Organist David Higgs in concert Jan. 22

Photo by Stephen Kennedy

Furman University will present a concert with Eastman School of Music organist David Higgs Thursday, Jan. 22 at 8 p.m. in Daniel Memorial Chapel on campus. The event is part of Furman’s annual Church Music Conference.

The concert is open to the public and is presented by the Furman Hartness Organ Series in conjunction with the 10th anniversary celebration of Furman’s C.B. Fisk organ. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and $5 for students. The event is free for Church Music Conference registrants.

One of America’s leading concert organists, Higgs is Chair of the Organ Department at the Eastman School of Music (Rochester, N.Y.).  He performs extensively throughout the United States and abroad, and has inaugurated many important new instruments including those installed at St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Vienna; the Meyerson Symphony Center, Dallas; St. Albans Cathedral, England; St. Canice’s Cathedral, Kilkenny, Ireland; and the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola in New York City.

His performances with numerous ensembles have included the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Orpheus Ensemble, Chanticleer, and the Empire Brass.

A native of New York City, Higgs held his first position as a church organist at age 10. He earned the Bachelor and Master of Music degrees at the Manhattan School of Music, and the Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music where he has been part of the faculty since 1992.

Since his 1987 debut with the San Francisco Symphony, Higgs has played many Christmas concerts to capacity audiences at San Francisco’s Davies Symphony Hall, and in recent years, he has continued this tradition at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.

Higgs performs, teaches, and adjudicates at festivals and competitions throughout the world, including the International Organ Festivals and Competitions of Bremen, Germany; the Leipzig Bach Competition, Germany; Calgary, Canada; Dublin, Ireland; Odense, Denmark; Redlands and San Anselmo, California; and the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival. Higgs has recorded for Delos International, Pro Organo, Arsis, Loft, and Gothic records.

Furman’s annual Church Music Conference meets on the Furman campus Thursday, Jan. 22 and Friday, Jan. 23. Established in 1971 and sponsored by a grant from the Thomson Foundation, the Furman Church Music Conference features nationally and internationally known musicians and clergy who present lectures related to the study and practice of church music.

In addition to Higgs, other guest clinicians for the conference include Daniel Bara, Director of Choral Activities and Professor of Music at University of Georgia’s Hugh Hodgson School of Music, and Mary Louise (Mel) Bringle, Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Brevard College (N.C.).

More information about the Jan. 22 concert and the Church Music Conference may be found at this link, or contact the Furman University Music Department at (864) 294-2086, or email the department at FurmanMusic@furman.edu.