Accompanist
Geoffrey Wilcken
Geoff
Wilcken was born in 1972 in Springfield, Minnesota. He has studied composition
since 1982 under Drs. Jeffrey Prater and Gary White, both of Iowa State
University. After the publication of his anthem “Lord Jesus Lay”
by Augsburg Publishing House in 1984, he went on to win the Music Teachers’
National Association composition contest in 1985 and again in 1986.
He began serving regularly as organist at St. Paul Lutheran in Ames,
Iowa in 1988. He completed a Bachelor of Music degree at Iowa State
University in composition (1995) while studying under Dr. Prater, and
his Master of Music degree in choral conducting under Simon Carrington
at the University of Kansas (1998). He serves currently as adjunct assistant
professor at Johnson County Community College, where he teaches and
assists with musical ensembles, and also as director of music at Immanuel
Lutheran Church in Lawrence, where he conducts choirs, handbells, and
serves as organist and pianist.
Mr. Wilcken’s output as a composer and arranger includes much
choral music for the church and for the concert hall, pieces for various
instrumental chamber ensembles, larger works for orchestra and band,
and a growing collection of vocal jazz arrangements, many of which are
independently published by Melchizadek Music (www.melchizadekmusic.com).
His works have been featured and commissioned by Iowa State University,
the Ames Area Youth Orchestra, the University of Kansas, Johnson County
Community College, the Jacomo Chorale, the Kansas City Fine Arts Chorale,
the Ames Piano Quartet, the Lawrence Civic Choir, and at various churches,
as well as touring ensembles across the united states, to Germany and
to England. He currently resides in Lawrence with his wife Wendie and
stepchildren.
The Lawrence Civic Choir is very pleased to have Geoff as our resident
composer, as well as our accompanist. His work, Psalm 90, has been performed
by the choir several times, including our October 2001 concert at the
National Cathedral in Washington, DC. You can hear excerpts of the choir
singing several of Geoff's compositions and arrangements at Listen
to the Choir.
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