Born: USA

The American organist and teacher, James Kibbie, has been awarded the Grand Prix d'Interprétation at the prestigious International Organ Competition of Chartres, France, and is also the only American to have won the International Organ Competition of the Prague Spring Festival in Czechoslovakia.

James Kibbie maintains a full schedule of concert, recording, and festival engagements throughout North America and Europe, including appearances at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, Royal Festival Hall in London, Dvorak Hall in Prague, and Lincoln Center in New York. During his month-long concert tour of the Soviet Union in 1991, Pravda hailed him as "a marvelous organist, a brilliant interpreter." He is a frequent jury member of international organ competitions.

James Kibbie is widely regarded as an authority on the organ works of J.S. Bach. He has performed all the known organ compositions of Bach in a series of 18 recitals and frequently presents Bach recitals, workshops and master-classes. His performances have been broadcast on radio and television in the USA, Canada, and Europe.

In addition to his recordings of the complete Bach organ works on original instruments, his compact disc recordings include "Merrily on Hill," recorded on the famed Skinner organ in Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor, the complete Clavierübung III by J.S. Bach, works of Dietrich Buxtehude performed on the historic 1687 Schnitger organ of Norden, Germany, and discs of music by Alain, Tournemire, Sowande, Morrison, and 20^th-century Czech composers.

James Kibbie is Professor of Organ at the University of Michigan. His students perform frequently in recital, competitions and workshops in the USA and abroad. His former students hold key positions in college teaching and church music nationally. Among the honors he has received, he is particularly proud of the James Kibbie Scholarship, endowed in perpetuity at the University of Michigan to support students majoring in organ performance and church music.

Source: James Kibbie Website & Block M Records Website
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (October 2007)

James Kibbie: Short Biography | Recordings of Instrumental Works

Links to other Sites

James Kibbie (Official Website)
James Kibbie Biography (Block M Records)

Organist James Kibbie to Perform on Jan. 24 / 2005-2006 (Hope College)