Dear Members and Friends of Christ Church,
I am pleased to announce that Dr. Justin Bischof has accepted the call as our new Organist and Choirmaster. Justin’s first Sunday at Christ Church will be June 23, and he will be in the office starting on June 17.
Justin knows our Anglican liturgy well. He has a deep appreciation for the sacred choral tradition that is cherished at Christ Church, and he understands how important children, families, and volunteers are at Christ Church.
Justin is a gifted liturgical organist who knows and loves Episcopal hymnody and whose playing and choral leadership inspires congregational singing. He is an accomplished choir director who enjoys working with children, volunteer, and professional choristers so they can provide excellent and approachable music for the liturgy. He has a wealth of experience working with young people, he is committed to rebuilding our children’s music ministry, and he will take an active role at our Vacation Bible School in August and help to plan and program our Christmas Pageant. I am confident that Justin will be a great fit at Christ Church, and I am excited for this next chapter in our shared parish life.
Additionally, Justin is a renowned concert organist who performs organ concerts and improvisation recitals around the world, a treat we will get to experience regularly at Christ Church. He is also Artistic Director, Conductor, and Founder of the Modus Operandi Orchestra which provides the opportunity for some of the finest freelance musicians in New York City to perform the staples of the great symphonic and operatic repertory as well as contemporary works and world premieres with their colleagues. I believe these additional areas of expertise will greatly benefit our parish.
Justin comes to us from Saint Mary’s Church (Long Island City) where he currently serves as Director of Music and Organist. He has also served at the Church of the Epiphany (Gramercy Park, NY), the Church of Saint James the Less (Scarsdale), the Church of the Resurrection (NYC), and the Church of the Heavenly Rest (NYC). He earned his Doctor of Musical Arts in Organ Performance from the Manhattan School of Music.
I have enclosed a separate sheet with a more extended biography taken from Justin’s web site: https://justinbischof.com. I also encourage you to view and listen to two pieces that Justin played and two hymns he accompanied when he visited a few weeks ago as a finalist in our search: https://tinyurl.com/christpelham
I have known Justin for many years, and I was surprised and delighted when he submitted his name to our search committee. He was one of thirty-four organists who put their names forward for consideration, one of eight semi-finalists, and he was the choice of the search committee who recommended to me that I call him. I want to express my deepest gratitude to our search co-chairs Jeff Bodenmann and Margaret Young for their hard work and expertise running this search. I am equally grateful to the time, wisdom, and guidance of our search committee members, Andrew Des Rault, Stephen Dolan, Cherrie Greenhalgh, John Hastings, Alison Hinds-Pearl, and Martin Nash.
As I noted above, Justin’s first Sunday with us will be June 23, and he will play the organ and support congregational singing at the 10am service which will feature lots of festive hymn singing and organ improvisation recital. The service will be followed by a special reception welcoming Justin to our parish.
I am looking forward to working with Justin, and I am excited for him to share his love of music with all of you.
In Christ,
The Reverend Matthew Hoxsie Mead, Rector
During our search process for our next Organist and Music Director, Justin was one of our finalists interviewed by our search committee. Candidates were asked to do several improvisations, two prepared pieces, and two hymns. Several pieces from Justin's visit are below. He will begin as Organist and Choirmaster at Christ Church Pelham on June 23.
Dr. Justin Bischof - Christmas Improvisation at Christ Church Pelham
Dr. Justin Bischof - "Jesus Christ is Risen Today"
Dr. Justin Bischof - "Be Thou My Vision"
Dr. Justin Bischof - Widor Toccata (Symphony no5)