Performance on the 1859 Hook organ at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, North Easton, Massachusetts.
What I bring to the performance:
- 15 years of experience as an organist and choir director for churches.
- Thorough familiarity with the liturgical needs for Episcopal, Roman Catholic, and Protestant worship.
- Competence in multiple genres including classical repertoire, gospel, rock, folk, and world music.
- A flexible approach that seeks to discover the strengths of each singer, choir, and congregation.
- A patient, nonjudgmental personal style based on collaboration.
About me:
I earned a BA in music (piano performance) from Sewanee: The University of the South and an AM and PhD in ethnomusicology from Brown University. I also hold the Service Playing Certificate from the American Guild of Organists. From 2011 to 2016 I was Director of Music at First Congregational Church (United Church of Christ) in Melrose, Massachusetts. I also have taught music history and humanities courses at colleges and universities including Boston College, Suffolk University, Northeastern University, and Saint Anselm College.
I have centered my career on the development of community ties and wellness through artistic collaboration. In my earlier career as an ethnomusicologist, I conducted fieldwork among communities of singers, including The Chorus of Westerly in Westerly, Rhode Island, and several groups of shape-note singers. From these experiences, I have drawn lessons that I apply in my work as a church musician.
I come from a family with deep roots in northern Alabama and a tradition of performing gospel and church music. In 1929, one of my great-grandfathers made a 78 RPM recording for Columbia Records as part of a gospel quartet, The Albertville Quartet. My maternal grandmother was an organist for a Disciples of Christ congregation, and one of my first musical experiences was playing a Conn electronic organ in her living room. I began formal studio of the piano at age eight and also played bass in rock bands and school orchestras – a skill that later came in handy for contributing to the praise band at First Congregational Church. As a graduate student in ethnomusicology, I branched out to perform old-time string band music and Balinese gamelan.
“Duncan is the epitome of professional: he is incredibly hard working, always – no matter what – has a positive attitude, pays attention to fine details and has good follow-through. In addition to being excellent with people, he is respectful, eloquent, incredibly intelligent, and is always thinking on his toes and coming up with innovative solutions to new problems that arise. Duncan is truly one of the most patient people I have ever met, and I find his management finesse highly effective. Duncan has a remarkable effect on people: everyone feels respected and happy to work for and with him.”
—(from a colleague)
Duncan Vinson 