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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

James David Christie • International Performer of the Year

Richard J. Clark · June 15, 2018

NE OF THE HIGHEST honors awarded to an organist comes from the New York City Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. In the Fall of 2017, James David Christie was named “International Performer of the Year”. So distinguished is the honor, it has only been awarded eight times since 2000.

To celebrate this award, Christie will perform a concert on Monday, June 18th at 6pm at Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, New York, New York on the Taylor and Boody Organ, Opus 27.

• Tickets for the concert only are FREE, but one must still reserve tickets! Concert plus reception/dinner are $75. Reserve tickets here.

HE NEW YORK CITY Chapter of the American Guild of Organists writes of Christie:

“The deeply admired and greatly lauded concert career of organist James David Christie has been marked by performances literally around the globe as a solo organ recitalist and as a performer and concerto soloist with the world’s greatest symphony orchestras and period instrument ensembles. Especially noted for his engaging solo performances of the works of Renaissance and Baroque composers, Dallas Morning News critic Scott Cantrell stated: ‘There’s a reason James David Christie keeps getting invited to play Baroque music on instruments like this. He does it with both intellectual understanding and visceral flair – and where appropriate, playfulness. He makes the music live and breathe and dance.’ ”

S AN EDUCATOR, James Christie has had a deeply profound impact on the lives of countless musicians. While his credits are notable—and far too numerous to list—(e.g., Organist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chair and Professor of Organ at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Distinguished Artist in Residence at the College of the Holy Cross, etc.) his love of teaching and dedication to his students set Christie apart.

Having studied with Christie for nearly a decade, I enjoyed a front-row seat to one of the world’s great teachers and performers. While the list of his students who have been prizewinners in major international competitions is too numerous to list, he has nurtured and cultivated organists on a broad spectrum of abilities who were hard working and dedicated to the instrument.

He imparts to students many things, but among them is the joy of attending to detail and discovery in scholarship. (“A good organist must also be a good scholar,” he would emphasize). A teacher of music and not simply “his way” of playing, he expects one to apply in one area what one learns in another without prompting. As a result, he expects a high level of self-motivation.

He understands that a student’s emotional state is tied to their ability to work hard—and he worked us very hard. (E.g., He once had me pick him up at Logan Airport after a concert in Los Angeles. We drove directly to Mission Church in Roxbury where he proceeded to grill me for three hours on Franck’s Chorales. As was typical, he joyfully danced around the choir loft, upon occasion stomping to emphasize phrasing. At the end of the night he appeared energized. As a student in my twenties, I was exhausted.)

He teaches with constant encouragement, yet is very tough when warranted. (He called me out when I deserved it.) His expectation of excellence is exceedingly high, and he guides one though the process to achieve it.

Oh, and it is an understatement to say he is funny as heck.

NOTHER SIGN OF A GREAT great teacher is one who wishes to have their students exposed to other great teachers, performers, and experiences. He would have us play for some of the greatest in the world: Marie-Claire Alain, Marie-Louis Langlais, Jean-Pierre Leguay, Jean Boyer, and Harold Vogel to name a few.

Finally, an overriding impression of Christie is the deep joy and love that emanate from his music, and his subsequent desire to impart this love. As a result, many of us owe him our lives.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Pipe Organ Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Richard J. Clark

Richard J. Clark is the Director of Music of the Archdiocese of Boston and the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Typo in the “Missale Romanum” (1962)
    The 1962 MISSALE ROMANUM was a transitional missal. It was on its way to becoming the 1970 version, but wasn’t there yet. It eliminated certain duplications, downplayed the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar, expanded the role of laymen, minimized the Last Gospel, made many items optional, and so forth. Father Valentine Young spotted many typos in the 1962 MISSALE ROMANUM, especially incorrect accents. The Offertory Antiphon for this coming Sunday (OF kalendar) contains an error, citing the wrong verse from Psalm 118. It should be 118:107b, not 118:154. If you read verse 154, you’ll understand how that error crept in. [In this particular case, the error pre-dates the 1962 Missal, since the 1940s hand-missal by Father Lasance also gets it wrong.]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 30th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 26 October 2025, which is the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the top-notch feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Little Encouragement?
    In the Gospel, our Savior tells about 10 lepers who were healed. Only one went back to give thanks. Precious few express gratitude, yet many have endless energy to complain. For that reason, I deeply appreciate receiving messages like the following, which arrived a few days ago (about the parish where I direct in Michigan): “Last Sunday, a couple I knew from Grand Rapids was at Mass at 10:00 a.m. I got a chance to talk to them after Mass. I wanted to let you know what they said about the choir. They were absolutely floored by our sound!!!!! They both said they could continuously listen to our choir and the beauty of it. They asked me: “Do you always sound like that?” And they were also very surprised at how packed the church was. They said it was nice for them to be in such a full church. I just thought you would be interested to know their thoughts about our choir.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “Our Father” • Musical Setting?
    Looking through a Roman Catholic Hymnal published in 1859 by Father Guido Maria Dreves (d. 1909), I stumbled upon this very beautiful tune (PDF file). I feel it would be absolutely perfect to set the “Our Father” in German to music. Thoughts?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ regarding the 1960s switch to a wider use (amplior locus) of vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“Before any seminarian is accepted for ordination, he must not only strive for chastity but actually achieve it. He must already be living chaste celibacy peacefully and for a prolonged period of time—for if this be lacking, the seminarian and his formators cannot have the requisite confidence that he is called to the celibate life.”

— Archbishop Viganò (16 February 2019)

Recent Posts

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  • Typo in the “Missale Romanum” (1962)
  • “Music List” • 30th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • “Our Father” • Musical Setting?

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