Manuel Piazza
Manuel Giovanni Piazza is currently the Interim Assistant Director of Music at Trinity Church in the City of Boston, where he plays the church's 1926 E.M. Skinner organ and assists Colin Lynch in leading and administering its choral programs. In May 2022, he graduated with an MM from the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, where he studied organ repertoire with Martin Jean, improvisation with Jeffrey Brillhart, and choral conducting with Dale Adelmann and Gloria Yin. Additionally, he served as senior organ scholar at Trinity Church on the Green, where he was mentored by Walden Moore. He was also an organist for the Yale Schola Cantorum, conducted by David Hill. Manuel developed a passion for sacred music while attending St. Michael's Choir School in Toronto, where he served as a chorister under the direction of Jerzy Cichocki and began organ studies with René Belic. He completed his undergraduate studies in Organ Performance at the University of Toronto, studying repertoire with John Tuttle and conducting with Ivars Taurins. He has also performed in masterclasses led by organists such as Olivier Latry, William Porter, Stefan Engels, David Briggs, James O’Donnell, Ben van Oosten, Jürgen Essl, Wolfgang Zerer, Christophe Mantoux, Olivier Penin, and Fréderic Blanc. While in Toronto, he served as choir director and organist at Our Lady of Sorrows Roman Catholic Church, organ scholar at Trinity College (University of Toronto), organ scholar at St. James' Anglican Cathedral, and one of the five organists of St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica. From September 2019 to July 2020, he was organ scholar at Truro Cathedral in Cornwall (UK), where he played for Evensong three times a week, accompanying a fantastic group of choristers under the direction of Christopher Gray. While living in the UK, he also taught theory and organ, led chorister rehearsals, and performed with ensembles such as the London Sinfonia. After returning to North America, he won first prize in the 2021 Royal Canadian College of Organists’ National Organ Playing Competition and other awards such as the Godfrey Hewitt Memorial Scholarship (RCCO) and the Mary Baker Scholarship in Organ Accompanying (Yale Institute of Sacred Music)
