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German organist Dr. Jens Korndörfer is Joyce O. Bowden Professor of Music and Associate Professor of Organ at Baylor University in Texas. Until 2023, he served as Director of Worship and the Arts and Organist at First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta and directed the organ program at Georgia State University.

Praised as “a virtuoso in the grand Romantic tradition” who creates “performances that are deeply musically satisfying as well as exciting” (The American Organist), Korndörfer is regularly invited at the most prestigious venues and festivals around the world. Highlights of Korndörfer’s performance career include concerts at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, the Cadet Chapel in West Point, Duke University Chapel, the Cathedral-Basilica in St. Louis, the Montreal Bach Festival, the Cathedrals in Washington, Berlin, Paris, Salzburg, Oslo, and Moscow, Westminster Abbey in London, the Royal Chapel in Versailles, the Frauenkirche in Dresden, the Minster in Ulm, Suntory Hall and Metropolitan Art Space in Tokyo, Kyoto Concert Hall, and the Cultural Centre in Hong Kong.

Korndörfer’s repertoire reaches from the Renaissance to the 21st century, including transcriptions, and world premieres. Widely recognized as a "prodigious technician" (La Presse, Montreal), his "effortless and poetic playing" (Susan Landale) delight both organ aficionados and first-time visitors alike. In addition to frequently collaborating with other musicians, he has also performed with ensembles such as the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra, and the Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini.

At Baylor University, he teaches applied organ and harpsichord lessons and classes in service playing and improvisation. Korndörfer also founded the annual National High School Organ Competition, organizes study trips abroad and performance opportunities on and off campus for his studio, and various educational opportunities for organists of all ages. Previously, he taught at Agnes Scott College (2014-19) and directed the organ program at Georgia State University (2017-23). He is frequently invited as guest speaker and clinician at universities, concert halls, and chapters of the American Guild of Organists. Korndörfer has released five CDs on major instruments in France, Japan, Canada, and the USA.

At First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta, Korndörfer directed the renovation and revoicing of the Klais/Schlueter sanctuary organ (IV/112). He successfully rebranded and expanded FPC’s Concerts @ First series from 4 to 18 concerts per season, collaborated with major arts organizations in Atlanta, and raised awareness for minorities in the classical arts scene.

A top-honor graduate from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris, the Oberlin Conservatory, the Musikhochschule in Bayreuth, and McGill University in Montreal, Korndörfer’s teachers include Olivier Latry, Michel Bouvard, James David Christie, and Ludger Lohmann. In the 2005/06 season, he served as organist in residence at the Concert Hall Kitara in Sapporo, giving concerts all over Japan, teaching, and recording his first CD.

Korndörfer has won numerous prizes and awards, including from the Canadian International Organ Competition, the German Academic Exchange Service, the Oberlin Conservatory, and the Government of Quebec.

He is represented by Karen McFarlane Artists in North America. More information is available at www.jenskorndoerfer.com

Updated February 2024