C H R I S T O P H E R J E N N I N G S
B i o g r a p h y
Hailed as displaying “rock-solid technique, interpretative flair, and a gift for registering the instrument for maximum tonal effect,” Christopher Jennings brings the music of the pipe organ to a variety of audiences, promoting its role in the classical music scene and beyond. As a teacher, he brings his experience and enthusiasm for marrying healthy playing technique with expressive musicality. In his work with choirs of children, youth and adults of all ages, he engages singers in producing a beautiful, exciting vocal blend with his own passion for choral repertoire from the Tudor period to the present day.
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A featured artist in the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC, Christopher has also collaborated with the New York Repertory Orchestra and the Salomé Chamber Orchestra and has performed at such unique venues as the East Texas Organ Festival in Kilgore, TX Cadet Chapel, West Point Military Academy, Methuen Music Hall in Methuen, MA, and Constitution Hall, Washington D.C. He appeared on the television program Jeopardy as a “clue,” playing the famed E.M. Skinner organ at Woolsey Hall. Christopher continues to collaborate with other instrumental and choral ensembles throughout the New York City Metro area and performs duo-organ concerts with his husband, Brian Harlow. He has appeared on Public Radio’s Pipedreams and With Heart and Voice and released several organ solo albums, available on iTunes.
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Christopher is Director of Music & Organist at The Episcopal Church of St. John on-the-Mountain in Bernardsville, NJ. He is also the director of the St. Rose of Lima Academy Choir in Short Hills, where he also serves as Assistant Organist. He has held positions at St. James’ Church Madison Ave, New York City, St. James’s Church, West Hartford, CT, St. John’s Lutheran Church, Stamford, CT, and Trinity Church on-the-Green, New Haven, CT.
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Outside of his life as a professional musician, Christopher is Program Director at All The Way Up Adult Education Center in downtown Newark, NJ. He has been active in the founding, development and growth of this unique venture for adult learners, which provides personalized educational opportunities in GED classes, basic skills, and in learning English (ESL). As a social entrepreneur, he is committed to advocating for those who need these educational opportunities in order to make a difference for their lives and their families.
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Christopher holds the Master of Music Degree from Yale University School of Music and Institute of Sacred Music and the Bachelor of Music degree from Indiana University. His teachers have included Marilyn Keiser, Martin Jean, and William Porter. He also completed a certificate in Well-Coordinated Injury-Preventive Keyboard Technique at Salem College, Winston-Salem, NC, studying with the world-renowned pianist Barbara Lister-Sink.
"...Jennings displayed a rock-solid technique, interpretive flair and a gift for registering the instrument for maximum tonal effect.."