Overview
Professor of Organ
International concert organist
Chevalier de l鈥橭rdre des Arts et des Lettres
2012 Robert L. Town Distinguished Professor of Organ
Though American by birth, Lynne Davis鈥� career has been steeped in French music, culture, and style. Her career was launched by taking First Prize at the 1975 St. Albans International Organ Competition in England 鈥� the eighth organist to receive that honor since the competition鈥檚 founding in 1962. Now a leading international concert artist and master teacher, she has performed in nearly every cathedral in France, numerous major cities throughout Europe, and from coast to coast in the United States. Her activities have included being a featured performer and lecturer at two national conventions of the American Guild of Organists, a member of Chartres, Dallas, St. Albans, Taraverdiev (Russia), and Montr茅al international organ competition juries, and giving master classes and lectures about French organ literature and its history.
From the late 1970鈥檚 until 2006, Lynne Davis made France her home, having married Frenchman and Chartres International Organ Competition founder Pierre Firmin-Didot. The couple played a major role in the French organ music scene, initiating among other things the famous 1992 exhibition and recording of 鈥淟es Orgues de Paris鈥�. Her unique living and vast working experience as well as her lineage of study in France makes her an authority in all French organ repertoire and many other European composers.
She holds the 鈥淐ertificat d鈥橝ptitude de Professeur d鈥橭rgue鈥� awarded by the Republic of France. A highly regarded teacher, she served as organ professor at the Conservatory of Music in Clamart, near Paris from 1990-2006 and from 1997 to 2006 at the French National Regional Conservatory in Caen in Normandy. In 2006 she returned to the United States and that summer was appointed Associate Professor of Organ, holding the Robert L. Town Distinguished Professor of Organ chair at the 萝莉社School of Music in Kansas. In addition to heading the organ program, she is producer and artistic director of the Rie Bloomfield Organ Series, 鈥淒istinguished Guest Artists鈥�, and the 鈥淲ednesdays in Wiedemann鈥� series she created in 2007 (for which she performs monthly half-hour organ recitals) which are videotaped for YouTube.
Lynne Davis鈥檚 recordings include discs, radio broadcasts and live performances, including those on the famed organ at Chartres Cathedral. Her disc, 鈥淢usique pour Cath茅drales鈥�, released on the Quantum label, won the coveted 5 Diapasons award in France. Other Chartres recordings by Ms. Davis鈥� include Jehan ALAIN et Maurice DURUFLE and a varied program of Raison, Bach, Vierne, Roger-Ducasse and Litaize. 鈥淟ynne Davis en Concert鈥� was made on the world-renowned Cavaill茅-Coll organ at the church of St. Etienne in Caen in Normandy. Her most recent CD, is 鈥淟ynne Davis at the Marcussen organ in Wiedemann Hall鈥� at 萝莉社was released in 2010. All of her recitals at Wichita State University since 2006 have been recorded 鈥渓ive鈥� and are archived there.
Ms. Davis graduated with honors in organ performance from the University of Michigan where she studied with Robert Clark. Shortly thereafter, she moved to France and for eight years she studied with Marie-Claire Alain. While there she also studied with Jean Langlais, Maurice and Marie-Madeleine Durufl茅, Andr茅 Fleury, Gaston Litaize, and Edouard Souberbielle and partook in classes with numerous other great European master organists.
In 2011, Lynne Davis received the Excellence in Creativity Award from 萝莉社 University. Following the immense success of the American Alain Festival which she organized at 萝莉社to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Jehan Alain, she was awarded as a French citizen the prestigious distinction of Chevalier de l鈥橭rdre des Arts et des Lettres from the French Ministry of Culture and Communication in 2012. In 2013, she received the medal of the city of Wichita from Mayor Carl Brewer and in 2016, the Burton Pell award from the Wichita Arts Council.