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The American organist and choral conductor, Colin MacKnight, received his Bachelor of Music (2011-2015), Master of Music (2014-2016), and Doctorate of Musical Arts (2015-2021) degrees in Organ Performance from The Juilliard School, studying organ performance with Paul Jacobs. For his doctoral dissertation “Ex Uno Plures: A Proposed Completion of Bach’s Art of Fugue,” he received the Richard F. French Doctoral Prize. A frequent competition prize-winner, his first prizes and scholarships include the 2019 Paris Music Competition, 2017 West Chester University International Organ Competition, 2016 Albert Schweitzer Organ Competition, 2016 Arthur Poister Scholarship Competition, M. Louise Miller Scholarship from the Greater Bridgeport Chapter of the American Guild of Organists (AGO), the 2013 Rodgers North American Classical Organ Competition, and the Ruth and Paul Manz Organ Scholarship. He also won the New York City and Northeast Regional AGO Competitions, leading to a “Rising Star” recital at the 2016 AGO National Convention in Houston. In addition, he was a laureate in the 2016, 2019, and 2023 Longwood Gardens International Organ Competitions.
In December of 2016, Colin MacKnight and composer Jon Cziner were selected for an AGO Student Commissioning Project grant, resulting in Jon Cziner's Fantasy Chorale which Colin premiered in 2017. He has also received the Fellow and Choirmaster Certifications from the AGO, receiving the prize for top Choirmaster score, and was named one of the top “20 Under 30” eminent young organists by The Diapason magazine in 2019. He has performed at venues such as St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York City; The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, NYC; St. Paul’s Chapel of Trinity Wall Street, New York City; The National Cathedral, Washington, DC; Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church, Montreal; Church of Saints Peter and Paul, Kingston, Jamaica; Cathedral of the Incarnation, Baltimore; and Grace Cathedral, Topeka. Colin is currently working towards performing the complete organ works of J.S. Bach in 2025, the 275 anniversary of the composer's death.
Colin MacKnight was Organ Scholar (August 2013-August 2016) and Assistant Organist (August 2016-August 2017) at Church of the Resurrection, New York City; Assistant Organist and Music Theory Teacher at St. Thomas Fifth Avenue, New York City (2017-2018); and Associate Organist at Cathedral of the Incarnation in Garden City, Long Island (September 2018-June 2021). Called “a stunning player of exceptional ability” by composer and conductor Bob Chilcott, he is currently Director of Music at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Little Rock, Arkansas (since July 2021). At Trinity, he oversees a vibrant music program which includes among its offerings weekly choral evensongs, a concert series, and chorister and choral scholar programs. As part of Trinity's music program, Colin also founded and directs The Trinitas Ensemble, Little Rock's only fully professional concert choir.
Colin MacKnight is represented in North America by Karen McFarlane Artists, Inc (since March 2020). He currently lives in Little Rock, Arkansas. |
