Manuel Piazza

Manuel Piazza

Manuel Piazza to perform on pipe organ

PORT ANGELES — Holy Trinity Lutheran Church will host organist Manuel Piazza at 7 p.m. Friday.

The concert at the church at 301 E. Lopez Ave. in Port Angeles is free and open to the public. Donated funds will benefit the American Guild of Organists Olympic Peninsula Chapter Scholarship Fund.

The concert is part of an ongoing music series put on at Holy Trinity.

Piazza is the interim associate director of music at Trinity Church in Boston.

In May 2022, he graduated with a master’s from the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, where he studied organ repertoire with Martin Jean, improvisation with Jeffrey Brillhart and choral conducting with Dale Adelmann and Gloria Yin.

Piazza developed a passion for sacred music while attending St. Michael’s Choir School in Toronto, where he served as a chorister and began organ studies. He completed his undergraduate studies in Organ Performance at the University of Toronto, studying repertoire with John Tuttle and conducting with Ivars Taurins.

He has also performed in master classes led by organists such as Olivier Latry, William Porter, Stefan Engels, David Briggs, James O’Donnell, Ben van Oosten, Jürgen Essl, Wolfgang Zerer, Christophe Mantoux, Olivier Penin and Fréderic Blanc.

While in Toronto, he served as choir director and organist at Our Lady of Sorrows Roman Catholic Church, organ scholar at Trinity College (University of Toronto), organ scholar at St. James’ Anglican Cathedral, and one of the five organists of St. Michael’s Cathedral Basilica.

From September 2019 to July 2020, he was organ scholar at Truro Cathedral in Cornwall (UK), where he played at Evensong three times a week, accompanying a group of choristers under the direction of Christopher Gray.

After returning to North America, he won first prize in the 2021 Royal Canadian College of Organists’ National Organ Playing Competition. Other awards include the Godfrey Hewitt Memorial Scholarship (RCCO), the Mary Baker Scholarship in Organ Accompanying (Yale Institute of Sacred Music), the Julia R. Sherman Memorial Prize for excellence in organ playing (Yale School of Music) and the Aidan Kavanagh Prize for Academic Achievement (Yale Institute of Sacred Music).

This summer, he will begin a term as assistant director of music at St. Thomas’s Anglican Church in Toronto.

More in Entertainment

Peninsula College Jazz Ensemble concert scheduled for Tuesday

PORT ANGELES – Peninsula College Jazz Ensemble invites community members of all… Continue reading

Auditions next week for The Lion in Winter

Auditions for the Port Angeles Community Players’winter offering, The… Continue reading

Varied entertainment offered this weekend

A variety of entertainment is planned this weekend on the North Olympic… Continue reading

Santa coming to town, trees to be lighted

Tree-lighting events are planned in Port Townsend, Sequim and Forks this weekend.… Continue reading

Holly Varah of Port Townsend is showing her new collection of cyanotyped hair on silk and cotton at Northwind Art's Jeanette Best Gallery during December. photo courtesy of Northwind Art
Artist to reveal new project at Northwind gallery

Since last spring, Port Townsend artist Holly Varah has… Continue reading

Reception set for Peninsula Art Friends

A reception for the Peninsula Art Friends exhibit is planned… Continue reading

Small Works show focus of December Harbor Art

Harbor Art Gallery in Port Angeles has a new… Continue reading

Holiday bazaars, activities set this weekend

Tree-lighting events, holiday bazaars and other activities of the season are planned… Continue reading

Santa rides down Forks Avenue during the Twinkle Light Parade in 2022 in the West End Business & Professional association train. (Lonnie Archibald/for Peninsula Daily News, file)
Santa arrives in Port Townsend, Forks this weekend

Tree lightings, other activities are on tap