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Rick Alexander Remembered
Richard George Alexander
April 16, 1946 – January 14, 2025
Organist and Choirmaster at St. Paul’s Chestnut Hill (1970-2008)
Richard Alexander passed away peacefully on January 14, 2025 at the age of 78. He was the oldest of four children born in Washington, DC to John Dmitri Alexander and Alice Olive Learn. Growing up at the height of the national polio epidemic, Rick contracted the disease at the age of 8 and spent a significant period in the hospital and in an iron lung. The ravages of polio left him with lifelong muscular deficits, but far from limiting his career, this challenge instead defined it as an extraordinary triumph of talent, determination, and persistence.
Rick’s early promise at the piano quickly led to a fascination with the pipe organ, that most physically demanding of instruments. Instruction was made possible with ingenious physical accommodations and creative adaptations of technique, and Rick’s superior prowess and musicality rapidly became apparent. At age 15 he won the regional student organ-playing competition of the American Guild of Organists. He became organist at the First Congregational Church in Washington, DC and studied organ with William Watkins, organist at Georgetown Presbyterian Church. A Washington Post review of an organ recital at St. John’s Church, Lafayette Square by the 17 year-old Rick glowed with superlatives about the sensitivity and intelligence of his playing and noted that he would be “one worth close watching” in the future.
Rick arrived in Philadelphia in 1964 as a freshman at the prestigious and selective Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied for four years under the legendary Dr. Alexander McCurdy. At Curtis he met other passionate students of the organ, many of whom became colleagues and life-long friends. After graduating Rick obtained his Master of Music degree from the Yale School of Music, where – perhaps prophetically – he wrote his thesis on the renowned organ designer and voicer, G. Donald Harrison. During his student years he was much in demand on the organ recital circuit, while also serving as organist at Swarthmore Presbyterian Church, First Presbyterian Church of Reading, and Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church in Manhattan.
In 1970 Rick was appointed as Organist and Choirmaster at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Chestnut Hill in Philadelphia, a position he held until his retirement in 2008. He inherited a music program that was sophisticated for a parish church, developed by his two immediate predecessors at St. Paul’s, Thomas Dunn and Henry Cook. Rick wrote in the parish newsletter: “Christians are admonished to give the best they have to offer to Almighty God, and this must include music – the best music.” His goal was to “continue, strengthen, and expand the quality of the music we offer.” Rick’s career spanned the tenure of five rectors of St. Paul’s, and he earned the appreciation and trust of all five for his deep understanding of liturgy and the role of music within it. Rick’s personal standards of excellence never wavered, and he held others to high expectations, as can be attested by the many who encountered him as choir members, youth choristers, organ students, and colleagues in the church music world.
Rick placed great emphasis on the importance of community spirit among his choirs and looked for ways to foster it both musically and socially. He was proud of the candlelight Christmas Carol Service that he introduced in 1981 and which remains a beloved annual tradition at St. Paul’s. His knowledge of sacred choral literature was impressive, and he continued to develop it throughout his career, to the great benefit of the parish’s library of choir music and the extensive repertoire that continues to be a hallmark of the St. Paul’s Choir today.
Closest to Rick’s heart, without doubt, was the pipe organ at St. Paul’s. The Skinner organ installed in 1929 in the newly built church at St. Paul’s had already been significantly rebuilt in 1956. It was considered notable for its wide range of expressive sounds capable of playing repertoire of different styles and periods; for the unique design of pipework openly displayed in the handsome interior of St. Paul’s; and for arguably being the last instrument personally finished by G. Donald Harrison. However during Rick’s tenure the organ began to show signs of aging, and he planned and oversaw further extensive renovations and expansion of the instrument between 1977 and 1992, during which time the organ grew from 70 to 114 ranks. Records show that he paid scrupulous attention to every detail of those ongoing organ projects. The work was widely held to be a masterpiece of creative design that incorporated the special qualities of the original instrument with the added capability and voices demanded by modern tastes.
Rick’s passion for organ design and building was intense and lasted all his life. He spent his spare time devising creative and imaginative stop lists. While active as an organist himself, he was in demand as consultant and advisor on many and varied organ projects. The design of which Rick was perhaps most proud was the Maior Gloria Dei instrument at Fordham University. Built by Schoenstein & Co. of Benicia, CA, it debuted in 2013 with a recital by Ken Cowan, a friend of Rick’s and fellow Curtis alumnus. During the later years of his career, Rick embarked on a series of summer visits to the U.K., with the intention of visiting every cathedral organ in England. He loved those travels and, it is believed, successfully accomplished his goal.
After retiring from St. Paul’s in 2008, Rick fulfilled another long-held ambition and spent several years living in New York City. However, declining health and increasing physical limitations caused by the long-term effects of polio drew him back to Philadelphia and Chestnut Hill, where he passed his remaining years. He took immense pleasure in observing at close hand the most recent (2020-2024) major organ rebuild at St. Paul’s, spending many hours immersed in the technical details of it with current St. Paul’s Organist and Music Director Andy Kotylo. Rick attended St. Paul’s regularly while he could, and was appreciative of the modern technology that allowed him to continue visiting many other church services through livestream. He remained close to many of his colleagues and friends, especially to his “Philadelphia family” Lorraine and Mike Knudson, their children and grandchildren, as well as Harry Costello and the staff of Sunrise Senior Living who took the greatest loving care of him.
Rick was a mercurial figure who will be remembered fondly and with immense admiration. He could be outspoken, volatile, sometimes provocative, and did not suffer fools gladly. He had little patience for meetings or big occasions, but loved theatrical pranks and outrageous fun, and when surrounded by friends and admirers was invariably the life and soul of the party. He was charming, thoughtful, and took a generous interest in the progress and careers of his choristers, students, and friends. Many recall Rick as a commanding – if sometimes terrifying – figure who instilled in them a love of music and encouraged some towards careers in church music. His persistence in overcoming daunting physical difficulties touched and inspired those who were aware of it, though he was not one to draw attention to the challenges that he faced throughout his career. Most of all, he was accorded immense respect for his superlative organ playing and musicianship. He was honored by St. Paul’s on his retirement with the naming of the choir rehearsal room as The Alexander Room. It bears a plaque inscribed with the words “What Sweeter Music Can We Bring?”
Rick is survived by his siblings: Anne Alexander of Alexandria, VA; Lynn Mills (Ed) of Fairfax Station, VA; John Alexander (Mary) of Midland, VA, and numerous nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held at 11:00am on Saturday, February 8, at St. Paul’s Church, 22 East Chestnut Hill Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19118. The service will be livestreamed (link below) and a reception in the parish hall will follow the service. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Paul’s Church. Service arrangements and online tributes at Lownes Family Funeral Home of Lafayette Hill.
