{"id":16,"date":"2018-10-07T15:05:39","date_gmt":"2018-10-07T15:05:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jongillock.com\/2018\/?page_id=16"},"modified":"2020-10-04T16:29:39","modified_gmt":"2020-10-04T16:29:39","slug":"biography-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/jongillock.com\/2018\/biography-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Biography"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Photo: Christian Steiner<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On January 15, 1974, Jon Gillock gave the New York premiere of Olivier Messiaen\u2019s M\u00e9ditations sur le Myst\u00e8re de la Sainte Trinit\u00e9<\/i> <\/span>at The Church of the Ascension, NYC. That single performance launched him into a career as a concert artist almost over night, giving premieres of this fabulous work from coast to coast. The following year, he gave the first New York performance of Messiaen\u2019s then Complete Works for Organ<\/span> \u2014 the Livre du Saint Sacrement<\/i><\/span> had not yet been written \u2014 in a series of five concerts. Soon afterwards, he met Messiaen who invited Gillock to visit him in Paris. In 1977, Gillock went to Paris to study with his Ma\u00eetre at the Paris Conservatory.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

In 1978, Gillock performed the M\u00e9ditations<\/i><\/span> in the presence of the composer at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, NYC, in a very moving concert in honor of Messiaen\u2019s 70th birthday. This performance cemented a long friendship between the two: Messiaen was very touched by Gillock\u2019s artistry, and it was at this time that he became one of Messiaen\u2019s favorite interpreters.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

In 1986, Messiaen presented Gillock with a copy of his manuscript for the new Livre du Saint Sacrement<\/i><\/span>, authorizing him to give performances of this epic masterpiece before its publication. Again, Gillock gave the New York premiere, which was again followed by a transcontinental tour premiering this piece around the country to wide critical and public acclaim. He has given several other special New York performances of this work \u2014 in 1988, to celebrate Messiaen\u2019s 80th birthday; in 1992, as a memorial tribute to Messiaen at the time of his death; and in 1996, for the opening concert of the Convention of the American Guild of Organists that celebrated their 100th anniversary.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

In 1995, Gillock was the only American chosen to give a solo concert in Festival Messiaen \u201cMan of Faith – Look at his Organ Works\u201d<\/i><\/span>, organized by l\u2019\u00c9glise de la Sainte-Trinit\u00e9 (the church Messiaen served as organist for 61 years) to commemorate the third anniversary of his death. After the Festival he released his program, Diptyque<\/i><\/span> and Les Corps glorieux<\/i><\/span>, on CD. This recording was awarded, among other top prizes, the Deutsche Schallplatten Preis<\/i><\/span> (the Grand Prix<\/i> in Germany).<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

In 1999, Gillock again performed Messiaen\u2019s Complete Works for Organ<\/span> in New York City to honor the composer\u2019s 90th birthday \u2014 this time at The Riverside Church. In selecting this festival of six concerts as one of the highlights of the concert season, The New York Times hailed Gillock as \u201cone of the most persuasive champions of Messiaen\u2019s mystical and mysterious organ works\u201d. These concerts were given unprecedented coverage by The New York Times during the course of the festival, including a feature article on the front page of the Sunday Arts and Leisure Section. During this series he had the unusual distinction of premiering three recently discovered pieces by Messiaen: Monodie, Pr\u00e9lude<\/i>, and<\/span> Offrande au Saint Sacrement<\/i><\/span>. Soon afterwards Gillock performed other major Messiaen celebrations in San Francisco and Boston.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

In 2000 (to honor the Jubilee year of the Catholic Church), Gillock was again presented in concert at La Trinit\u00e9 in Paris where he performed Messiaen\u2019s M\u00e9ditations sur le Myst\u00e8re de la Sainte Trinit\u00e9<\/i><\/span>. In 2002, on All Saints\u2019 Day, Gillock was featured in a televised broadcast from Trinit\u00e9 that honored the 10th anniversary of Messiaen\u2019s death. And, in 2004, Gillock traveled to Tokyo where he gave the Japan premiere of M\u00e9ditations<\/i><\/span> (the same work he premiered in New York thirty years earlier) as the featured artist for the 30<\/b>th<\/sup><\/b> Anniversary Celebration of the Japan Association of Organists.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

