Part-Singing Global Style (a resource focusing on sequential part-singing techniques in treble arrangements of global pieces), Singing with Understanding  (a curriculum utilizing the great hymns, folksongs and spirituals of the Church to share faith stories and to teach the elements of music and worship), Read ‘n Ring (a graded curriculum for teaching literacy to and exploring musicianship for handbell/handchime ringers), and Worship for the Young Child (a worship resource providing engaging, inclusive worship experiences for young children with teaching guides), and Creative Hymn Playing (a hymn-based improvisation method-resource for organists). Michael is composer of three settings of the Eucharistic liturgy, A New Song, Missa St. Andrew, and Missa Mixolydian as well as numerous organ improvisations, choral octavos and handbell compositions, available through MorningStar Music Publishers, E. C. Schirmer, Choristers Guild, Concordia Publishing House, Augsburg Fortress Publishers, GIA Music Publishers, and AGEHR.

March 29, 2025 7:00 PM

Ken Cowan

Check out some videos of Ken here and here

 Regarded as one of North America’s finest concert organists and praised for his dazzling artistry, impeccable technique, and imaginative programming by audiences and critics alike, Ken Cowan maintains a rigorous performing schedule that takes him to major concert venues in America, Canada, Europe, and Asia. 

Recent feature performances have included appearances at Verizon Hall in Philadelphia with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonie, Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, Vienna Konzerthaus, Maison Symphonique in Montreal, St. Paul’s Cathedral in London and Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. 

Upcoming performances include recitals in Richmond, VA Louisville KY, Cincinnati OH, and Montreal Canada.  Mr. Cowan will also be a featured performer this summer at the National conventions of The American Guild of Organists in San Francisco CA, and The Organ Historical Society in Baltimore MD.  

Numerous critically acclaimed compact disc recordings by Mr. Cowan are available.  Most recent, with Mr. Cowan serving as organ accompanist, is Maurice Duruflé: Complete Choral Works (Signum Records), recorded with Robert Simpson and the Houston Chamber Choir, for which the Houston Chamber Choir was awarded a GRAMMY award in 2020 for Best Choral Recording.  Also available is Dynamic Duo, (Pro Organo), featuring Mr. Cowan and Bradley Hunter Welch in a program of original works and transcriptions for duo organists performed on the monumental Casavant organ at Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, TX.  Other recordings include Ken Cowan plays The Great Organ (Pro Organo), recorded on the newly-restored organ at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York City; Works of Franz Liszt (JAV), recorded on the Michael Quimby organ at First Baptist church in Jackson Mississippi; and Ken Cowan Plays Romantic Masterworks (Raven), recorded on the 110-rank Schoenstein organ at First Plymouth Congregational Church in Lincoln, Nebraska.  Mr. Cowan also joined organist Justin Bischof in the 1999 world-premiere recording of American composer Aaron Miller’s Double Concerto for organ, recorded with the Zurich Symphony Orchestra on the Kleuker organ in the Tonhalle, Zurich, Switzerland (Ethereal Recordings).  Many of Mr. Cowan’s recordings and live performances have been regularly featured on the nationally distributed radio program PIPEDREAMS from American Public Media.

A native of Thorold, Ontario, Canada, Mr. Cowan received the Master’s degree and Artist Diploma from the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, studying organ with Thomas Murray.  Prior to attending Yale, he graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia where he studied with John Weaver.  Following initial studies with his father, David, his principal teacher during his high school years was James Bigham, Music Director at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, in Buffalo, NY.

In 2012 Mr. Cowan joined the keyboard faculty of the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, where he is Professor of Organ and head of the organ program.  He is additionally Organist and Artist-in-Residence at Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church in Houston, TX.  Previous positions have included Associate Professor of Organ at Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton, NJ, where he was awarded the 2008 Rider University Distinguished Teaching Award, and Associate Organist and Artist in Residence at Saint Bartholomew’s Church in New York City.

September 19, 2025 7:00 PM

Monica Berney

Check out some videos of Monica here and here

A true star among young classical musicians, Monica Berney, née Czausz, has made a name for herself as one of the finest organists on the scene today.  Known for her technical mastery, effortless musicality, and engaging stage presence, she has been inspiring audiences from coast to coast.  Early in her career she received first prize in numerous competitions, including the 2015 American Guild of Organists (AGO) Regional Competition for Young Organists (Southwest Region), 2015 Schweitzer Competition (Young Professionals’ Division), 2013 William C. Hall Competition, 2012 L. Cameron Johnson Competition, and 2011 Oklahoma City University Competition.  At age 22, she was recognized by The Diapason magazine as one of the top 20 organists under 30.

Ms. Berney has performed at significant venues across the United States, including Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, Merrill Auditorium in Portland (Maine,) the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, and Spivey Hall in Morrow (Georgia).  She has headlined at prominent festivals, including New York City AGO’s Presidents’ Day Conference, the Eccles Festival in Salt Lake City, the Reuter Organ Festival in Albuquerque, and the International Philip Lorenz Keyboard Festival (Fresno, California).  Monica’s performances have been broadcast on radio stations nationwide – including Pipedreams, WRTI Philadelphia, 91.7 Houston, and KTRU Rice Radio – and her YouTube channel boasts well over 1.5 million views by organ fans around the globe.

Her Regional AGO Convention recitals include North Central (Minneapolis, 2023), Southeast (Aiken, South Carolina, 2023), Mid-Atlantic (southern New Jersey, 2019), Southwest (Dallas, 2017), and Northeast (joint National Convention of the Royal Canadian College of Organists, Montréal, 2017).  Her National AGO appearances include the online 2019 Organfest and the 2016 National Convention in Houston, where she featured both at Evensong (Christ Church Cathedral) and as a “Rising Star,” where she gave “a fabulous performance that displayed artistic mastery far beyond her years” (The American Organist).  She has performed at several National Conventions of the Organ Historical Society, in Minneapolis/St. Paul (2017), Philadelphia (2016) where she “played with great flair” (The American Organist), and western Massachusetts (2015). She also performed at the 2016 East Texas Pipe Organ Festival where The Tracker reported, “this young lady just blew us all away.”  

Monica graduated from The Curtis Institute of Music in 2019 with an Artist Diploma in Organ Performance and a Performer’s Certificate in Harpsichord Performance, where she studied with Alan Morrison and Leon Schelhase, respectively.  In 2017, she graduated Summa Cum Laude from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music in Houston, Texas, where she completed a five-year combined Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degree program in Organ Performance.  At Rice she studied with renowned professor Ken Cowan and, upon graduation, was awarded the Undergraduate Distinction in Research and Creative Work. 

Ms. Berney was appointed Director of Music at St. Paul’s Parish, K Street (Washington, D.C.) in August 2023, where she served as Interim Director of Music the year prior.  Her robust leadership of this celebrated music program has already generated ripples of excitement across church music spheres.  Prior positions held include Director of Music and Artistic Ministries at King of Glory Lutheran Church (Dallas, Texas), Cathedral Organist at Houston’s Christ Church Cathedral under the leadership of acclaimed director Robert Simpson, and Assistant Organist at The Parish of St. Vincent Ferrer and St. Catherine of Siena in New York City.

Further information can be found at: monicaberney.com

October 25, 2025

Annual Silent Film

Film TBA soon.