Mobile
One of America's highly acclaimed church musicians, Dr. Ridgell was formerly Organist and Director of Music Education of Trinity Wall Street, New York and Director of Sacred Music of the Cathedral of Saint Paul, Minnesota. He has held positions in cathedrals and churches throughout the US including the Cathedral of the Madeleine, Salt Lake City and the Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral.
A finalist in the 2004 American Guild of Organists National Competition in Organ Improvisation, Dr. Ridgell studied at Indiana University, Bloomington; Westminster Choir College, Princeton; and Rutgers University, New Brunswick. In great demand as an organ recitalist, workshop leader, and choral conductor, Dr. Ridgell has been a featured artist for the 2002 Winter Olympics; the 2005 National Convention of the American Guild of Organists; the 2008 release of the Miramax film "Doubt" featuring Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman; and the 2013 National Association of Pastoral Musicians Convention and the 2013 Trinity Wall Street Halloween Festival with silent film organ accompaniment.
As a music educator, Dr. Ridgell helped build the choral foundation to the Madeleine Choir School in Salt Lake City and in 2004, founded the Princeton Girlchoir Alumnae Cantores. He has prepared choristers for performances with the San Francisco Opera, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Frederica von Stade, Robert Redford, and EMI Records. In 2006, Dr. Ridgell was the Artistic Director of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia's Bicentennial Concert Orchestra and Chorus of over 400 students. Renown in revitalizing youth choir programs, Dr. Ridgell founded the Trinity Youth Chorus in 2005. Since then, this community-based youth music program grew to over 200 choristers and continues to be one of the leading choir/community-music programs in revitalized Lower Manhattan.
