Eric Plutz, Princeton University Organist

Eric Plutz

Concert Organist

For the last two decades, Eric Plutz has been University Organist at Princeton University, where his responsibilities include playing for weekly services at the Chapel, Academic Ceremonies, and solo concerts, as well as accompanying the Chapel Choir in services and concerts.  He manages the weekly After Noon Concert Series at the University Chapel, is Lecturer in Music and Instructor of Organ at Princeton University, and maintains a private studio.  Mr. Plutz is Collaborative Keyboardist for Princeton Pro Musica, rehearsal accompanist for the Westminster Choir at Westminster Choir College of Rider University, and accompanist for the Somerset Hills Chorus.  In 2016 Mr. Plutz received the Alumni Merit Award from Westminster Choir College.  More information is available at www.ericplutz.com.

In celebration of Louis Vierne’s 150^th birthday in 2020, Eric initiated The Vierne Project: performances of the complete organ symphonies.  One of a handful of organists to embark on such a venture, he performed in Beverly Hills (CA), Durham (NC), Minneapolis (MN), Lancaster and Reading (PA), Ithaca (NY), Houston (TX), Evanston (IL), Portland (OR), Olympia (WA), and San Antonio (TX).  A CD recording of the symphonies on six different instruments was released on the Affetto label in 2022.

Mr. Plutz’s most recent recording, “B A C H – The Gamut from ‘A’ to ‘G’,” was released on the Affetto label in 2023.  Showcasing organ works in A, B, C, D, E, F, and G, the album was recorded on the Mander/Skinner organ in Princeton University Chapel.

As an organ concert soloist, Mr. Plutz, who “performs with gusto, flair, clarity, and strong yet pliant rhythmic control (James Hildreth for The American Organist),” has accepted engagements in distinguished locations across the United States and abroad. He has been a featured artist at three Regional Conventions of the American Guild of Organists (2007, 2011, and 2019), the Annual Convention of the Organ Historical Society (2016).  His playing has been broadcast on “With Heart and Voice,” “Pipedreams,” and “the Wanamaker Organ Hour.”

Eric has made four solo recordings on the Pro Organo label, www.proorgano.com.  French Trilogy (on the Æolian-Skinner Organ at Byrnes Auditorium, Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC), about which James Reed (The Diapason) wrote, “Plutz is a master craftsman… his performances are sensitive, emotional, stunningly accurate, and spectacularly musical… truly a world-class performance by a world-class musician,” and Denver Jubilee (restored 1938 Kimball Organ of St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral, Denver, CO), about which David Schwartz (American Record Guide) wrote, “….he understands, as would a great orchestrator, how to register the more orchestral side of the instrument….”

Two previous recordings are of the Princeton University Chapel Organ: Musique Héroïque and Carnival, about which Mr. Hildreth (TAO) writes, “Plutz’s extraordinary musicianship and dexterous command allow him to perform the most challenging passages (of which there are many!) with apparent ease.  He performs the quiet pieces with poetry and grace.”

From 2005 to 2020, Mr. Plutz was rehearsal accompanist for the Westminster Symphonic Choir at Westminster Choir College.  Additionally, he has worked with many organizations, including The Bach Choir of Bethlehem, National Symphony Orchestra, Choral Arts Society of Washington, and the Cathedral Choral Society (DC).  As a teacher, he held the position of Adjunct Assistant Professor of Organ at Westminster Choir College three separate times.

Originally from Rock Island, Illinois, Mr. Plutz earned a Bachelor of Music degree, magna cum laude, from Westminster Choir College and a Master of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music. Additional study consists of two visits to Europe: in 2005, he studied the complete organ works of César Franck with Marie-Louise Langlais in Paris, and in 2019 he studied the complete organ symphonies of Louis Vierne with Ben van Oosten in The Hague, Netherlands.