Richard Wayne Dirksen

Richard Wayne Dirksen
Dirksen conducting the choir at the Washington National Cathedral in the 1980s
Born	1921 Freeport, Illinois, U.S.
Died	July 26, 2003 Washington, D.C., U.S.
Occupation	Organist, composer, conductor
Spouse(s)	Joan Milton Shaw
Children	Richard, Geoffrey, Laura, and Mark
Parent(s)	Richard Watson Dirksen and Maude Logemann

Richard Wayne Dirksen (February 8, 1921 - July 26, 2003) was an American musician and composer, who served as Organist and Choirmaster of the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., from 1977 to 1988. Previously he was Assistant Organist and Choirmaster from 1942 to 1964. In 1969, Dirksen was named the cathedral's Precentor, giving him administrative oversight of all worship services until his retirement in 1991.

Dirksen composed extensively, mostly choral and organ works, and his music continues to be regularly featured on broadcasts from the Cathedral. His 1974 opus, Vineyard Haven, has been called "widely acclaimed as one of the finest hymn tunes of our day", by editors of .

Dirksen was born in Freeport, Illinois, the eldest son of Richard Watson Dirksen and Maude Logemann. In high school, he played the bassoon and was a drum major. Awarded a scholarship, he then studied organ at Baltimore's Peabody Conservatory under Virgil Fox, graduating in June, 1942.

While still studying at Peabody, Dirksen became assistant organist to Paul Callaway at the Washington National Cathedral in February, 1942. Later that year, he began three-and-a-half years of military service during World War II, resuming his post at the cathedral in December, 1945. In 1949, Dirksen was also appointed director of the glee club at the cathedral's affiliated St. Albans School. In 1969, he was the first lay person in the Anglican Communion to be named a Precentor, meaning he had administrative oversight of all worship services.

During his long tenure at the cathedral, he produced ceremonial music and pageants for various occasions, such as the U.S. Bicentennial in 1976 and the consecration of the completed cathedral in 1990, attended by U.S. President George H. W. Bush and other dignitaries. Dirksen was succeeded by Douglas Major as Cathedral Organist and Choirmaster in 1988 and retired as Precentor in 1991.