Don Thompson (don@donthompson.org) ------------ Born in Kendal, Westmorland, England. Became interested in the organ (fascinated would be a better word) when I heard Reginald Dixon play the Wurlitzer at the Tower Ballroom, Blackpool, when I was four. Years later he became my friend and mentor. I developed an interest in liturgical music a little later, and taught myself to play the organ. Degrees: M.A. Cambridge, M.A. Oxford, neither of them in music! LITURGICAL EXPERIENCE Assistant Organist, Kentmere Church, (Anglican), Westmorland, England (at age 15) and also when required at All Hallows Church, Kendal - 4 years. Organ Scholar and Music Director, Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, England - 3 years High Anglican. Large, professional-standard male choir. During this period also assisted with the Cambridge University Musical Society choir performing such works as the Bach Mass in B Minor, the Brahms requiem, and the Vaughan Williams Pilgrim's Progress (in the presence of the composer). Organist and Director, St Peter's College, Oxford, England - 1 year. Anglican. Large choir. Associate Organist, St Paul's Church, Middlesbrough, England - 7 Years ( Anglican). Choir of 30, men and boys. Organist, First Church of Religious Science, Glendale, CA. - 4 years. No choir, soloists only. Associate Organist, St. Mary Magdalene, Toronto - 7 years Extremely high Anglo Catholic. Also MC/Sub-Deacon. Small, highly professional mixed choir. Served at the altar. Played only on rare occasions when the organist was away. Assistant and interim Organist, Church of the Advent of Christ the King, San Francisco - 5 years. Extremely high Anglo Catholic. Also MC and Sub-Deacon. Cassette of Christmas mass available. Small, highly professional-standard mixed choir. Organist and Director, Naval Station Chapel, Treasure Island - 8 years. Mixed (very amateur) choir. Play and direct three services every Sunday for the first five years, two Roman catholic masses and a protestant service. Later cut to one mass and one protestant service. Many weddings on Saturdays. Current position - Principal organist, St Robert's Church, San Bruno, California. SECULAR EXPERIENCE Concert organist. Over 50 albums and compact disks released world wide, including the best- selling "Toccata," voted classical album of the year by BBC listeners in 1982. Regular concert tours of England, the US, Australia and New Zealand. Next tour - Oct/Nov of this year: Oct 13, Hollywood Theatre, Auckland, NZ.; Oct 17, Baycourt Center, Tauranga, NZ; Oct 20, Southward Museum, Paraparaumu, nr Wellington; Oct 27, Capri Theatre, Adelaide, S. Australia; Oct 30, private residence, Warragul, Victoria; Oct 31, Melbourne, (location to be determined); Nov 1, St Andrews Church, Townsville, Queensland; Nov 3, Gold Coast Chapter of TOSA. While in England played mainly in the North, Hammond organs, but became quite well known at COS and TOC pipe organ functions. Probably the only organist still alive who played almost all the great theatre organs of England in their original locations: Odeon Leeds, Odeon Newcastle, Odeon Manchester, Gaumont Manchester, Gaumont Bradford, Trocadero Elephant and Castle, Granada Tooting, Odeon Leicester Square, Troxy Stepney, Gaumont Camden Town, the BBC Moller, and so on. In the US, toured coast to coast in concert for twenty years, playing almost all the major venues. A pioneer of the pipe-organ-in-the-pizza-parlor concept. Resident organist: Capn's Galley, Redwood City/Campbell/Santa Clara fall of 1971 - 1973. Organ Power, Kearny Mesa, San Diego 1973/4. Melody Inn, Los Altos 1974/5. Organ Grinder, Toronto 1975/82, Ye Olde Pizza Joynt, Hayward, 1982-88. Currently at Redwood City, every other Friday. Record releases this year: Dance Time - a CD and cassette release of strict tempo dance music recorded at the Auditorium Theatre, Rochester, with some tracks at the Warfield Wurlitzer in Hayward. Down Under, a program of theatre organ concert material at the Capri Theatre, Adelaide. Cassette only. French Firecrackers - a program of great French toccatas and other bijoux recorded mainly on the organs for which they were written in Paris. Cassette only.