View the May Mid-Week Recital below! Presented by Dr. James E. Smith, First UMC Music Director, the recitals are held on the second Wednesdays of the month, and begin promptly at 12:10 p.m. online. Tune in:
Philip Allen Smith, organ
Philip Allen Smith, Organist
Philip Smith is retired and living in Palm Springs and is currently organist for Congregation Har-El, in Palm Desert, CA and subs for various other churches in Palm Springs and Los Angeles.
Mr. Smith was Interim Director of Music and Organist at The Church of St Paul in the Desert, Palm Springs (February 2020 – September 2023. Also, he was Minister of Music and Organist at The Church of Our Saviour, Episcopal Parish, in San Gabriel, a historic parish in Los Angeles, 2008-2019. He recently retired, August 31, 2019. He was appointed Organ Conservator, Walt Disney Concert Hall in July 2004 and concluded his responsibilities, August 2019. He was High Holy Days Organist at Stephen Wise Temple. Previous work has been at Temple Judea, Tarzana and Temple Israel of Hollywood (1998-2008) and Wilshire United Methodist Church, Los Angeles (2002-2007). In June 2015, Mr. Smith was given the title of Honorary Canon of the Cathedral Center of St. Paul, Los Angeles.
In 2006, he was featured in the new book about the Walt Disney Concert Hall Organ, “A Forest of Pipes” written by Jennifer Zobelein, and released a demonstration CD on the organ with Manuel Rosales, who built the famed organ at Walt Disney Concert Hall. And more recently, a new DVD, “The Walt Disney Concert Hall Organ “and the new edition of the book, “10th Anniversary Edition” (2014), are now available with more pictures and interviews at the LA Phil Store, at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles.
He was awarded the degrees of Bachelor of Arts Degree in Organ from Spring Arbor College in Michigan (1974) and a Master of Music Degree in Organ and Church Music from the University of Michigan (1978). His teachers have been Carol Toploski, Mary Anderson, Albert Bolitho, Robert Clark and Cherry Rhodes.
Whether appearing as an accompanist for choral groups in Southern California, Phil has earned bravos worldwide – from Stockholm, Sweden; Copenhagen, Denmark; Wiesbaden, Germany; and Dublin, Ireland in Europe to concerts across the United States; Grace Cathedral and St. Mary of the Assumption, San Francisco, National Presbyterian, Washington DC, Germantown Presbyterian, Philadelphia, Saginaw First Presbyterian, Michigan, First Baptist and First Congregational, Jackson, Michigan, Walnut Creek Presbyterian, Pasadena Presbyterian and First United Methodist, Pasadena, All Saints’ Beverly Hills, St. Paul’s Episcopal, Tustin, St. Edmund’s, San Marino, First Congregational Church, Los Angeles, St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Encino, Wilshire United Methodist, Westwood United Methodist, St. James in the city, Los Angeles, First Presbyterian Church, Saginaw, Michigan, First United Methodist Church, San Diego, and has played with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, California Philharmonic, Los Angeles and the Long Beach Symphony, the Annual Lenten Concert Series at St Margaret’s Episcopal Parish in Palm Desert and recently gave the dedicatory concert at The Church of St Paul in the Desert, Palm Springs, of the newly installed Rodgers Infinity Series organ.
He has been the organist for the yearly “Holiday Sing-along” in December at Walt Disney Concert Hall during the Christmas season since 2004. Philip is past Dean of the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Guild of Organists (2013-16, 2018).
Upcoming Recitals:
Look for more Mid-Week Recitals in the Fall of 2024!
Watch Past Recitals Below
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Various guest musicians alongside Jim Smith, Music Director, and Ty Woodward, resident organist, have been featured during the Sunday online and In-Person worship service.
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Past Recitals
April 10, 2024: The Elixir Trio: Lucy Nargizyan, piano; Samvel Chilingarian, violin; Fang Fang Xu, cello
March Recital: Eva Smith Schoenweiss, violin, and Wayne Smith, cello
View the February Mid-Week Recital, featuring: Coriolan Trio: Geoffrey Nudell, clarinet; Kevan Torfeh, cello; James Furmston, piano View the Program
View the January 2024 Mid-Week Recital featuring: Jeff Greif, tenor; Hui Wu, piano
View the Program
View the December 2023 Mid-Week Recital
featuring Cristina Montes Mateo, harp. View the Program
View the November Mid-Week Recital, featuring
Rufus Choi, piano; Noah Choi, cello View the Program
View the October 2023 Mid-Week Recital, featuring Aaron Shows, organ
View the September 2023 Mid-Week Recital featuring Margaret Thornhill, clarinet; Hui Wu, piano
View the May Mid-Week Recital with Evan Kahn, cello; Amy Zanrosso, piano.
View the March 2023 Recital featuring Cantilena Trio: Susan Greenberg, Jon Lee Keenan, Kenton Youngstrom
View the February 2023 Mid-Week Recital featuring Tom Batson, piano.
View the January 2023 Mid-Week Recital featuring Laurent Jochum, organ.
