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The final concert of the 2025-2026 season will be performed by David Briggs. You can read about him below. All concerts are free and open to all.David Briggs
“Mr. Briggs is one of our finest organists, and also a particularly good transcriber of orchestral works for his own instrument. “
The New York Times
David Briggs is an internationally renowned organist whose perfor-mances are acclaimed for their musicality, virtuosity, and ability to excite and engage audiences of all ages. Consistently ranked as one of the finest organists of his generation, David’s extensive reper-toire spans five centuries. He has also become one of the foremost organ transcribers of symphonic works, thereby giving listeners the opportunity to experience the organ in a new way. He has tran-scribed orchestral compositions by Schubert, Tchaikovsky, Elgar, Bruckner, Ravel, and Bach as well as Mahler’s Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth symphonies.
Described as ‘an intrepid improviser” by Michael Barone, host of American Public Media’s Pipedreams, David also frequently per-forms improvisations to silent films such as Phantom of the Opera, Hunchback of Notre-Dame, Nosferatu, Jeanne d’Arc, Metropolis, King of Kings, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, the General, and a variety of Charlie Chaplin films.
At the age of 17, David obtained his FRCO (Fellow of the Royal Col-lege of Organists) diploma, winning the Silver Medal of the Wor-shipful Company of Musicians. From 1981-84 he was Organ Scholar at King’s College, Cambridge University, during which time he stud-ied with Jean Langlais in Paris. The first British winner of the Tour-nemire Prize at the St Albans International Improvisation Competi-tion, he also won the first prize in the International Improvisation Competition at Paisley. Subsequently David held positions at Here-ford, Truro and Gloucester Cathedrals.
Deeply committed to ensuring organ music remains relevant and vibrant, David enjoys giving pre-concert lectures and demonstra-tions that help make organ music more broadly accessible. He teaches performance at Cambridge University, frequently serves on international organ competition juries, and gives master classes at colleges and conservatories across the U.S. and Europe.
David performs more than 50 concerts a year at such venues as Maison Symphonique, Montreal; Royal Albert Hall, London; Notre -Dame, St Sulpice and St Eustache, Paris; Kimmel Center, Philadel-phia; Berlin Philharmonie, Germany; St James Cathedral, Toronto; International Performing Arts Center, Moscow; Valencia Cathedral, Spain; National Auditorium, Madrid; Christ Church Cathedral, Vic-toria (BC); Nidaros Cathedral, Trondheim, Norway; Grace Cathe-dral, San Francisco (CA); and King’s College, Cambridge.
David Briggs is also a prolific composer and his works range from full scale oratorios to works for solo instruments. He has recorded two DVDs, and 37 CDs, many of which include his own composi-tions and transcriptions.
David is currently Artist-in-Residence at the Cathedral of St John the Divine in New York City. For more information, Please visit: www.david-briggs.org.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
712 W Church Street, Hagerstown, MD, United States, Maryland 21740
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