Peter Richard Conte

"Conte's brilliance in registration is incredible, his playing credibly, refreshingly excellent. Fabulous."
(The American Organist)

"In every piece it was obvious that Conte is a great musician and has taken the time to know the capacities of his instrument. Such a range of expression I didn't know was possible on an organ. What a wonderful evening this was!" (Vroom, live performance review in
American Record Guide)

"Displayed his considerable artistry...Conte's playing of the entire program was of the highest musicality, with an unimpeachable sense of timing and registration and absolute technical control." (The Diapason)

"Peter Richard conte's recital was nothing less than perfection. The audience said it all with two rousing standing ovations! Bravo Peter Richard Conte!"
(Robert Bright, St. Anne's Church, Washington DC)

"It is no wonder that Peter Richard Conte is a favorite of Longwood Garden audiences and that his CDs are so popular." (Newark Post, Delaware)

"We thought he was one of the best [organists] we have had in Shove Chapel, and we have had nothing but the best. In addition, he was a great pleasure to spend time with and the faculty who met him enjoyed the time immensely." (Timothy Fuller, Dean, Colorado College, Colorado Springs)

"It might be hard to imagine an organ recital audience giving out a yell that a hockey crowd might envy. But so it was as PETER RICHARD CONTE finished the last bars and the packed house erupted into a standing ovation and delighted laughter. The merriment was entirely appropirate--and cumulative. From the first piece Conte rivited attention and demanded respect....Standing ovation? Better call it a flying ovation."
(The Santa Fe New Mexican)

"An entertaining and very enjoyable recital, masterfully played. Mr. Conte has rare technical gifts and melds them with great musicianship and a winning personality. Our audience was captivated." (Arthur Johnson, Trinity Episcopal Church, Reno, Nevada)

"The performance was not only brilliantly played, but was very attractively presented. His remarks about the pieces and his skillful and imaginative use of the vintage organ created an atmosphere of excitement and thorough enjoyment among an audience made up primarily of local organists." (Lloyd E. Cast, Jr., Organist Emeritus of All Saints Cathedral, Albany, New York)

"All in all, Peter Conte is indeed, remarkable!...Peter Conte is one of the very best!" (Terry Charles, The Kirk of Dunedin Community Church, Dunedin, Florida)

"Conte is a genius." (John Tuttle, University of Toronto & St. Thomas Church, Toronto, Ontario)

"It will take a long time to come down from the 'high' that we all felt at [Peter Richard Conte's] recital. At the reception many of the people I talked to said this is the way to get people to go to organ recitals--give us music that we can enjoy, after all we are not all organ experts but we all enjoy a good tune. Mr. Conte did just that in his choice of the works he performed for us. He had the audience in the palm of his hand with 'Danny Boy.' I have heard a lot of recitals in this Abbey over the years and I have enjoyed them all. But today we heard something different. I don't know how to classify precisely what I heard but I will say this, Mr. Conte got sounds out of our instrument that I did not know existed, and I have been playing it for 20 years. The transcriptions he played...were just breathtaking. Aside from the musicality of the recital, which was superb, Mr. Conte's youthfulness was apparent. That young man is alive! You have a 'great' on your roster of artists...you have a real winner with Mr. Conte. Thanks for sending him to us."
(Bartholomew Agar, O.Praem., St. Norbert's Abbey,
De Pere, Wisconsin, presenter)

"What a stunning success the Peter Richard Conte recital was. His phenomenal registration skills brought out all the wonderful colors in the organ...The sounds of the final notes had not died away before the audience was on its feet demanding an encore. It would be hard to imagine a more successful recital."
(Richard Cummins, Greene Memorial United Methodist Church, Roanoke, Virginia, presenter)

"Superb artistry in the lost art of organ transcription...To play that many lines with only ten fingers is technical wizardry, but to do it with feeling and magic is indeed rare. The combination is exciting and captivating." (American Record Guide)

"A vibrant virtuoso performance...Conte performed with a dexterous grace, riding the torrent of sound and fury to its predestined conclusion."
(The Trentonian New Jersey)

"He was nothing short of sensational, definitely the 'surprise hit' of the convention (since most of the visiting theatre organ folks weren't particularly enthusiastic about the idea of a church organ program). His humor was infectious, his incredible ability certainly apparent, and his programming was perfect for both our group and the church members. Additionally, with our staff he was cooperative and pleasant." (Karen W. Coup, American Theater Organ Society, presenter)

"His program was absolutely magnificent--one of the finest recitals I have heard in a very long time. He has staggering technique...pure delight from beginning to end!" (Robert MacDonald, First Presbyterian Church,
Fort Worth TX)

"The audience repeatedly gave him standing ovations!" (Barbara Heckler, Seventh Day Adventist Church,
Ocala FL)

"Peter Conte has the feeling for this music and the technique to bring it off splendidly....right on the mark...perfectly paced and styled."
(Crescendo)

"Thank you so much for your outstanding performance. Your program was quite exciting and entertaining, and your playing was amazing, as usual. We have heard nothing but rave reviews for your thrilling recital. You have the rare gift to be able to communicate through the organ and are so innately musical that you make the music sound perfectly natural and beautiful."
(Tom Trenney, The United Methodist Church, Painesville, Ohio)

"A sparkling, often lighthearted concert of organ compositions and transcriptions. Conte led off his ebullient romp through Broadway and Victorian-era Boston (with a layover in Bayreuth, Germany)
with his own quirky transcription of Berstein's
Overture to 'Candide'....Mixture of levity and technical brilliance." (The Birmingham News AL)