Thomas Dressler
Thomas Dressler is known for exciting, passionate performances on the organ and harpsichord which combine warm musicality with historic techniques. He has been performing for thirty years, often on historic instruments. Notable instruments he has played in performance include:
1776 Tannenberg organ, Nazareth, PA
c.1790 Green organ, Bethlehem, PA
1800 Tannenberg organ, Winston-Salem, NC (2007)
1807 Doll organ, Camp Hill, PA (2007)
1847 Ferris organ, Round Lake, NY
1865 Hook organ, Orwell, VT
1890 Steere and Turner, Menomonie, WI (2007)
Sesquicentennial organ at University of PA
He has appeared on local television in NY, the Poconos, and Philadelphia. His playing at the opening concert of the 150th anniversary celebration of the Round Lake organ was said to be "riveting" and "stunningly elegant." In August of 2001 he recorded the Round Lake organ, and the CD was released in 2003.
Officers of the Central New Jersey chapter of the American Guild of Organists have said, "Mr. Dressler is an organist with solid technique, well known for his exquisite rendering of Renaissance and Baroque music." But he does not only specialize in "early" music. He also spends much time exploring how music was performed during the 19th century, trying to uncover possible modern misconceptions about this music and present it in a manner the composers would recognize.
As a teenager, Mr. Dressler studied organ with James Boeringer and practiced on an 1880 Felgemaker organ. During this time he began to have an intense interest in old "tracker action" organs. He also began to have an interest in historic performing practices (using the information available in old treatises to attempt to play music in a way similar to how the composers may have originally heard it.) When these fingerings and articulations are matched with the music being played, it is possible to infuse it with a degree of emotion and excitement not possible with modern techniques. He pursued these techniques throughout his college years, earning a Bachelor of Music in Organ Performance, cum laude, from Susquehanna University, and a Master of Music in Performance, with honors, from Westminster Choir College. At Westminster, he studied organ with Mark Brombaugh and Joan Lippincott.
Mr. Dressler has held large church positions in Philadelphia and New Jersey, where he is also known as a choral director. He is currently employed as Director of Music at the RC Church of St. John the Evangelist in Lambertville, NJ. He has also been a featured lecturer in various venues in addition to lecturing at Warren County Community College (NJ), speaking on topics such as Performance Practices of the Baroque Era, various topics in music history and appreciation, and Music and Holistic Health.
His special abilities to communicate, both as a speaker and performer, are combined in a special approach to performances where he discusses much of the music he performs. This creates an enthusiastic and passionate musical experience. A reporter from a local newspaper in Pennsylvania has said, "Dressler interacts with the audience on a very personal level, appealing to young and old alike. One comes away from each program knowing they have learned something."