BIOGRAPHY

Lars Gjerde (29), from Aure, Norway, is the son of Torbjørn and Astrid Gjul Gjerde. He entered Yamaha Music School at the age of nine. Brian Hepworth was his first pipe organ teacher, beginning at age eleven. Later private teachers were Donald Evans and Oddbjørn Sæbø, who is now organist at Nidaros Cathedral, Trondheim.

Lars studied academics at Christian Upper Secondary School, Trondheim, majoring in English and German. He graduated summa cum laude from Augustana College of Liberal Arts in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in 2002, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music and German.

His main teachers were Dr. Walter May (organ, music theory, history), Mrs. Marilyn Schempp (organ), Dr. James R. Johnson (choral conducting), Dr. Monty Barnard (voice, vocal pedagogy), and Mrs. Arlene Krueger (piano). During his studies, Lars served as the Chapel Organist of the college and accompanied its choral and opera ensembles on several occasions. In 2000, Lars was the Second National Winner in the Music Teachers National Association Collegiate Organ Competition. He received Honorable Mention in the Reuter/Augustana Arts National Undergraduate Organ Competition in Denver, Colorado, 2002.

In May, 2004, Lars completed the Bachelor of Music in Performance degree at the Edvard Grieg Academy of Music in Bergen, Norway, earning the highest grade for his organ examination. His teachers were Mr. Karstein Askeland (organ), Dr. Stig Wernø Holter (liturgical studies, counterpoint, arranging), Mr. Hans Knut Sveen (improvisation and harpsichord), and Dr. Sigbjørn Apeland (improvisation). Lars served as Organist and Choir Director at First Methodist Church, Bergen, and sang with Sandviken Kantori and the distinguished Bergen Domkantori under Prof. Magnar Mangersnes.

Lars earned his Master of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music in September 2007. From 2004 until the completion of his studies, he held the position of Assistant Musician, under Mr. James Bobb, at the Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, in Rochester, NY.

Lars currently holds a graduate award at Eastman, where he pursues the Doctor of Musical Arts in Organ Performance degree and the Sacred Music Diploma. He studies organ with Prof. David Higgs, and has studied organ literature with Dr. Hans Davidsson and continuo playing, harpsichord and improvisation with Dr. William Porter. Lars teaches secondary organ lessons at the Eastman School, and sings alto with the Christ Church Schola Cantorum under Mr. Stephen Kennedy. He is the recipient of a number of scholarships and awards for his academic and musical work. Lars has performed and participated in masterclasses and academies around America and Europe. He was recently heard playing on the American public radio show Pipedreams.