Paul Jacobs (organist)

Paul Jacobs
Paul Jacobs at the Schermerhorn Organ, 2015
Background information
Born	1977 Washington, Pennsylvania
Genres	Classical music
Occupation(s)	Organist
Labels	Naxos and JAV Recordings
Website	pauljacobsorgan.com

Paul Jacobs (born 1977) is an American organist. He is the first organist to receive a Grammy Award. Jacobs is currently the chair of the Juilliard School's organ department.

Paul Jacobs began piano lessons at age five and organ lessons at age 12 in his hometown of Washington, Pennsylvania. At age 15 he was appointed head organist of Immaculate Conception Church, a parish of over 3,500 families. Jacobs then attended the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, double-majoring in organ (studying with John Weaver) and harpsichord (with Lionel Party), while serving as organist at the Washington Memorial Chapel in Valley Forge National Historical Park. During his final semester as an undergraduate student, he performed the complete organ works of Johann Sebastian Bach several times, including once in an 18-hour non-stop marathon concert in Pittsburgh on the 250th anniversary of the composer's death (July 28, 2000). Jacobs completed a master's degree from the Yale School of Music, studying organ with Thomas Murray. Jacobs has performed the complete organ works of Olivier Messiaen in eight American cities since 2002, each time in a nine-hour marathon concert.

In 2003 Jacobs was invited to join the faculty of the Juilliard School and the following year, was named chairman of its organ department, making him one of the youngest faculty appointments in the school's history. Winning accolades and awareness for the pipe organ from both critics and audiences alike, Jacobs has performed on five continents, and by the age of 32 performed in each of the 50 United States. His repertoire includes music from the 16th century through contemporary times, including new works written for him. He has appeared as soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Phoenix Symphony, the National Symphony Orchestra, the Kansas City Symphony, and the Pacific Symphony.