-The American Organist Magazine
VICKI SCHAEFFER
Concert Organist, Workshop Presenter
Vicki Schaeffer is currently Director of Music/Organist at St. Joseph Old Cathedral in Oklahoma City, OK and Organist at Little Flower Catholic Church, also in Oklahoma City. A church musician since the age of 14, her previous positions have included serving various denominations in Oklahoma, Hawaii, Indiana, and Ohio.
Vicki has spent most of her career as a teacher, serving as a faculty member at both secondary and collegiate level institutions. Currently serving as the Director of College Counseling at Heritage Hall, a private college prep school in Oklahoma City, Vicki takes great pride in helping her students realize their hopes and dreams for the future. She also teaches Music Appreciation and World Music as electives within Heritage Hall’s Fine Arts Department. She has taught as an adjunct instructor at the University of Oklahoma and at Chaminade University in Honolulu, where her primary duty was teaching at Oahu’s military bases. Her former students have gone on to matriculate at various universities, including Yale University, the Eastman School of Music, and Indiana University. At one time she was also the Music Consultant for the Episcopal Diocese of Hawaii, serving churches in various ways throughout the diocese.
As an educator, Vicki has given workshops on a variety of topics related to the organ and church music. Presenting at regional and national American Guild of Organists’ conventions, local AGO chapter meetings,and a Church Music Institute conference, her workshops on organ repertoire for church services, service playing, Shaker hymnody, and choral conducting have been well received by many.
As a recitalist, she combines standard organ repertoire with hymn based works to reach an eclectic audience. Always the educator, she specializes in lecture recitals, making sure the audience can fully appreciate what they hear. This format also is the basis for her work as Artistic Director of Bella Voce, a semi-professional chamber choir based in Oklahoma City (bellavoceokc.org). Now in its fifth season, Bella Voce’s mission is to “inspire and educate the modern audience through diverse choral experiences.”
Vicki is a graduate of Indiana University, receiving a Doctor of Music degree with a double major in organ performance and church music. Her primary teacher was Marilyn Keiser. She also holds degrees from Kent State University (MM) and Mount Union College (BME), where she studied with Larry Smith, John Herr, Arthur Lindstrom, and Marshall Bailey. She is currently serving on the National Council of the American Guild of Organists as Councillor for Membership. Prior to that she served six years as the Regional Councillor for the Southwest, the last two as Chair of the Board of Regional Councillors. She is also a member of the Association of Anglican Musicians and the Royal School of Church Music.