ghward@sewanee.edu
Originally from Brampton, Ontario, Geoffrey Harris Ward completed his ARCT in Piano
Performance at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. His studies in
music continued at the conservatory at Mount Allison University, where he earned degrees
in Trumpet Performance and Music Education; and later, a Masters degree in
Music Education, Instrumental Music (Arizona State). In Tempe, Arizona,
Geoffrey studied organ with Robert Clark, Dr. Kimberly Marshall and Dr.
Michael Burkhardt.
Geoffrey has held a number of positions in Canadian Churches. He was the
Healey Willan Organ Scholar at the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene, Toronto;
and Assistant Organist at the Church of Saint Andrew and Saint Paul, Montreal.
In Montreal, Geoffrey studied Organ and Choral Conducting under Dr. Bruce
Wheatcroft. In 2002 Dr. Ward was awarded as an Associate of the Royal Canadian
College of Organists. He is an alumni of Boston University Tanglewood Institute where
he studied trumpet and later was a member of the Canadian Military's Band
of the Ceremonial Guard at Parliament.
He completed his Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in Church Music and Organ
Performance at the University of Kansas in June 2006. His lecture-recital and dissertation
is a study of the three masses of Jehan Alain. Geoffrey studied with Drs. James
Higdon and Michael Bauer.
Geoffrey has been involved with a number of choral festivals including
the All-West Festival Chorus in West Tennessee as conductor in 2011 and accompanist in 2012,
the Delta Symphony Children’s Choir in Arkansas in 2013 and the State Festival Choir
for Arkansas in 2014.
Dr. Ward was named as the Organist/Choirmaster at Saint John’s Episcopal Church in Memphis,
TN in 2006. His duties at the church also included serving as the Artistic Director of the Memphis
BoyChoir Inc. which housed the Memphis BoyChoir, Chamber Choir and he was the founding director
of the Memphis GirlChoir in 2011. The choirs performed the service of Choral Evensong at
the Washington National Cathedral in both 2011 and 2013 in addition to doing numerous
other tours across the United States.
Dr. Ward commenced his duties as Organist/Choirmaster of All Saints’ Chapel at the
University of the South in July 2016. He is also on the faculty for the Department of
Music teaching organ lessons, conducting, music theory and music history with primary
duties directing the University Choir. Dr. Ward is a member of Phi Kappa Phi.
