Carol Williams to Present Organ Concert
The St. Matthew Lutheran Church Concert Series will present organist, Carol Williams in concert on Sunday, October 16 at 4:00 p.m. Free tickets will be used to guarantee seating. Mail a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the church office and mark the envelope “October Concert.” Doors open at 3:30 p.m. Free-will offering will be taken.
Carol Williams programs are known for flashy classical pieces, theater, jazz, pop and everything in-between. Her concerts are of vast diversity, elegance and include her charismatic personality. Williams’ performances are received with “rock star” enthusiasm as witnessed by the thousands who attended her concerts while at the outdoor Spreckles organ in San Diego.
British born Carol Williams was a child prodigy nurtured in a Welsh musical family. She began private lessons at age five and could read music before English. Carol began performing organ recitals throughout the UK at age eight. Dr. Williams’s formal training started with five years at the Royal Academy of Music where she obtained the Academy’s prestigious Recital Diploma. Carol was awarded all the major prizes for organ performance and she became a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists; a Fellow of Trinity College London; and an Associate of the Royal College of Music. Carol also studied with Daniel Roth, the Organist at the Church of St. Sulpice, Paris. Moving to the United States she undertook postgraduate study at Yale University under the direction of Professor Thomas Murray (who has played two concerts at St. Matthew) and was awarded an Artist Diploma together with the Charles Ives prize for outstanding achievement. Carol undertook her Doctoral studies at the Manhattan School of Music.
Carol now lives in Atlanta, Georgia. She was in San Diego California from 2001-2017 where she was Artistic Director of the Spreckels International Organ Concert Series, the largest in North America. Dr. Carol is the first woman in the world to hold the position “Civic Organist” and has been awarded the title “San Diego Civic Organist Emerita”.
Dr. Williams has performed throughout the United States, England, France, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Monaco, Luxembourg, Holland, Poland, Germany, Denmark, Singapore, South Korea, China and Russia. Williams is known for her collaborations with various symphonies, jazz, blues, pop and rock musicians including the BBC Concert Orchestra, San Diego Symphony Orchestra and the Beijing Symphony Orchestra as well as with various regional local bands. Carol has recorded over 23 CDs and published over 50 compositions on Melcot Music. Dr. Carol hosts “TourBus” a documentary series exploring the large and small, famous and unique pipe organs of the world and also, hosts a YouTube talk show series “On The Bench” interviewing musical artists. In the United Kingdom, Dr. Williams has been elected an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM) in recognition of her contribution to music.
Carol has served as Chapel Organist at Yale University, New Haven, CT; Associate Organist at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Long Island’s Garden City, NY; Artist in Residence at St. Paul’s Cathedral in San Diego, CA; Director of Music St. Thomas Aquinas Charlottesville, VA University Parish. Presently Carol is Artist in Residence and Organist, Peachtree Christian Church, Atlanta, GA . Some of her highlight concerts were for Princes Diana, the Virgil Fox Memorial Concert and the 10th anniversary concert of the Walt Disney Concert Hall Organ. Carol donates several performances per year for various charity fund raising efforts.