CONCERT CHOIR 
COMMUNITY CHORUS

Email : phibriss@ius.edu 
Office: OG 058 

In addition to his conducting responsibilities at IU Southeast, Dr. Philip Brisson is also Director of Music and Organist at the Catholic Cathedral of the Assumption in downtown Louisville where he oversees three choirs which lead the Cathedral's traditional worship. Also under his management is the Cathedral Concert Series which includes the Kelty Endowed Organ Recitals and many visiting choirs which have further recognized the Cathedral for musical excellence in both liturgy and performance. After a successful tour to England and Ireland in 2004, Philip will again lead the Cathedral Choir this upcoming summer on a concert tour of Germany and Austria where they will perform at Mainz Cathedral; the Burgersaal Church, Munich; Karlskirche, Vienna, and sing for High Mass at St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Locally, the choirs have performed with the Louisville Orchestra, were featured on the WHAS television program Good Morning Kentuckiana, and appear annually for a Christmas concert that has often included collaboration with Christ Church Episcopal Cathedral under the title Christmas with the Cathedrals. Dr. Brisson is also the Chorus Master for the Kentucky Opera with this season’s performances including Puccini’s Turandot, Verdi’s Il Trovatore, and Poulenc’s Dialogues of the Carmilites.

Originally from New York City, Philip received his BM in Organ Performance from the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College, CUNY. While at Queens, he studied organ and conducting with Paul Maynard, the former director of the New York Pro Musica. After being accepted into graduate organ performance programs at Juilliard, Indiana, and Michigan, Philip decided to attend Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, where he earned a Masters in Sacred Music. While at Westminster, he studied organ with Robert Carwithen and choral conducting with Allen Crowell. He also was fortunate to regularly sing under Joseph Flummerfelt in the Westminster Symphonic Choir which performed Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen and Hindemith’s Requiem with the Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by Wolfgang Sawallisch. In 2005, Philip earned a Doctorate in Organ Performance from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, where he studied organ with David Higgs and received a Choral Conducting minor while studying conducting with William Weinert.

Philip Brisson is active in the American Guild of Organists, has served on the Louisville Chapter’s Executive Committee since 2002 and is currently the Chapter Dean. He is also the National Association of Pastoral Musicians Organist Liaison for the Louisville Archdiocese and Membership Chairman of the Roman Catholic Conference of Cathedral Musicians.

As an organ soloist, he appears under management with EastWest Organists and has given solo recitals in Manhattan, NY; Queens, NY; Geneva, NY; Rochester, NY; Princeton, NJ; Columbus, IN; Lexington, KY; Louisville, KY; Atlanta, GA; and Norman, OK. He recently appeared in concert with the Louisville Orchestra playing Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony and his upcoming engagements include solo concerts at the Cathedral of the Rockies in Boise, Idaho; Trinity Episcopal Church in Reno, Nevada; and the Cadet Chapel at West Point Military Academy, New York. He is also currently Adjunct Professor of Organ at Bellarmine University.