J. Reilly Lewis
Encyclopedia
J. Reilly Lewis, a native of Washington, D.C.
, is the founding conductor of the Washington Bach Consort
and the music director of the Cathedral Choral Society
. He is recognized internationally as a conductor and keyboard
artist as well as a specialist in baroque music
, particularly the music of J. S. Bach.
and harpsichord
at the Hochschule für Musik
in Frankfurt am Main. Several years later, he spent a summer in France studying with the legendary composition teacher, Nadia Boulanger
.
Dr. Lewis has served as organist and choirmaster at Clarendon
United Methodist Church
in Arlington, Virginia since 1971 where, in addition to leading the adult choir, he developed a youth music program both chorally and instrumentally. A feature of his ministry at Clarendon has been the semi-annual Messiah-Sing
presentations during Advent
and Easter
featuring guest soloists accompanied by full orchestra. This is believed to be one of the first and longest running Messiah-Sings presenting the complete oratorio
in the Washington, D.C. area.
. In November 2005, he performed Samuel Barber
's Toccata Festiva for the second time in the Washington National Cathedral
with Leonard Slatkin
at the podium. He has also presented numerous solo organ recital
s, performed the complete Bach Goldberg Variations
in recital on multiple occasions and has frequently been a featured organ soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra.
His performing and conducting career has included appearances with the Minnesota Orchestra
, the New York Philharmonic
, the Handel Festival, Halle
, the Bachfest Leipzig
, the Aspen Music Festival, the Cologne
New Music Festival and the Mozart Festival in New York and Washington. During a Chinese/American Festival in Taipei
's main concert hall, he played the organ and later conducted the orchestra and chorus in various 20th century works including a world premier by the young Chinese composer, Gordon Shi-Wen Chin. He made his National Symphony Orchestra debut in December 2002, guest conducting Handel
's Messiah
at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
.
of Washington, D.C. in honor of its centennial. In January 2006, the Washingtonian
magazine named Dr. Lewis as a 2005 Washingtonian of the Year.
In 2010, Dr. Lewis was inducted in Washington, D.C. as a National Patron of Delta Omicron
, an international, professional music fraternity.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, is the founding conductor of the Washington Bach Consort
Washington Bach Consort
What began as a group of friends coming together to play the music of Bach has become one of the world's premiere Baroque ensembles. Founded in 1977 by J. Reilly Lewis, the Washington Bach Consort is a professional chorus and orchestra noted for its performance of 18th-century music on period...
and the music director of the Cathedral Choral Society
Cathedral Choral Society
The Cathedral Choral Society is a 200-voice symphonic chorus based at the Washington National Cathedral. J. Reilly Lewis has been music director since 1985. He succeeded Paul Callaway, who founded the group in 1941...
. He is recognized internationally as a conductor and keyboard
Musical keyboard
A musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument, particularly the piano. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, shorter keys that repeats at the...
artist as well as a specialist in baroque music
Baroque music
Baroque music describes a style of Western Classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1760. This era follows the Renaissance and was followed in turn by the Classical era...
, particularly the music of J. S. Bach.
Education and career
Born in 1944, he received his bachelor's degree from the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music and his master's and doctoral degrees from The Juilliard School. A Fulbright Fellowship enabled him to spend a year in Germany doing specialized study in conducting, organOrgan (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
and harpsichord
Harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
at the Hochschule für Musik
Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts
The Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts is a state Hochschule for Music, Theater and Dance in Frankfurt and is the only one of its kind in the Federal State of Hesse. It was founded in 1938....
in Frankfurt am Main. Several years later, he spent a summer in France studying with the legendary composition teacher, Nadia Boulanger
Nadia Boulanger
Nadia Boulanger was a French composer, conductor and teacher who taught many composers and performers of the 20th century.From a musical family, she achieved early honours as a student at the Paris Conservatoire, but believing that her talent as a composer was inferior to that of her younger...
.
Dr. Lewis has served as organist and choirmaster at Clarendon
Clarendon, Virginia
Clarendon is a neighborhood in Arlington County, Virginia, USA, located between the Rosslyn area and the Ballston area. The main thoroughfares are Wilson Boulevard and Clarendon Boulevard .-Boundaries and geography:...
United Methodist Church
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...
in Arlington, Virginia since 1971 where, in addition to leading the adult choir, he developed a youth music program both chorally and instrumentally. A feature of his ministry at Clarendon has been the semi-annual Messiah-Sing
Messiah (Handel)
Messiah is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, with a scriptural text compiled by Charles Jennens from the King James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742, and received its London premiere nearly a year later...
presentations during Advent
Advent
Advent is a season observed in many Western Christian churches, a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas. It is the beginning of the Western liturgical year and commences on Advent Sunday, called Levavi...
and Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
featuring guest soloists accompanied by full orchestra. This is believed to be one of the first and longest running Messiah-Sings presenting the complete oratorio
Oratorio
An oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...
in the Washington, D.C. area.
