Organ Study at Setnor

The Setnor School of Music at Syracuse University is a close-knit community of musicians within a large and dynamic research university. Dr. Anne Laver and Dr. Ivan Bosnar lead an organ program that involves 10-12 music majors in any given semester (four to five organ performance majors at the bachelor's and master's levels, and five to seven music majors taking organ lessons as a primary instrument or elective). The size of our program provides each student with personalized, committed mentoring and a myriad of performance, church music, research, and arts administration opportunities both on campus and in the wider community.

While most of the teaching takes place in the Setnor School of Music, student organists regularly make use of additional opportunities supported by Hendricks Chapel, Syracuse Catholic Community, the Syracuse Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, the Westfield Center for Historical Keyboards, the Central New York Humanities Corridor, and the Organ Historical Society (the studio has a student chapter) in order to make the most of their experience in Syracuse. Scroll through the list below to get a sense of what our student organists are up to.

Watch this video to hear our students talk about their experiences at Setnor.

For more information, or to express an interest in applying or getting involved, email Dr. Anne Laver (alaver@syr.edu), associate professor of organ and university organist.

Instruments

Syracuse University’s Setnor Auditorium is home to a magnificent example of organbuilder Walter Holtkamp Sr.’s work. The three-manual organ built in 1950 possesses an historic organ citation from the Organ Historical Society and is the primary teaching, recital, and rehearsal instrument on campus. Students also have access to the 1952 three-manual Holtkamp organ in Hendricks Chapel and two practice instruments in the Setnor School of Music.

In the winter of 2026, the university will install a two-manual mechanical action organ built by Greg Harrold of Berkeley, California, in a newly-built Catholic chapel on campus. This instrument, modeled on the 17th-century German building concept, will be an important teaching and practice resource for students.

Additionally, student organists have open invitations for lessons and practice time at a handful of notable instruments in the Syracuse area, namely the Roosevelt Organ at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, the Quimby organ at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, the Fisk organ at First Presbyterian Church of Cazenovia, and the Parsons organ at Holy Rosary Catholic Church.

Solo Performances

In addition to weekly convocation for all music majors, organ students often perform at Hendricks Chapel, the university’s 800-seat nondenominational chapel, in events such as the Community Hymn Festival, Black History Month Celebration, and High School Choral Festival. Hendricks Chapel also hosts the Malmgren Concert Series, a signature university series featuring guest performers and student ensembles.  Organ students have also put on studio concerts, such as a Halloween concert in Hendricks Chapel and Bach Birthday Bash in Setnor Auditorium that draw large student crowds. Holidays at Hendricks, an annual concert that draws a live audience in the thousands and is broadcast on regional television stations, often features organ students in collaborative and solo performance. Students also perform on member and outreach recitals for the Syracuse Chapter of the American Guild of Organists as a way to try new instruments and bring music to a wider audience.

Collaborative Performances

Student organists are regularly asked to collaborate with Syracuse University ensembles for special performances. In recent years, student organists have performed with Syracuse University Symphony Orchestra, Syracuse University Wind Ensemble, Oratorio Society, Baroque Ensemble, and Hendricks Chapel Choir. Student organists are also eligible to compete in the annual Concerto and Aria Competition at the Setnor School of Music. In Spring 2024, organ performance major Abbie Wood won the concerto competition and performed the first movement of Widor’s "Sixth Symphony" with the Syracuse University Symphony Orchestra in Setnor Auditorium.

Organ Demonstrations

Organ students are frequently asked to perform pieces and offer demonstrations of the historic Holtkamp organ in Setnor Auditorium for special events, such as admissions presentations for prospective students, reception days for new students, Orange Central tours, and Pedals, Pipes, and Pizza events with the Syracuse Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.

Masterclasses/Guest Artists

Student organists have the opportunity to perform for some of the world’s leading concert organists and church musicians every year as part of guest artist residencies. In the past 10 years, Syracuse University has hosted masterclasses by Alan Morrison, Nathan Laube, Michel Bouvard, Edoardo Bellotti, Andrew Henderson, Bruce Neswick, Cherry Rhodes, Katharine Pardee, Christopher Marks, William Porter, Kola Owolabi, Jeffrey Brillhart, Alceé Chriss, Richard Elliott, and the Theodicy Jazz Collective. Syracuse student organists also participate in improvisation masterclasses with professors and guests of the Eastman School of Music and Cornell University at frequent educational exchanges supported by Mellon Humanities Corridor grants.

