Janette Fishell

Biography

Janette Fishell is Professor of Organ and Chair of the Organ Department at the Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University, where she teaches Applied Organ and Organ Pedagogy. Her students have distinguished careers as performers, educators, and church musicians throughout the U.S., Europe, and Asia.

A frequent guest artist and teacher at conservatories, universities and civic concert series throughout the United States and Europe, she has been a featured solo recitalist at three national conventions of the American Guild of Organists and will be the first female recitalist to present the endowed Saint Cecelia Recital at the 2024 Biennial Convention of the AGO in San Francisco. She teaches regularly at international summer schools in the U.S. and England.

Widely recognized as a leading authority on the organ music of the Petr Eben, she is nearing completion of Velvet Revolution, a two volume, six-disc collection of that composer’s complete solo organ works for the Dutch classical music label Brilliant Classics. Volume one, issued in October, 2022, has garnered international critical praise, earning a place on Germany’s prestigious Schalpattenkritik’s best new keyboard recordings list of 2022.

Recent performance projects include cycles of the complete organ works of J.S. Bach, César Franck, a recording of Beethoven’s complete works for organ and mechanical clock for NAXOS, and collaboration with percussionist Joseph Gramley, her colleague at the Jacobs School of Music. Other recordings for the NAXOS, Pro Organo and Loft labels feature her as organ soloist, accompanist, choral conductor and composer.

A life-long church musician, she is the recipient of the Paul Creston Award for contributions to sacred music and was named Young Organist of the Year by Keyboard Arts, Inc. while an undergraduate student. She has served as organist and organist/choirmaster at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Greenville, NC, The Episcopal Church of All Saints, Indianapolis, and Interim Organist at Christ Church Episcopal Cathedral, Indianapolis. Her compositions have been published by St. James Music Press, Wayne Leupold Editions, and Morning Star Music.