Live performances
Over the years, Lewis has performed with many distinguished choruses and orchestras as well as in prominent chamber ensemblesChamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
. In November 2005, he performed Samuel Barber
Samuel Barber
Samuel Osborne Barber II was an American composer of orchestral, opera, choral, and piano music. His Adagio for Strings is his most popular composition and widely considered a masterpiece of modern classical music...
's Toccata Festiva for the second time in the Washington National Cathedral
Washington National Cathedral
The Washington National Cathedral, officially named the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, is a cathedral of the Episcopal Church located in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. Of neogothic design, it is the sixth-largest cathedral in the world, the second-largest in...
with Leonard Slatkin
Leonard Slatkin
Leonard Edward Slatkin is an American conductor and composer.-Early life and education:Slatkin was born in Los Angeles to a musical family that came from areas of the Russian Empire now in Ukraine. His father Felix Slatkin was the violinist, conductor and founder of the Hollywood String Quartet,...
at the podium. He has also presented numerous solo organ recital
Organ recital
An organ recital is a concert at which music specially written for the organ is played.The music played at such recitals was typically written for pipe organ, which includes church organs, and symphonic organs...
s, performed the complete Bach Goldberg Variations
Goldberg Variations
The Goldberg Variations, BWV 988, is a work for harpsichord by Johann Sebastian Bach, consisting of an aria and a set of 30 variations. First published in 1741, the work is considered to be one of the most important examples of variation form...
in recital on multiple occasions and has frequently been a featured organ soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra.
His performing and conducting career has included appearances with the Minnesota Orchestra
Minnesota Orchestra
The Minnesota Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.Emil Oberhoffer founded the orchestra as the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra in 1903, and it gave its first performance on November 5 of that year. In 1968 the orchestra changed to its name to the Minnesota Orchestra...
, the New York Philharmonic
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
, the Handel Festival, Halle
Handel Festival, Halle
The Handel Festival in Halle is an international music festival, concentrating on the music of George Frideric Handel, in the composer's birthplace in Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany. The festival was founded in 1922 and grew into a center of Handel studies and performance in Europe...
, the Bachfest Leipzig
Bachfest Leipzig
The Leipzig Bach Festival is a music festival which takes place annually in the city of Leipzig, where Bach worked as the Thomaskantor from 1723 until his death in 1750....
, the Aspen Music Festival, the Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
New Music Festival and the Mozart Festival in New York and Washington. During a Chinese/American Festival in Taipei
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
's main concert hall, he played the organ and later conducted the orchestra and chorus in various 20th century works including a world premier by the young Chinese composer, Gordon Shi-Wen Chin. He made his National Symphony Orchestra debut in December 2002, guest conducting Handel
HANDEL
HANDEL was the code-name for the UK's National Attack Warning System in the Cold War. It consisted of a small console consisting of two microphones, lights and gauges. The reason behind this was to provide a back-up if anything failed....
's Messiah
Messiah (Handel)
Messiah is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, with a scriptural text compiled by Charles Jennens from the King James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742, and received its London premiere nearly a year later...
at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts center located on the Potomac River, adjacent to the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C...
.
Recordings
There are currently about ten recordings on the market that Dr. Lewis has directed with either the Cathedral Choral Society or the Washington Bach Consort.Honors and awards
He has received many honors and awards including the Paul Hume Award, presented by the Levine School of Music, for outstanding commitment to enriching the cultural life of Washington. His work with children and youth includes the education and outreach programs of both the Cathedral Choral Society and the Washington Bach Consort. In April 2004, Dr. Lewis received the Distinguished Washingtonian Award presented by the University ClubUniversity Club
The University Club of New York is a private social club located at 1 West 54th Street at Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, New York, NY. It received its charter in 1865, but the origins date back to the autumn of 1861 when a group of college friends, principally Yale alumni, founded the club hoping to...
of Washington, D.C. in honor of its centennial. In January 2006, the Washingtonian
Washingtonian (magazine)
Washingtonian is a monthly magazine distributed in the Washington, DC area since 1965. The magazine describes itself as "the magazine Washington lives by." The magazine's core focuses are local feature journalism, guide book-style articles, and real estate advice.-Editorial Content:Washingtonian...
magazine named Dr. Lewis as a 2005 Washingtonian of the Year.
In 2010, Dr. Lewis was inducted in Washington, D.C. as a National Patron of Delta Omicron
Delta Omicron
Delta Omicron is a co-ed international professional music honors fraternity whose mission is to promote and support excellence in music and musicianship.-History:...
, an international, professional music fraternity.