Andrew Kotylo - Concert Organist
Andrew Kotylo is a concert organist whose musicality and eclectic repertoire--from transcriptions to Bach--enable him to create exciting, audience-friendly programs. He has concertized throughout the United States and in England, including performances at regional and national conventions of the American Guild of Organists that have earned critical acclaim. He has been twice featured on American Public Media's Pipedreams.
A native of Binghamton, New York, Andy is finishing his doctoral studies in organ performance at the Indiana University School of Music, Bloomington, Indiana, where he has served as an Associate Instructor in music theory. He previously earned the Bachelor (with high distinction) and Master of Music degrees from Indiana in 1999 and 2003, respectively. His teachers have included Carolyn Albaugh, the late M. Searle Wright, Christopher Young, Larry Smith, and John Schwandt. He is writing his doctoral document on the life and organ works of Searle Wright, and has been assisted in his research by a grant from the American Guild of Organists National Library at Boston University given by the widow of the concert organist, E. Power Biggs.
In June of 2008, Andy was honored with the second prize in the American Guild of Organists' National Young Artists Competition, held in Minneapolis. He has also been a first-place winner in several other competitions within the United States, including the Ottumwa (Iowa) Undergraduate Competition, the Arthur Poister National Competition, and the San Marino Competition. He was also a semi-finalist in the 2000 A.G.O. NYACOP (Seattle, Washington) and finalist in the 2005 Jordan International Competition (Columbus, Georgia).
One of Andy's greatest passions is church music, particularly within the context of liturgical worship. In August 2008, he joined the music staff of Trinity Church ("on-the-Green") in New Haven, Connecticut where he is full-time assistant organist/choirmaster under music director Walden Moore. He has also served Highland Park Presbyterian Church, Dallas, Texas as organist; St. Paul's Cathedral (Episcopal) in Buffalo, New York as assistant organist/choirmaster; the Church of the Nativity (Episcopal) in Indianapolis, Indiana as music director/organist, and St. Thomas Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Bloomington, Indiana as organist. Andy was the recipient of the 2005 Ruth and Paul Manz Church Music Scholarship, awarded to a musician pursuing a career in sacred music.
Among Andy's many repertoire interests is the organ duo repertoire. He has performed in collaboration with Tom Trenney, and together they made the world première recording of Stephen Paulus's Paean for Pro Organo. Andy also enjoys teaching and has participated as a faculty member for A.G.O. “Pipe Organ Encounters” in Rochester (Eastman School of Music) and Detroit. He recently finished a two-year term as Dean of the Bloomington chapter of the American Guild of Organists, and currently serves on the board of the New Haven chapter.