Sacred Music

Student organists routinely support worship services and special events hosted at Hendricks Chapel. Most student organists hold music director or organist positions at local churches or synagogues. Students also take advantage of a rich choral music scene on campus. Many students opt to take conducting lessons and participate in one of the many excellent university choral ensembles. The school’s large contingent of music education students contributes to an excellent reputation for choral singing. For more information on available positions in the Syracuse area, visit the Syracuse AGO website.

Improvisation

Student organists are required to take at least one semester of organ improvisation with Dr. Ivan Bosnar, a distinguished improviser and church musician who won the American Guild of Organists National Competition in Organ Improvisation in 2020. Improvisation is a core component of the sacred music and figured bass class and is embraced as an essential skill in the curriculum. Through the auspices of the Central New York Humanities Corridor, students can work with faculty from the Eastman School of Music and Cornell University and take part in masterclasses with expert improvisers in the fields of education and church music.

New Music

Organ and composition faculty regularly mentor student composer-performer pairs on creative projects. In the last two years, every organ degree recital has featured a new work by a student composer. We believe learning how to work with a composer is an important and meaningful skill that will serve students well in future positions. Setnor students have won grants to create new works as part of the American Guild of Organists student commissioning project. The organ and composition departments enlist students in outreach projects encouraging new organ compositions, such as the Webinar on Composing for the Organ, new music concerts and festivals, collaborations with the Society for New Music, and organ workshops for high school students.

Arthur Poister Scholarship Competition in Organ Playing

Each spring Syracuse University and the Syracuse Chapter of the American Guild of Organists put on the Arthur Poister Scholarship Competition in Organ Playing and student organists are welcomed and encouraged to apply. Students also can hear exceptionally talented young organists in the annual finals of the competition and winner’s recital and can choose to assist with the competition as an intern.

Arts Leadership

The Setnor School of Music boasts one of the oldest and most respected programs in music industry, and as a result, our course catalog offers many opportunities for music students to take courses in promotion, website design, and copyright law. Students can major in music industry with organ as a primary instrument, or major in organ performance and take industry classes.

Setnor students are well-positioned to take on a variety of internships and positions associated with the organ department. In the past, students have secured an internship with the Syracuse Chapter of the American Guild of Organists to support the Arthur Poister Scholarship Competition in Organ Playing; an internship focused on concert operations, promotion, and series development of the Malmgren Concert Series at Hendricks Chapel; a student director position for the music and mindfulness after-school program supervised by Hendricks Chapel’s Office of Engagement Programs; an executive assistant for a future Pipe Organ Encounter (POE); and an intern for an organ and composition symposium.

Research and Travel

Syracuse University’s academic strategic plan encourages every student to participate in study abroad and study away programs. Students can take advantage of established semester study abroad programs, including music-centered programs in London and Los Angeles. Setnor students frequently travel internationally on performance tours. The Hendricks Chapel Choir, Wind Ensemble, and student organists toured London and Scotland in 2023, and the University Singers went to Brazil in 2024, for example.

Syracuse University also offers strong support for undergraduate and graduate research in the arts and humanities. Organ students have received major funding for research projects and travel from the Syracuse Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Engagement and the Graduate Student Organization. Hendricks Chapel has also been a strong support for organ students. In 2019, the chapel supported a student-initiated organ and choral workshop in Ghana, West Africa. The organ studio takes an organ crawl field trip each semester to a region with significant instruments.

Results

The Setnor School of Music is proud of its 100% placement rate for graduating organ majors. In the last 10 years, all of our graduating organ majors have gained admission to graduate programs of choice or have landed full-time employment in the music field. Our faculty and career services team are committed to assisting students find success in their chosen career paths. After graduation, our students have gone on to the following jobs and programs:

• D.M.A. in organ performance at the Eastman School of Music
• D.M.A. in organ performance at Arizona State University
• D.M.A. in organ performance at University of Houston
• M.M. in organ performance at Manhattan School of Music
• Director of Music at Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (RC), Syracuse, New York
• Organ Scholar at Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York City, New York
• Music Educator, Howard County Public Schools, Columbia, Maryland
• Organ Technician at Kerner & Merchant Pipe Organbuilders, Syracuse, New York