Frank Ferko

about

Frank Ferko (b. June 18, 1950, Barberton, Ohio) is an American composer. Ferko played piano from childhood, and worked as an organist and conductor in his teens. His first compositions were primarily liturgical in nature, with Lutheran composer Richard Wienhorst being an early influence. He attended Valparaiso University as an undergraduate, where he studied composition and counterpoint under Wienhorst and organ under Philip Gehring. Ferko took particular interest in early music and the compositional and theoretical output of Olivier Messiaen. He received a bachelor's from Valparaiso in 1972 in piano and organ performance, and then took his master's at Syracuse University in music theory. There he studied theory under Howard Boatright and organ under Will Headlee, and wrote his thesis on one of the extended piano works of Messiaen. Following this, Ferko served as Director of Music at various midwestern churches before entering Northwestern University. At Northwestern he first pursued a Ph.D. in music theory but shifted his attention to music composition which he studied under Alan Stout. During his time at Northwestern he worked as a teaching assistant in the School of Music and also continued his work as a church musician. In 1982 he began working as a music librarian and continues to work as both a librarian and an archivist. He is currently on the staff of the Archive of Recorded Sound at Stanford University. As a composer, Ferko began receiving critical acclaim and com

top songs

albums

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Julius Eastman: Unjust Malaise

Ferko: Stabat Mater

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Ferko: Motets

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Many are the wonders

Ferko: The Hildegard Organ Cycle

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Sybilla: The Complete Hildegard Motets of Frank Ferko

Stabat Mater (His Majestie's Clerkes, feat. conductor: Anne Heider, soprano: Nancy Gustafson)

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Sounding Joy

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Beyond All Mortal Dreams - American A Cappella

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BBC Music, Volume 21, Number 3: Silent Night

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First Day

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harmonia mundi spring-summer 2017

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