 A
native of Rockford, Illinois, Dr. Roger Nyquist studied piano with
Leola Arnold and organ with Allen Elmquist. He later earned a Bachelor
of Music Degree, cum laude, from Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois,
Studying with Phillip MacDermott. Nyquist holds the master of Music
Degree from Syracuse University, where he studied with Arthur Poister.
Subsequently, Nyquist received the Doctor of Music Degree from Indiana
University as a pupil of Oswald Ragatz. Study has also been with André
Marchal and Catharine Crozier. Dr. Nyquist has recorded twenty-three
albums (over 172 works) with Century, Chapel-Bridge, Orion Master
Recording (Yehudi Menuhin Foundation), Arkay Records, Digital Disc
Corporation, and Nimbus.
Among
several honors, Dr. Nyquist is listed in International Who’s
Who in Music, Outstanding Educators of America, and in American Keyboard
Artists. He was awarded the Outstanding Teacher of the Year at the
University of California, Santa Barbara, in 1967 and also at Santa
Clara University in 1973. In June 1984, Dr. Nyquist was given the
Outstanding Achievement Award from the Alumni Association of Augustana
College for his career as a concert organist and teacher.
Nyquist
has been on the faculty of Southwestern College, Winfield, Kansas,
the University of California at Santa Barbara, and from 1968-1992
was Professor of Music and University Organist at Santa Clara University.
He also was Chairman of the Music Department at Santa Clara from 1969-1978.
Dr. Nyquist was the opening recitalist for the American Guild of Organists
Regional Convention in 1999 held in Sacramento. Now residing in Sacramento,
California, Nyquist devotes full time to his concert career, private
organ teaching, recording and composition.
 Organ
authorities have long acknowledged that the most important voice on
the organ—“is the room.” As the organ has no built-in
soundboard or resonating feature, it relies upon the acoustics of
the room in which it is installed. For this very reason, many fine
organs have never come into full tonal bloom because of the acoustic
limitations. Quantum™ instruments are the only digital organs
to bring the science of sampling to acoustics! Through patented technology,
Allen actually samples sound and space.
Acoustic
Portrait™ provides 10 sampled rooms, ranging from pipe chamber
to a large cathedral which is the well-known Saint Denis Cathedral
of Paris.
For this
recording, Dr. Nyquist uses a large auditorium setting for the Bach
Chorale Preludes. The excitement of ‘performing’ in the
magnificent acoustics of Saint Denis Cathedral was an easy decision
for the remainder of the recording session!
ACOUSTIC
PORTRAIT™ DEMONSTRATION
This recording
was produced in a church with a seating capacity of about 500. It
is very typical of churches with nice acoustics and the carpet that
is present in most of them! In order to experience a feel for the
actual acoustics of the room, the beginning phrases of Vierne’s
Intermezzo will be played with Acoustic Portrait™ totally off.
Then the same phrases will be replayed using the acoustically wonderful
space of Saint Denis Cathedral.
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