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Gregory Eaton is a conductor, organist, harpsichordist, and recorderist active in both sacred and secular music. After initial keyboard training from his mother, his musical studies were at the University of Redlands and Manhattan School of Music. He considers his most formative teachers to have been Jeffrey Rickard in church music and conducting, and Dr. Leslie Spelman in organ. Dr. Spelman was himself a pupil of Joseph Bonnet and Charles-Marie Widor in Paris, and one of the great organ pedagogues of the 20th century.
Gregory is currently the Organist/Choirmaster at All Saints’ Episcopal Church, in Austin, TX, where he has been since November of 2014. He conducts the parish’s two vocal choirs and handbell choir, and provides music for Sunday services, monthly Evensong, and other special events. He is also the Lecturer in Organ and Harpsichord at the Butler School of Music, University of Texas, since 2019. In addition, he serves as director of the Damenchor (women’s choir) of the Austin Saengerrunde (German singing society). He is a member of the Austin Recorder Quartet, which plays instruments ranging from the 7" sopranino to 6' contrabass recorder. Gregory is on the Board of La Follia Austin Baroque Orchestra, and president of the Board of Ensemble VIII. Mr. Eaton is a member of the American Guild of Organists, and has recently served as Dean of the Austin Chapter. In the Brooklyn Chapter of the AGO, he served as a member of the Executive Board, three terms as Sub-Dean, and three terms as Dean.
Prior to Austin, Gregory was in New York from 1984 to 2014, where he moved upon being invited to be a part of the music staff at Trinity Church, Wall Street. In addition, he served as Lecturer in Church Music at the General Theological Seminary for 24 years, concurrent with his position as director of music at St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church for 21 years. At St. Ann’s, he founded a weekly organ concert series on the church’s historic E.M. Skinner organ, on which he played over 600 concerts in a 15-year span, utilizing a repertoire of more than 650 works, from short chorales to full-scale organ symphonies. Gregory was also co-founder, with David Hurd, of Chelsea Winds recorder ensemble
Eric Mellenbruch is a liturgical musician and typographer who has served as Organist and Associate Music Director of St David’s Episcopal Church, Austin, since 2015. In recent years his performing and study have focused on chant and the polyphony, mainly from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, based upon it: a series of Organ Vespers (2013–16) exploring this liturgical organ music in its native context; a concert series (2019–20; interrupted by the pandemic) of vocal and organ music based on the chorales translated in the first English hymnal, of which Eric is preparing the first critical, corrected edition; ongoing analysis, translation, and adaptation of chant from the Latin repertory for use with the Daily Office of the Episcopal Church’s Book of Common Prayer. He has also written, arranged, edited, and/or translated nearly a hundred anthems, especially for the St David’s Singers, which he ordinarily directs; and in the last year, responding to restrictions brought about by the pandemic, has recorded about sixty pieces on virtual organs (ericmellenbruch.com). In addition to mediating, and meditating upon, verbal and musical texts through study, translation, and performance, Eric likewise seeks the correspondence of meaning and form, source and issue, in the typography of, inter alia, the printed artefacts of the aforementioned projects; countless liturgical booklets; some experimental work; and books such as The Gospel of Mark, with helps as to its structure (2018) and Hymns for all, and all for one (2020–). Since 2008 Eric has also designed a number of books for the Concordia University Press and The Wendish Press.
Eric earned the degrees of Bachelor of Music (church music) and Master of Music (organ performance) at Baylor University and held an internship in music and liturgy at the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest, subsequently serving the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, Austin, as Organist (2000–15), Director of Communications (2005–7), and Director of Music (2007–15).
Chris Oelkers was born and raised in Winnipeg, Canada. A recipient of numerous scholarships and awards, he studied organ and church music at the University of Manitoba and University of Kansas, where he was also organist at various local churches in Lawrence and Topeka.
From 1998-2005, Chris was Principal Organist and Associate Music Director for Village Presbyterian Church in suburban Kansas City. In August of 2005, he joined the ministry team at St. Louis King of France Catholic Church in Austin, and from 2009 to 2016 served as Director of Music for that parish. In 2016, Chris answered a call to serve as Director of Music and Organist for the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Austin, where he oversees a thriving music ministry in a fast-growing parish.
Chris is active as a recitalist and has given many performances in the United States, Canada, and Europe. He has been a semifinalist and finalist in the American Guild of Organists National Competition in Organ Improvisation. He has been featured on the Great Organ Series at the University of Texas, and has been Guest Artist on KMFA 89.5 FM radio’s weekly broadcast of “Pipeworks.” When not occupied as a church musician, he directs the Austin Sängerrunde, a German choir representing the oldest ethnic society in Austin, dating to 1879. Chris lives in Austin with his wife Christine and daughter Katherine.
Chris played the very first concert in this Holbrook Organ Series on November 4, 2011, soon after it arrived from Harvard and was set up in Covenant Hall. We are very glad to have him back!
Michael Phillips, a former head chorister and choral scholar at Chelmsford Cathedral in the UK, began organ studies in his mid teens under Graham Elliott and Peter Wright at Southwark Cathedral. Shortly thereafter, he won a scholarship to Eton College where he studied with Alastair Sampson and won the school’s prestigious organ prize in his final year. Following a period as organ and choral scholar at Truro Cathedral, Michael spent a year singing with the choirs of Gloucester Cathedral, Tewkesbury Abbey, King’s College London and the Dublin-based Riverdance spin-off choir “Anúna’.” While subsequently studying for his Masters in Music at the University of Cambridge, he was for three years a choral scholar at Trinity College under Richard Marlow and Stephen Layton, and a deputy choral scholar at St John’s College under David Hill. Michael can be heard on a wide variety of commercial recordings with several different choirs, and has performed regularly on live BBC radio broadcasts and TV programs. As an organist he has given recitals in many prestigious venues around the UK. Tonight’s recital will be his first in North America.
Since 2007, Michael has combined a busy financial services career with organ playing and singing predominantly at St. Luke’s Church in Chelsea, London. Shortly after moving to Texas with his family in 2015, Michael was appointed Organist and Minister of Music at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Dallas, and since 2018 has been Organist at Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Austin.