John Kirk
Master of Music
From a young age, music was a large part of John’s life—music was always playing at home and in the car, a year of obligatory piano lessons, singing in musicals and choir in high school, playing double bass in jazz band, playing in a band throughout high school and college, and vibrant congregational singing in the Lutheran church in which he grew up. John did his undergraduate studies at Capital University, studying both religion and double bass, where he started taking organ lessons following Capital's installation of a new organ and the inaugarual recitals which followed.
After college, John moved to Houston through Teach for America and eventually began studying organ, voice, and church music with Robert Brewer and assisting in the music program at the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany as a Choir/Organ scholar. Following his work at Epiphany, John was Music Director of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Dickinson, Texas and Organ Intern at St. Philip Presbyterian in Houston, Texas. He earned a master’s degree in Organ Performance from the University of Houston's Moores School of Music, where he studied with Robert Bates and Sigurd Øgaard. Recently, John underwent technique retraining using the Lister-Sink Injury Preventative Technique under the guidance of Kirk Rich.
Currently, John is Organist & Choirmaster at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Houston, Texas, where he oversees three choirs, two of which are graded programs for children and youth that use RSCM's Voice for Life curriculum. John has also institued a monthly service of Evensong at St. Andrew's.