Gerard Gillen facts for kids

Gerard Thomas Gillen, born on August 16, 1942, is a very famous Irish organ player. He is also a retired professor of Music at Maynooth University. As an organist, he has played music all over the world and made many CDs. Mr. Gillen is interested in studying Catholic church music, how organs are built, and how music was played in the past.

Gerard Gillen's Early Life and Studies

Gerard Gillen was born in Dublin, Ireland. He first learned about playing the organ from John Clery, who was the organist at the Franciscan Church of the Immaculate Conception in Dublin.

Learning Piano and Organ

Gerard studied piano at the Municipal School of Music in Dublin with Elizabeth Costello. He learned to play the organ with William Sydney Greig. He was very good at music and won a scholarship to University College Dublin (UCD), where he graduated with top honors.

Studying Abroad

With another scholarship from the Arts Council of Ireland, Gerard went to Antwerp, Belgium. There, he studied the organ with a famous musician named Flor Peeters. During this time, he met other important composers like Marcel Dupré, Maurice Duruflé, and Olivier Messiaen. In 1966, he returned to the Royal Conservatoire Antwerp for more studies and earned a special award called a "Prix d'Excellence."

Research at Oxford

Later, he went to Queen's College, Oxford in England for research. He earned a degree called BLitt by studying keyboard music from the 1600s. In 1992, Oxford University made him a John Betts Fellow, which is a special honor.

Gerard Gillen's Career and Roles

When Gerard Gillen came back to Ireland in 1969, he started working as a music lecturer at UCD. He later moved to St Patrick's College, Maynooth, which is now Maynooth University, in 1985.

Leading the Music Department

At Maynooth, he became the head of the Music Department until he retired in April 2007. He helped the department grow a lot, adding new courses for students. He taught about music performance and history. He also started new programs in Music Technology and Church Music. He even led the university's choir. Under his leadership, the music department became one of the biggest in Ireland and the British Isles. He is still a Professor Emeritus there, meaning he is a retired professor who keeps his title.

Organist at St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral

For a very long time, from 1976 to 2018, Mr. Gillen was the main organist at St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral in Dublin. He served there for 42 years before retiring.

Other Important Roles

Since 1993, he has been the chairman of a special committee that advises the Irish Episcopal Commission on church music. He is also an editor for a series of books about Irish music called Irish Musical Studies, working with Harry White. Many students who became famous musicians, like Gerald Barry, learned to play the organ from Gerard Gillen.

Awards and Special Honors

Throughout his long career, Gerard Gillen has received many important awards and honorary titles. These include:

• The Austrian Decoration for Science and Art, which is a high honor from Austria.
• Being an Officer in the Order of the Crown from Belgium.
• Being a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from France.
• Becoming a Fellow of the Royal Irish Academy of Music.
• Receiving an honorary doctorate degree from the Pontifical University of Maynooth.
• Being named a Knight Commander of the Order of St Gregory by the Vatican.

Amazing Performances

Gerard Gillen is known around the world for his organ concerts. He has played in many famous places, including:

• The Royal Festival Hall in London.
• McEwan Hall in Edinburgh.
• Ulster Hall in Belfast.
• Cathedrals in cities like Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Canterbury, Notre Dame in Paris, Vienna, Salzburg, and Copenhagen.

Festival and Concert Hall Work

Mr. Gillen also helped start the Dublin International Organ and Choral Festival. He was the artistic director for this festival from 1990 to 2000. He also advised the National Concert Hall in Dublin when they installed their large concert organ in 1991. He is still one of the honorary organ curators for the hall.

Special Events

He was one of the organists at a very large mass called the Statio Orbis during the 50th International Eucharistic Congress. This event took place in Croke Park, Dublin, on June 17, 2012. Gerard Gillen also played the organ for the official song of the World Meeting of Families 2018, called "A Joy For All The Earth." This song was written by Ephrem Feeley and recorded at Blackrock College Chapel.

Broadcasts and Recordings

Many of Gerard Gillen's concerts have been recorded and broadcast on national radio stations around the world. He has also made several recordings, including:

• Playing the 1869 Walker organ of St Audoen's, Dublin (1971).
• Playing music by Buxtehude and Walther on the Chapel Organ of Trinity College, Dublin (1972).
• Bach at Bray, an audio tape (1976).
• Bach's Toccata in C, BWV 564 (1978).
• Messe pour les Couvents on the Rieger organ of St Michael's Dun Laoghaire (1990).
• Baroque Highlights at St Michael's Church, Dun Laoghaire (1994).
• Best Loved Sacred Music with St. James's Choir and Niamh Murray (soprano) (1997).
• Franck and Guilmant: Gerard Gillen Plays the Great Organ of St Mary's Pro-Cathedral, Dublin (2002).

Books by Gerard Gillen

Gerard Gillen has also helped edit several books as part of the Irish Musical Studies series. These books explore different aspects of music in Ireland.

• Gerard Gillen (with Harry White), ed. Irish Musical Studies 1: Musicology in Ireland (1990)
• Gerard Gillen (with Harry White), ed. Irish Musical Studies 2: Music and the Church (1992)
• Gerard Gillen (with Harry White), ed. Irish Musical Studies 3: Music and Irish Cultural History (1995)
• Gerard Gillen (with Andrew Johnstone), ed. Irish Musical Studies 6: A Historical Anthology of Irish Church Music (2001)