Alan Morrison is recognized as one of America's premier concert organists and his concert appearances in some of the most prestigious organ concert venues in North America emphasize his achievements as a performer and the respect Mr. Morrison has gained in the concert organ world: Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts’ Alice Tully Hall (NYC); Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center (Philadelphia, PA); Benaroya Hall (Seattle, WA); The Meyerson Symphony Center (Dallas, TX); Jacoby Hall (Jacksonville, FL); Spivey Hall (Morrow, GA); Jack Singer Concert Hall (Calgary, Alberta, Canada); Merrill Auditorium (Portland, ME); The National Cathedral (Washington, DC) The Crystal Cathedral (Orange Grove, CA); Grace Cathedral (San Francisco, CA); First Congregational Church (Los Angeles, CA); Spreckels Organ Pavilion (San Diego, CA); St. Patrick's Cathedral (NYC); Ocean Grove Auditorium (Ocean Grove, NJ); The Cleveland Museum of Art (Cleveland, OH), the Wanamaker Organ at Macy’s Department Store (Philadelphia, PA) and numerous others. His recent performance during the inaugural festival of the Dobson organ in Verizon Hall drew laudatory reviews from numerous national publications. He is a regular performer at The Kimmel Center where he also serves as an artistic adviser. Highlights of the 2008-09 season featured recitals in Spivey Hall (Morrow, GA), Jacoby Hall (Jacksonville, FL), a solo closing recital for the Region III AGO Convention in Norfolk, VA and a CD recording in Verizon Hall (Kimmel Center) on the Fred J. Cooper Memorial Organ (Dobson). In addition to solo recitals next season, Alan Morrison makes his debut with the Dekalb Symphony Orchestra and Maestro Cherniavsky in a performance of Gershwin’s Concerto in F as well as collaborations with flutist Mimi Stillman (Dolce Suono series), and with The Orlando Chamber Soloists in Florida and South Dakota.
In addition to extensive solo and orchestral performances throughout the United States including Alaska, Mr. Morrison has also performed in Canada, Europe, and South America in International Festivals. He has the distinct honor of having been chosen by his peers to perform for four national conventions of the American Guild of Organists (Atlanta '92, NYC '96, Philadelphia "02, Chicago '06)) and has won top prizes in numerous competitions, among them the Silver Medal at the Calgary International Organ Festival and First Prize in both the Mader and Poister National Organ Competitions. He has appeared in concert with The United States Army Chorus, and numerous Philadelphia ensembles including The Philadelphia Singers, Mendelssohn Club, Singing City and Choral Arts Society. He regularly conducts numerous AGO sponsored master-classes throughout the USA as well as in Canada. As a recording artist, Mr. Morrison has recorded ten critically acclaimed CD’s for Gothic Records, ACA Digital Recording and DTR. These and other concert performances are regularly featured on MPR's Pipedreams, Performance Today and on radio stations throughout many countries. On television he has been featured on two episodes of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and on Georgia Public Television in a performance of the Shostakovich Piano Concerto #1. In May 2003, he was selected to appear along with Itzhak Perlman and Yo-Yo Ma for the Fred Rogers Memorial Service, which was telecast live from Pittsburgh's Heinz Hall.
A champion of twentieth/twenty-first century American composers, Mr. Morrison has premiered important new works by William Bolcom, Dan Locklair, Eric Sessler, Brent Weaver, Emily Maxson Porter, Mary Beth Bennett, Jon Spong and Luis Prado as well as the American premier of Dances for Organ and Orchestra by British composer Bob Chilcott. His most recent premiers were of a new organ concerto by Eric Sessler in Verizon Hall (Kimmel Center) with The Curtis Symphony Orchestra (David Hayes, cond.) and Variations on a Theme by Ludwig Diehn by Mary Beth Bennett as part of the closing recital for the AGO Region III Convention in Norfolk, VA. (July 2009).
At the age of 33, Mr. Morrison was appointed Head of the Organ Department at the world renowned conservatory, The Curtis Institute of Music (Philadelphia). He recently was honored with the Haas Charitable Trust Chair in Organ Studies at Curtis. He is in his 15th year as College Organist at Ursinus College (Collegeville, PA.) and is Adjunct Assistant Professor of Organ at Westminster Choir College of Rider University. He is a graduate of both The Curtis Institute of Music and The Juilliard School of Music receiving degrees in both organ and piano accompanying/chamber music. He is also a founding member of The Orlando Chamber Soloists. His teachers include John Weaver, Cherry Rhodes, Sarah Martin (organ), Robert Harvey, Vladimir Sokoloff and Susan Starr (piano). He is under the exclusive management of Karen McFarlane Artists, Inc. (Cleveland, Ohio).
