Divine Art Announces Vol 14 of Carson Cooman's Organ Music: ‘Antiphonies’

Organist Erik Simmons’ ongoing recording series of the organ music of American composer Carson Cooman continues with Vol. 14, a collection of diverse pieces from 2013–20. Two suites, Three Autumn Sketches after a Watercolor by Maria Willscher and Suite circulaire, are joined with a series of varied single movement piece—ranging from the intense, monolithic memorial of Preludio del ricordo, to the calm stasis of Desert Marigold, to the ebullient energy of Fantasia canonica. The new album follows a year-long break after 13 instalments in this series which has produced glowing reviews for Cooman’s seemingly endless inspiration and ability to produce a vast output (he has reached Op. 1365 by the age of 39) of fresh and imaginative works. The album features the wonderful voices of the Orgel Fleiter instrument (2014) at the Propsteikirche St. Ludgerus in Billerbeck, Germany, recorded with the awesome Hauptwerk system. The instrument has 72 speaking stops across four manuals and pedals and has been designed predominantly in the grand French symphonic style.

Erik Simmons started playing the organ at age 10 when he was a chorister at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Glendale, California. His primary organ teacher was Richard Slater. Erik has furthered his studies by working with Lanny Collins, Barbara Baird, and Lee Garrett, and through master classes with various clinicians, including Harald Vogel. Erik holds a BA in applied mathematics and MS in mathematical modeling from Humboldt State University. He has recorded many CDs, including one of the organ music of American composer James Woodman, and this ongoing critically-acclaimed series of albums of the music of Carson Cooman for Divine Art.

Carson Cooman, composer — Carson Cooman © Colby Cooman

Carson Cooman (b. 1982) is an American composer with a catalog of hundreds of works in many forms—ranging from solo instrumental pieces to operas, and from orchestral works to hymn tunes. His music has been performed on all six inhabited continents in venues that range from the stage of Carnegie Hall to the basket of a hot air balloon. Cooman’s work appears on over forty recordings, including more than twenty-five complete CDs on the Naxos, Albany, Artek, Gothic, Divine Art, Métier, Diversions Altarus, Convivium, MSR Classics, Raven, and Zimbel labels. Cooman’s primary composition studies were with Bernard Rands, Judith Weir, Alan Fletcher, and James Willey. As an active concert organist, Cooman specializes in the performance of contemporary music. Over 300 new compositions by more than 100 international composers have been written for him, and his organ performances can be heard on a substantial number of commercial recordings and more than 3,000 recordings available online. Cooman is also a writer on musical subjects, producing articles and reviews frequently for several international publications. He serves as an active consultant on music business matters to composers and performing organizations, specializing particularly in the area of composer estates and archives.

Album details:

Release date: May 15, 2021
Title: ‘Antiphonies’ (Carson Cooman Organ Music Vol. 14)
Recorded between August 2020 and January 2021
Label: Divine Art
Catalog number: DDA 25218
Performer: Erik Simmons (organ)