January 31st, 2023
Bethel’s Organ Recital Series presents David C. Pickering, D.M.A., organ, and Audrey Pickering, organ and cello, in a recital Tuesday, Feb. 7, at 7 p.m. in the Ad Building chapel.
The recital is free and open to the public, made possible by the Kathy Voran Music Endowment established at Bethel College.
Pickering, professor of music and chair of the Keyboard Division at Kansas State University, Manhattan, played a recital at Bethel a year ago. This time, his daughter, Audrey Pickering, will join him.
Audrey Pickering will play works by Vincent Lübeck, J.S. Bach and Jehan Alain on organ, and David Pickering will play the Bach Prelude and Fugue in E major, BWV 552.
They will collaborate on pieces by Daniel Gawthrop and Ernst Bloch, with David on organ and Audrey on cello.
David Pickering is an active recitalist, recording artist, scholar and author whose career as a performer has carried him across the United States as well as to Austria, Canada, England, Finland and Germany.
His performances have been broadcast on Minnesota Public Radio’s Pipedreams and on Iowa Public Radio, as well as at organlive.com
Pickering’s multifaceted research has looked at the composers, pedagogues, music and organs of the American organ scene in the 20th and 21st centuries. His four solo recordings have focused on the organ music of American composers from the 20th century to the present day.
His scholarly works are published by the Organ Historical Society Press (The Auditorium Organ) and Wayne Leupold Editions (Arthur Poister – Master Teacher and Poet of the Organ; Harold and Catharine; Leroy Robertson Organ Works).
Pickering completed degrees from the University of Kansas and Brigham Young University in organ performance and musicology. He has also pursued technical studies with pianist Sheila Paige.
His organ teachers include Parley Belnap, James Higdon, J.J. Keeler and Arlene Small.
For more information about his professional activities, visit www.davidcpickering.com and www.facebook.com/dcpickering
Pickering and his wife, Melinda, are the parents of seven children, including Audrey, who, after beginning organ with her father, is now a student in organ performance with James Higdon at the University of Kansas.
A multifaceted musician, Audrey Pickering also plays cello (teachers David Littrell and Hannah Collins) and piano (Agustin Muriago) and currently studies carillon with Elizabeth Berghout.
Pickering has participated in organ competitions sponsored by the Columbia, S.C., chapter of the American Guild of Organists and the AGO’s North Central Region Competition for Young Organists, winning prizes in both.
She received first prize in the Twin Cities AGO Student Competition, and was one of five finalists in the Taylor Organ Competition held in Atlanta in March 2022.
Pickering has performed organ recitals in Austin, Texas, Independence, Mo., and Paris, Idaho, as well as in Manhattan and Lawrence.
As part of a study abroad trip sponsored by Kansas State University in 2017, she had the opportunity to play various historic and modern organs in Germany and Austria.
A three-time member of the Kansas All-State Orchestra, she has performed as a cellist in a variety of ensembles and orchestras. As a pianist, she has done both solo and accompaniment work in many different levels and settings.
She has taught private lessons in both piano and cello throughout the years, and is currently director of music at Peace Lutheran Church in Kansas City, Mo.
In her free time, Pickering enjoys roller coasters, reading, writing, running, spending time with her family and practicing her Portuguese.
Bethel is a four-year liberal arts college founded in 1887 and is the oldest Mennonite college in North America. Known for academic excellence, Bethel ranks at #14 in the Washington Monthly list of “Best Bachelor’s Colleges,” and #24 in the U.S. News & World Report rankings of “Best Regional Colleges Midwest,” both for 2022-23. Bethel is the only Kansas college or university to be named a Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Center. For more information, see www.bethelks.edu