Scott Turkington
Encyclopedia
Scott Turkington is currently the principal organist
and choirmaster for the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Charleston
, South Carolina
. He is also on the board of the Church Music Association of America
and directs one of several Gregorian scholas at the annual CMAA Colloquium on Sacred Music.
Until 2010, he served as organist and choirmaster for the Roman Catholic Basilica of Saint John the Evangelist in Stamford, Connecticut
, where he conducted a choir in a program of weekly polyphonic Mass settings and Gregorian chant. Before accepting the position at St. John's in 1998, he was Assistant Organist and Conductor at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. While at the National Shrine, he played for over 500 services each year, and appeared on live national television dozens of times.
He has been the director of the annual workshop in sacred music sponsored by the St. Cecilia Schola Cantorum. He has been Music Director at the Church of the Covenant
in Boston; Music Teacher and Organist at the Boston Archdiocesan Choir School
(Cambridge, Massachusetts), under Theodore Marier
. A native of Minneapolis
, he studied music at the University of Minnesota
, the Boston Conservatory of Music and The Catholic University of America
. His former teachers include Heinrich Fleischer
, Phillip Steinhaus, and George Faxon.
In frequent demand as an organ recitalist, he has played innumerable recitals in the Northeast, having made his New York debut at St. Patrick’s Cathedral
. He has performed for a national convention of the Organ Historical Society, and is a featured performer on the Organ Historical Society's compact disc, Organs of Baltimore. In 1994, his choir performed for Pope John Paul II at St. Peter's Basilica
in Rome.
He is editor of A Gregorian Chant Masterclass by Theodore Marier, published by the Abbey of Regina Laudis
in Bethlehem, Connecticut
. This book and its companion CD feature the Stamford Schola Gregoriana and the nuns of Regina Laudis, both conducted by Turkington.
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
and choirmaster for the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. He is also on the board of the Church Music Association of America
Church Music Association of America
The Church Music Association of America is a non-profit 501 association of Catholic church musicians and others who have a special interest in music and liturgy, active in advancing Gregorian chant, Renaissance polyphony, and other forms of sacred music for liturgical use...
and directs one of several Gregorian scholas at the annual CMAA Colloquium on Sacred Music.
Until 2010, he served as organist and choirmaster for the Roman Catholic Basilica of Saint John the Evangelist in Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...
, where he conducted a choir in a program of weekly polyphonic Mass settings and Gregorian chant. Before accepting the position at St. John's in 1998, he was Assistant Organist and Conductor at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. While at the National Shrine, he played for over 500 services each year, and appeared on live national television dozens of times.
He has been the director of the annual workshop in sacred music sponsored by the St. Cecilia Schola Cantorum. He has been Music Director at the Church of the Covenant
Church of the Covenant (Boston)
The Church of the Covenant is a Boston, Massachusetts, landmark, built in 1865-1867 by the Central Congregational Church and now affiliated with the Presbyterian Church and the United Church of Christ.-History:Built of Roxbury puddingstone in Gothic Revival style it was one of the first churches...
in Boston; Music Teacher and Organist at the Boston Archdiocesan Choir School
Boston Archdiocesan Choir School
The Boston Archdiocesan Choir School is a choir school in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A middle school for boys in grades 5-8, BACS is the only boy-choir school in the United States of America affiliated with the Catholic Church. Its choir of boys and men sings for liturgical services at St...
(Cambridge, Massachusetts), under Theodore Marier
Theodore Marier
Theodore N. Marier was a composer, church musician, educator, and scholar of Gregorian Chant. He founded the Boston Archdiocesan Choir School in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1963, and served as the second president of the Church Music Association of America.-Life and career:Marier once said he...
. A native of Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, he studied music at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
, the Boston Conservatory of Music and The Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America is a private university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by the U.S. Catholic bishops...
. His former teachers include Heinrich Fleischer
Heinrich Fleischer
Heinrich Fleischer was an organist from Leipzig, Germany. He fought in World War II, in which he lost one finger on his left hand and another half finger. After the war, Fleischer re-taught himself to play the organ with his remaining fingers. He went on to become an organist at Valparaiso...
, Phillip Steinhaus, and George Faxon.
In frequent demand as an organ recitalist, he has played innumerable recitals in the Northeast, having made his New York debut at St. Patrick’s Cathedral
St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York
The Cathedral of St. Patrick is a decorated Neo-Gothic-style Roman Catholic cathedral church in the United States...
. He has performed for a national convention of the Organ Historical Society, and is a featured performer on the Organ Historical Society's compact disc, Organs of Baltimore. In 1994, his choir performed for Pope John Paul II at St. Peter's Basilica
St. Peter's Basilica
The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter , officially known in Italian as ' and commonly known as Saint Peter's Basilica, is a Late Renaissance church located within the Vatican City. Saint Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world...
in Rome.
He is editor of A Gregorian Chant Masterclass by Theodore Marier, published by the Abbey of Regina Laudis
Abbey of Regina Laudis
The Benedictine Abbey of Regina Laudis was founded in 1947 by Mother Benedict Duss, O.S.B. and Mother Mary Aline Trilles de Warren, O.S.B. in Bethlehem, Connecticut. This monastic foundation was one of the first houses of contemplative Benedictine nuns in the United States. Mother Benedict and...
in Bethlehem, Connecticut
Bethlehem, Connecticut
Bethlehem is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 3,422 at the 2000 census. The town center was designated in the 2000 census as a census-designated place ....
. This book and its companion CD feature the Stamford Schola Gregoriana and the nuns of Regina Laudis, both conducted by Turkington.