View the December 2022 Mid-Week Recital: with Beth Chouinard-Mitchell, tuba; Hannah Yi, piano
View the November 2022 Mid-Week Recital: with Susan Greenberg, Michele Zukovsky, and Dr. Pierre Tang
View the October 2022 Mid-Week Recital: with Nora Chiang Wrobel, piano; Limor Toren-Immerman, violin;Garik Terzian, cello
View the September 2022 Mid-Week Recital: with Mak Grgic [GER-gich], guitar.
View the May 2022 Mid-Week Recital, featuring Clayton Haslop, violin; Kevan Torfeh, cello; and Wendy Prober-Cohen, piano. View the Recital Program
View the April 2022 Mid-Week Recital, featuring Sean O’Neal, organ
View the March 2022 Mid-Week Recital, featuring Ty Woodward, organ; Dr. Jim Smith, piano and organ
View the February 2022 Mid-Week Recital, featuring Tae Yeon Lim, piano
View the January 2022 Mid-Week Recital, featuring Philip Vaiman, violin / Miloš Veljković, piano.
View the November 2021 Mid-Week Recital, featuring Kirill and Anna Gliadkovsky, piano duo.
View the October 2021 Mid-Week Recital, featuring Cristina Montes Mateo, harp
September 2021 Recital: Tengyue (TY) Zhang, classical guitar
May 2021 Mid-Week Recital: Rufus Choi, piano
April 2021 Mid-Week Recital: Kevan Torfeh & Friends:
Kevan Torfeh, cello; Jim Smith, organ and piano; Tomasz Golka & Anna Kostyuchek, violins; and Linda Muggeridge, oboe.
View the Recital Program here
March 2021 Recital: David York, organ
February 2021 Recital: Aram Barsamian, baritone; accompanied by Mark Salters, piano.
View the Program
Wednesday, January 13: Ty Woodward, organ; David Searfoss, trumpet; Stephen Billington, trumpet
View the Recital Program here
Wednesday, December 9, 2020: Calico Winds, wind ensemble
View the Recital Program here
Wednesday, November 11 2020, Kirill Gliadkovsky, piano
View the Recital Program (list of pieces and artist bio)
Wednesday, October 14, 2020: Nancy Roth, violin; Lorenzo Sanchez, piano
Wednesday, September 9, 2020: Aaron Shows, organ
View the Recital Program for Aaron Shows
August 12, 2020 – Susan Greenberg, flute; Cristina Montes Mateo, harp
July 8, 2020 – Connie Sheu, guitar, and Elise Henry, flute
June 11, 2020 – Duo Imaginalis: Ekaterina Bessmettseva, piano; Hugo Nogueira, guitar
May 13, 2020 – Mark Robson, Piano Online Recital
January 8, 2020 – David Childs, baritone
David Childs is a baritone who specializes in Jewish Music. He holds a degree in Vocal Performance from UCLA and is an alumnus of the Aspen Music Festival. David’s past musical endeavors include singing solo roles with several performing groups: Guild Opera, Pacific Opera Project, Aspen Opera Center, & LA Chamber Orchestra. In 2017, David performed a recital with pianist Mark Robson as part of Boston Court’s Emerging Artist Series. David also played accordion with the Latin-American folk-pop band, We The Folk. He currently serves as Cantorial Intern at Sinai Temple in Westwood and is studying at the Ziegler School of Rabbinics at American Jewish University.
March 11, 2020 – Sergey Kosemyan, cello; Anna Markosyan, piano
Sergey Kosemyan is a recipient of the UNESCO Gold Medal, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of Aram Khachaturian, 2008. He is the prize winner of the following International Competitions: Aram Khachaturian International Competition, 2006; Pierre Lantier International Chamber Music Competition (Grand Prix), Paris, 2002; the National Young Artist Competition in Yerevan, Armenia (1997) First Prize; and the winner of the Premier Prix de La Conservatoire National Superior de Paris, 2002. He is the founder of the Classic Art Trio (2014), and Kosemyan Ensemble (2017) in Mexico. His teachers have been Mstislav Rostropovich, Philipe Müller, Harry Hoffman, and Dominique de Williencourt.
Anna Markosyan is a graduate of the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory, and winner of the A. Babajanyan National Piano Competition (Armenia). She has performed in chamber ensembles in Armenia, Russia, Europe, Mexico and the USA.
May 8, 2019 – David York, organ
April 10, 2019 – The Wilder Trio, clarinet, bassoon & piano
March 13, 2019 – AlmaNova Duo, flute and guitar
February 13, 2019 – Lukas Hasler, organ
March 14, 2018 – Duo Ondine: Boglárka Kiss, Flute; Alison Bjorkedal, Harp
February 7, 2018 – Althea Waites, Piano – February 7, 2018
May 10, 2017 – Jaebon Hwang, Organ
The finale of the 2017 Mid-Week Recital series is with award-winning composer and organist, Jaebon Hwang! She is organist at Westwood United Methodist Church where she presides over one of the largest organs in the region. Awarded the Fellow of American Guild of Organists, the organization’s highest level of certification, she is active as a recitalist and as a collaborative artist.
May 9, 2018 – Christoph Bull, Organ
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