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Elizabeth & Raymond Chenault
America's Favorite Duo Organists
"A crowd pleasing performance." (The American Organist)
"Nothing short of electrifying." (American Record Guide )
"Double or triple solo lines over lush accompaniments that would be
impossible with only two hands." (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
"Everything was played with the kind of virtuosic security that made you pay attention to the music, not the performers.... Probably the world's premiere duo-organ team."
(Atlanta Journal/Atlanta Constitution)
Elizabeth and Raymond Chenault's frequent performances throughout the United States and Europe, their best selling recordings, and sizable contribution to the organ duet literature through their commissions have made "organ four hands, four feet" virtually synonymous with "the Chenaults."
The Chenaults' duet career began in 1979 when Arthur Wills of England's Ely Cathedral composed "Toccata for Two" for them. This was followed by John Rutter's "Variations on An Easter Theme". Other commissions (composers now number over 40 and include Gaston Litaize, Naji Hakim, Ronald Arnatt, Stephen Paulus, Charles Callahan, Alan Gibbs, Gerre Hancock, Douglas Major, Phillip Moore, Daniel Pinkham, Myron Roberts, Richard Shepherd, Conrad Susa, Paul Lindsley Thomas Robert Hobby, Francis Jackson and Bruce Neswick) followed and the Chenaults were soon performing extensively each season.
They have been featured artists at conferences and conventions of the American Guild of Organists, the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies, the Association of Anglican Musicians, and in Charleston during the Spoleto Festival. Recitals at such locations as the Crystal Cathedral, Washington National Cathedral, St. Paul's Cathedral in London, York Minster and the Birmingham Town Hall in England have highlighted their schedule.
Mr. and Mrs. Chenault, natives of Virginia, completed music degrees at Virginia Commonwealth University . Mr. Chenault received his Master of Music degree in organ performance from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. Upon graduation Mr. Chenault became a Fellow in Church Music at Washington Cathedral. Teachers have included Harold Abmyer, Arthur Poister, Wayne Fisher, Paul Callaway, Lawrence Robinson, and John Fenstermaker.
Since 1975 the Chenaults have been Organists and Choirmasters of All Saints' Episcopal Church in Atlanta. After 31 years they retired in 2007 from the Lovett School where they taught choral music. The duo's recitals have been featured on public radio's "Pipedreams" and "Performance Today." They record for Gothic Records, have been named "Organists of the Year" by Sacred Music USA, and their commissioned works have been published by Warner Brothers/Belwin Mills as The Chenault Organ Duet Library.
"Virtuosic, non-stop attention...the Chenaults showed mastery of the various idioms."
(The Los Angeles Times)
"Elizabeth and Raymond Chenault are noted practitioners of the art of
two performers-one organ." (The New York Times)
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