James M. Fitzwilliam holds the Bachelor of Music and Master of Music (BM '85, MM '88) degrees from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, where he studied piano with Rebecca Penneys. He is frequently seen throughout the Hudson Valley area as a pianist, organist and composer. As a pianist, he regularly appears with the Gilbert and Sullivan Musical Theater Company, Cappella Festiva, and the Bard College Community Chorus. As an organist, he has served at several area churches including Trinity Lutheran in Brewster, NY and First Presbyterian in Poughkeepsie, and has made a number of performance appearances including the Old Dutch Church Organ Series in Kingston and the Hudson Valley Bach Festival. He is currently Organist and Cantor at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Kingston, NY, a position he has held since 2003. As a composer, he has had works commissioned and/or performed by members of the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, the SUNY New Paltz College Chorale, and the Chancel Choir of First Presbyterian Church, Poughkeepsie. In the fall of 2000, his song cycle Eternity on texts of Emily Dickinson was featured on a concert of Hudson Valley composers including the late Robert Starer and Peter Schickele, and this same work will appear on a forthcoming recording on the Parnassus label. He is a dedicated year-round barefooter, which provides during performances the benefit of increased sensitivity to the instrument and better pedal control at both the organ and the piano. A native of Plattsburgh, NY, he now resides in Poughkeepsie with his wife Julie, son Benjamin and daughter Diana. For more information, please visit him online at http://fourpawsmusic.com. |