Celebrated Young Organist Andrew Johnson to Perform Recital at St. John’s Episcopal Church

Celebrated young concert organist Andrew Johnson will present a solo organ recital on Friday, October 9, at 7:00 p.m. at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 205 Elmwood Avenue, Lynchburg.

Named one of The Diapason’s “20 Under 30,” Andrew is an accomplished performer, scholar, educator, and composer. His Lynchburg program will feature works by Dieterich Buxtehude, Hugo Distler, Johann Sebastian Bach, Louis Vierne, Horatio Parker, and Pamela Decker, along with one of Andrew’s own arrangements.

A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Andrew is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Organ Performance and Literature at the Eastman School of Music, where he studies with David Higgs. He previously earned degrees from the Peabody Conservatory and Illinois Wesleyan University and has studied with several internationally recognized organists.

His most recent achievement was earning second place in the American Guild of Organists’ National Young Artists Competition in Organ Performance at the AGO National Convention in St. Louis in July 2026. He previously placed second in the Sursa American Organ Competition and won first place in the James M. Weaver Prize in Organ Scholarship. Andrew is also an award-winning composer; his Fantasy on FINLANDIA won first place in the 2025 Historic Pipe Organ Composition Competition hosted by Sitka Lutheran Church in Alaska.

Andrew currently serves as Director of Music and Organist at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Pittsford, New York. He is an active member of the American Guild of Organists, where he holds Associate and Choirmaster certifications and serves on the National Educational Programming Committee.

The recital will be performed on St. John’s stunning Richard Howell organ, completed in 2011. The instrument features three manuals and 32 stops and provides an impressive setting for Andrew’s program.

The concert is free and open to the public. Donations are appreciated. For more information, visit stjohnslynchburg.org or andrewjohnsonorganist.com.