In 2008, Jon Gillock celebrated the centenary of Messiaen around the world, giving major concerts in Paris, New York, and Tokyo, including the first performance in Japan of Messiaen\u2019s Complete Works for Organ<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

After a decade of work, Jon Gillock\u2019s book, Performing Messiaen\u2019s Organ Music: 66 Masterclasses<\/i><\/span>, was released in 2009 by Indiana University Press, USA. It stands without peer as the most exhaustive work on Messiaen\u2019s organ music in the English language, and it has been acclaimed internationally as one of the most important writings about these works.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

In 2011, Gillock began recording Messiaen\u2019s organ works for release on CD on the Raven label, having found the ideal organ for this project, the Quoirin at The Church of the Ascension, NYC. The first five recordings, I. M\u00e9ditations sur le Myst\u00e8re de la Sainte Trinit\u00e9, <\/i><\/span>II.<\/i><\/span> Livre du Saint Sacrement<\/i><\/span>, III. <\/span>Pr\u00e9lude – Messe de la <\/em><\/span>Pentec\u00f4te – L\u2019Ascension, <\/span><\/i>IV. <\/span>Monodie – Diptyque – L’Ascension, <\/em><\/span><\/i>and<\/span> <\/span>V.<\/span> Le Banquet c\u00e9leste – La Nativit\u00e9 <\/em><\/span><\/i>are now available. They are the first recordings on this new instrument. The one remaining volume will be available soon.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Thus, over the last forty-six years, Jon Gillock, known for his sensitive and moving performances, has become one of the leading international interpreters of Messiaen\u2019s marvelous and unusual repertoire for organ.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

While his name is practically synonymous with Messiaen\u2019s music, Jon Gillock is also known for his programs that draw on many periods and nationalities of organ music. He is especially fond of performing the French Spiritual Repertoire. Often a featured soloist in international festivals, he has also been a featured recitalist and master teacher for conventions of the American Guild of Organists, the Royal Canadian College of Organists, and the Japan Association of Organists.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

From 1970 until he moved to France in 1993 he was a member of the Organ Faculty of The Juilliard School, NYC. He has also served on the organ faculties of the Manhattan School of Music, NYC, and Montclair State University, NJ. From 2004-2009, he participated as Artist Faculty with Yuko Hayashi in the Boston Organ Academy. He was a member of the faculty of the Ascension Organ Academy with Dennis Keene from 2011-2013. He has also served as a jury member for international organ competitions.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

In 1999, he was named International Performer of the Year<\/i><\/span> by the New York City Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. This prestigious honor was awarded to him \u201cin recognition of his outstanding achievements and contributions to organ performance\u201d. He was also named \u201cOne of the Most Notable Organists of the 20th Century\u201d<\/span> by the AGO. Among the awards he has received for his recordings are the Golden Diapason<\/i><\/span> and the 10 of R\u00e9pertoire<\/i><\/span> in France and the Deutsche Schallplatten Preis<\/i><\/span> in Germany.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Jon Gillock grew up in Oklahoma where he began studying the piano at an early age. His first important teacher was Weldon Marshall. He received the BM with High Honors and the MM degrees from the University of Arkansas (Fayetteville); his major teacher there was John Cowell. He did graduate study at the College of Church Musicians, Washington Cathedral, with Leo Sowerby, Paul Callaway, and John Morehen. He earned his DMA degree from The Juilliard School under Vernon de Tar (organ) and Gustave Reese (musicology). Later, he studied with Olivier Messiaen at the Paris Conservatory.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On January 15, 1974, Jon Gillock gave the New York premiere of Olivier Messiaen\u2019s M\u00e9ditations sur le Myst\u00e8re de la Sainte Trinit\u00e9 at The Church of the Ascension, NYC. That single performance launched him into a career as a concert artist almost over night, giving premieres of this fabulous work from coast to coast. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-fullwidth.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-16","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jongillock.com\/2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jongillock.com\/2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jongillock.com\/2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jongillock.com\/2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jongillock.com\/2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/jongillock.com\/2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":398,"href":"https:\/\/jongillock.com\/2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16\/revisions\/398"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jongillock.com\/2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}