Peterson, Gregory

Title
Assistant Professor of Music/College Organist
Office:
Jenson-Noble 212
Phone:
+1.563.387.1205 or 2125
Email:
Degree:
D.M.A., University of Iowa
Interests:
Organ, church music

Gregory Peterson has been hailed as “an organist with imagination and verve” whose playing is “competent and stylish.” He joined the Luther music faculty in September of 2005 as Assistant Professor of Music and College Organist, returning to his alma mater. At Luther he teaches applied organ and church music and plays for daily and Sunday chapel in the College’s Center for Faith and Life on the 42-stop mechanical action organ by Robert Sipe.

A dedicated and professional church musician for more than twenty years, Dr. Peterson served the historic Old South Church on Copley Square in Boston, Massachusetts from 1997-2005. At Old South he directed the Old South Choir, Old South Ringers and performed regularly with the Old South Brass, Organ and Timpani ensemble including the ever-popular First Night concerts on New Year’s Eve. He is featured on the critically acclaimed compact disc “Heroic Sounds,” released by Denouement Records in 2001. Known as a leader in the field of church music, he was elected to two terms as President of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians. He also served on the Executive Committee of the Boston Chapter of the American Guild of Organists as Professional Concerns Chair. Prior to his appointment in Boston, he was Visiting Assistant Professor of Music and Christ Chapel Organist at Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minnesota.

Dr. Peterson earned the B.A. degree in music at Luther College where he studied with William Kuhlman. He holds the M.M. degree from the Yale Institute of Sacred Music where he was Hugh Giles Scholar and received the Harry B. Jepson Memorial Scholarship as a student of Charles Krigbaum. He earned the DMA in organ performance and pedagogy from the University of Iowa where he studied with Delores Bruch and Delbert Disselhorst as a Rahn Scholar and teaching assistant. He undertook additional master classes at the Gothenburg International Organ Academy in Sweden. He is a member of Pi Kappa Lambda.

A frequent soloist, Gregory Peterson has given recitals in important US venues including the Memorial Music Hall, Methuen, Massachusetts, Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Mission Church), Boston and New York City’s famed Riverside Church. European venues include the Berlin Cathedral; St. Augustine’s Church, Cardiff; Helsinki’s Rock Church; St. Anne’s Church, Warsaw; St. Nicholas Church, Prague; St. Thomas Church, Leipzig and the Uppsala Cathedral, Sweden.