photo: Monica Jorge
Biography
The organist Christopher Houlihan has established an international reputation as a "passionate and intelligently virtuoso musician” (Gramophone), hailed for "glowing, miraculously life-affirming performances" (Los Angeles Times). His playing has been praised as “eloquent” (The New York Times), “dazzling” (The Wall Street Journal), and “first-class” (The Diapason). Houlihan has concertized at major concert venues throughout the United States, including the Kennedy Center, the Kimmel Center, Davies Symphony Hall, and Walt Disney Concert Hall, where he performed with the principal Brass of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The Los Angeles Times raved about his debut, proclaiming, "Houlihan is the next big organ talent."
Houlihan’s performances in the 2024–25 season include solo recitals at the Aspen Music Festival (Colorado), and at Riverside Church and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, both in New York. He will appear as soloist with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra (Carolyn Kuan, conductor) performing concerti by Hanson and Guilmant, and with the Holland (MI) Symphony Orchestra (Johannes Müller Stosch, conductor) performing Barber’s Toccata Festiva. Other recent performances include recitals presented by the Madison Symphony Orchestra (Wisconsin), the Pacific Symphony (Costa Mesa, CA), and the Celebrity Recital Series at St. Paul’s Cathedral (London).
Houlihan's “Vierne 2012” tour attracted international attention and critical acclaim for six marathon performances of Louis Vierne’s six organ symphonies. The Los Angeles Times called his performance there “a major surprise of the summer, a true revelation.” Building on this excitement, Houlihan’s latest recording on Azica Records features Vierne’s Symphony No. 6 and César Franck’s Grande Piece Symphonique. First and Last was praised by The American Organist, remarking, “as for Houlihan himself, he just keeps getting better.”
He has been featured as soloist with the Hartford Symphony, Columbus (GA) Symphony, Waterbury Symphony (CT), and the Boston Chamber Orchestra, and has been presented in recital at numerous conventions of the American Guild of Organists and the Organ Historical Society. In 2014, he performed in a prime-time slot of WQXR's All-Day Bach Organ Marathon in New York City.
Houlihan serves on the music faculty of Trinity College, Hartford, as the John Rose Distinguished College Organist, Director of Chapel Music, and Artist-in-Residence. Since 2022, he is also Artistic Director of the Albert Schweitzer Organ Festival Hartford, presenter of one of the premier North American competitions for young organists.
In addition to studies at Trinity College with John Rose, Houlihan studied with Paul Jacobs at The Juilliard School and with Jean-Baptiste Robin at the French National Regional Conservatory in Versailles. In 2015 he was selected for The Diapason's “20 Under 30,” a distinguished list of young leaders in the organ world.
Christopher Houlihan is represented in North America exclusively by Phillip Truckenbrod Concert Artists.
Selected press quotes
“Organ phenom who has already been called one of the brightest stars in the new generation of American organists....rising star of the organ world who already has his own fan club.” —Janelle Gelfand, Cincinnati Enquirer
“In Mr. Houlihan's hands, the organ delivered plenty of firepower and juicy, well-blended chords, like a homogeneous string section in a fine symphony orchestra.” — Barbara Jepson, Wall Street Journal
“His sense of pacing, knowing when to draw out a phrase and when to let the sparks fly, makes for a rewarding, compelling performance.” —The American Organist
“He phrased with flexibility and clarity through the works’ knottiest chromatic wanderings. And in the jubilant, even maniacal finales — like that of the Sixth, bathed in B major brilliance — Mr. Houlihan’s playing had a glamorous sheen appropriate to Vierne’s music, if not his cheerless life.”—Zachary Woolfe, New York Times
“His rhythmic sense is clear-cut American. His feet elegantly tap dance on the pedals. Everything he plays is sharply and smartly delineated.” — Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times
“Astonishing performance...He enticed listeners by engaging them with a friendly rapport in verbal program notes, then winning them over with performances that ranged from charming to overwhelming.”—Michael Huebner, The Birmingham News
“Houlihan is a very fluid performer, his hands, arms, and body following the shape of the music with an intimate, yet uncontrived response. ... This human approach to the largest mechanism in the music business brings cascades of notes to life as if they were being born of heart, breath, and muscle, rather than bellows, pipes, and pedals.”— Clifton Noble Jr., MassLive