Organist, Jonathan Dimmock (www.JonathanDimmock.
A graduate of Oberlin and Yale, he had the unique privilege of being the only American to serve as Organ Scholar of Westminster Abbey after which he continued his career in the United States serving three cathedrals: St. John the Divine (New York City), St. Mark’s (Minneapolis), and Grace (San Francisco). Jonathan lives in San Francisco, where, for over twelve years, he was Music Director at St. Ignatius Church (the largest Jesuit church in the United States) and where he bases his extensive freelance career. He is especially renowned for his interpretations of the music of Bach and Messiaen.
Jonathan has recorded more than fifty CDs including a Grammy Award-winning CD of Mahler Symphony 8 with the San Francisco Symphony. In addition to hundreds of listings on YouTube, iTunes, Spotify, and other online music sites, he has been interviewed and featured on numerous radio and television stations including National Public Radio, Radio France, BBC3, ABC (Australia), MTV2 (Budapest), BCC (Barbados), and SABC (South Africa). His teachers and mentors include Olivier Messiaen, Gillian Weir, Jean Langlais, Simon Preston, Peter Hallock, Haskell Thomson, William Porter, Thomas Murray, and Harald Vogel.
Jonathan’s creativity is that of a visionary. His numerous blog writings, his passion for communicating, and his personal focus have been the impetus for his founding of five nonprofit organizations, including the highly acclaimed American Bach Soloists (ABS), Artists’ Vocal Ensemble (AVE), and, most recently, The Resonance Project – using live music to transform conflict and find common ground. This project (www.Music-Resonance.org) has led him to interview some of the greatest musicians in the world, all of whom share his excitement about the interface between music and neuroscience. The project has garnered attention from the United Nations, the U.S. Dept. of State, and President Obama. Jonathan is deeply committed to sharing the transformative power of music with the whole world.