Adam Pajan

Events

  • César Franck: A Lasting Legacy
    808 Howell St
    July 5, 2022 @ 8:00 am
    Presented by Joseph Arndt and Adam Pajan In the wake of the French Revolution, many Parisian organs laid in disrepair, and the repertoire had devolved to a lowly state. Enter Belgian César Franck, who nearly single-handedly transformed the musical trajectory of the organ in France alongside Aristide Cavaillé-Coll. Both the evolution of the French Romantic Organ and the music of Franck established a new path from which the great organist-composers of the 19th century emerged. Joseph Arndt and Adam Pajan will discuss Franck’s place in the musical life of Paris, his impact on the revival of French organ music, and the issue of “authentic” performance practice. Important recordings of Franck’s organ music will be shared, including at St. Clotilde by Tournemire and Langlais, as well as Demessieux (La Madeleine) and Dupré (St. Thomas, New York). This workshop anticipates their tour of Franck’s twelve major organ works with performances in Houston, Dallas, New York, Seattle, Denver, and Tulsa.

Adam Pajan
About

Adam Pajan is Lecturer in Music (organ) at the University of Oklahoma School of Music, where he teaches students in organ performance, organ technology, and church music.  He received his DMA in 2014 at the University of Oklahoma following studies at Furman University and Yale University, earning the BM and MM degrees respectively under the tutelage of Charles Tompkins, Martin Jean, Thomas Murray, among others.  His performing career has taken him across the United States, on five tours to Germany, England (including a performance at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London), and Switzerland.  Dr. Pajan has been recognized as the first prize recipient in four national competitions (Poister, Mader, Schweitzer, and Westchester) and has been heard at conventions of the American Institute of Organbuilders, Organ Historical Society, American Guild of Organists, American Liszt Society, and multiple times on American Public Media’s radio program Pipedreams. 

He serves as Director of Music at St. Mark the Evangelist in Norman, OK and Artist in Residence at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Tulsa, OK. An active composer and arranger, his Preces and Responses Sets I and II are heard regularly at St. John’s, Tulsa, and on their widely-followed live stream. 

In the fall of 2022, he and Joseph Arndt will perform the twelve major organ works of César Franck in Houston, Dallas, New York, Seattle, and Tulsa. Also in 2022 he will make a sixth tour to Germany with an appearance at the Winter Oreglpunkt series at St. Sebastien Catholic Cathedral in Magdeburg.