Joseph Arndt

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.

About

Joseph Arndt is Music Director at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Tulsa, OK.  During his tenure the parish commissioned the new chancel organ, Opus 173 by Schoenstein & Co. He founded the Oklahoma Bach Choir, an ensemble performing Bach cantatas with period instrumentalists from Texas and New York City. He and guest conductor Timothy Brown (retired from Clare College, Cambridge) have presented complete performances of Handel’s Messiah, with broadcasts on NPR affiliates stations.

A graduate of The Juilliard School (MM) and Westminster Choir College (BM), he studied organ with Paul Jacobs, Ken Cowan, and Diane Belcher. He is Chair of Planned Giving for the Association of Anglican Musicians, is Dean of the Tulsa Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, and is Chair of Fundraising for the Dallas Boys Course of the Royal School of Church Music-America. He has served as adjunct instructor of harpsichord and early music at Oklahoma City University and the University of Central Oklahoma.

In 2022, he and Adam Pajan will perform the twelve major organ works of César Franck in a tour including performances in Houston, Dallas, New York, Seattle, and Tulsa. In 2023, Mr. Arndt, Dr. Pajan and the St. John’s Chamber Choir will offer the complete 20 canticle settings of Herbert Howells in a special Choral Evensong series.