CRAIG CRAMER
Craig Cramer is Professor of Organ and Artist in Residence at the University
of Notre Dame in Indiana. He also serves as organist at St. David of Wales
Episcopal Church in Elkhart, Indiana. He holds degrees from Westminster
Choir College and the Eastman School of Music where he earned the Doctor of
Musical Arts degree in Organ Performance. The Eastman School also awarded
him the prestigious Performer's Certificate in Organ. He has studied with
Russell Saunders, William Hays, James Drake, David Boe, and André Marchal
(Paris). Cramer has been named the winner of several important
competitions.
One of the most traveled organists of his generation, Cramer maintains an
active recital career across the country and in Europe. He has performed in
forty-four of the United States as well as in Canada. Regularly
invited to play some of the most important historic organs in the world,
Cramer's European concerts have included performances in Germany on the 1727
König organ in Steinfeld, the 1748 Gottfried Silbermann in Nassau, and the Schnitger
organs in Norden and Steinkirchen. In the Netherlands he has performed on the 1725
Hagerbeer/Schnitger in Alkmaar, the 1727 Müller in Leeuwarden, the 1643/1814
Bader/Timpe organ in Zutphen, the 1696 Schnitger organ in Noordbroek, the
1770 Hinsz organ in Midwolda, the 1756 Van Deventer organ in Nijkerk, the
1756 Müller organ in Beverwijk, the 1768 Bätz organ in Woerden and the 1726
Vater organ in the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam. He recently performed in Denmark
on the Compenius and Marcusson organs in the Frederiksborg Slotskirke in
Hilleröd and the Lorentz/Marcusson organ in Roskilde Cathedral. In Sweden
he performed in Buxtehude’s church Sancta Maria in Helsingborg and on the
new (2000) North German Organ built by GoArt in the style of Schnitger in
the Örgryte nya kyrka
in Göteborg.
He has also performed in Austria, France, Switzerland and Poland.
Cramer has performed for conventions of
the American Guild of Organists and ALCM, as well as for many AGO Chapters
across the country.
He has also appeared as a soloist with a
number of different orchestras. Cramer performed the complete organ works
of Bach during a series of eighteen concerts using a distinguished set of
mechanical-action organs in the state of Indiana.
Dr. Cramer was instrumental in the installation of a new organ hall and organ built by Paul Fritts on the campus of the University of Notre Dame, which he dedicated in January of 2005 by performing a series of ten different recital programs. This organ was the focal point of an AGO National Pedagogy Conference on the subject of Buxtehude given in September 2005. In honor of the 300th anniversary of the death of Dieterich Buxtehude in 2007, Dr. Cramer presented his complete organ works in a series of nine concerts on this organ. The University of Notre Dame recently recognized Cramer with a Kaneb distinguished faculty award. He was a featured performer at the 2008 EROI Festival in Rochester, New York.
Dr.
Cramer's performances are frequently heard on the nationally-syndicated
program "Pipedreams"
produced by American Public Media. He has fifteen CD recordings
to his credit including releases on the Arkay, Dominant,
Dulcian, Motette-Ursina, Organeum
and JAV labels. He has recorded three CDs for Naxos, including a recording
of works of Buxtehude on the Fritts organ at Pacific Lutheran University. JAV
Recordings has recently released Cramer's premiere recording of the Notre
Dame Fritts organ as well as his recording on the new Fritts organ at St.
Joseph Cathedral in Columbus, Ohio. JAV will release two more Buxtehude
recordings performed on the new Taylor and Boody organ at Goshen College
(Indiana) shortly.
Craig Cramer is represented by Penny Lorenz Artist Management.
Press Quotes:
"…at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral in Kansas City, Cramer played a number of Concours pieces, chorale preludes and the Passacaglia of Bach, and Reger's massive Sonata II. Having heard this organ played in recital regularly, I wish to state that Dr. Cramer's performance of Bach was one of the most vital and uplifting heard in a long time. The Reger Sonata and the French pieces were bold and exciting." -The Diapason
"Superior and tasteful Bach interpretation…technically flawless." -Mainz, Germany
"…Bach's Prelude and Fugue shimmered in festive G major, and we experienced an impressive and striking performance of the dance-like, animated rhythms." -Rothenburg, Germany
"...in Craig Cramer's performance of the (Bach) Trio Sonata No. 1 in E-flat Major at Palmer, they encountered organ playing at its finest. The organ sounds he chose were light and buoyant. He made the technically difficult music seem disarmingly easy. By the audience's applause, his dancing rhythms and sparkling playing refreshed and elevated the spirits of everyone." -Houston Chronicle
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