The Worcester Organ Performance Series: A Festive Performance of Holiday Music

Peter Edwin Krasinski Mechanics Hall Principal Organist
Peter Edwin Krasinski is broadly recognized as a motivating consultant for the pipe organ community, and as a conductor, organist and music educator, whose imaginative and energetic performances elevate and inform audiences. Along with regular concert appearances he specializes in live improvised silent film accompaniment, worldwide. He has premiered the art in major venues in North America, Europe and Asia. He is the recipient of a number of prizes including the First Prize in Improvisation from the American Guild of Organists National Competition.

House Organist of the Providence Performing Arts Center, Mr. Krasinski was past Dean of the Boston Chapter AGO. He is Organist at First Church of Christ, Scientist in Providence RI, accompanist at Beth El Temple Center in Belmont, MA and recently presented Master Classes at the Sibelius Academy, Helsinki, Finland. He holds both a Bachelor of Music Degree in Music Education and Organ Performance, and the Master of Sacred Music Degree from Boston University.

Kevin Neel enjoys a versatile career as organist, collaborative in numerous venues including Symphony Hall (Boston), Old South Church, Trinity Church Copley Square, Old West Church, Methuen Memorial Music Hall, as well as numerous venues in the southeast. He also has appeared as organ and piano accompanist for multiple choral ensembles in the New England area. In December 2016 he co-founded “et al.,” a choral ensemble whose mission is to tell stories through diverse, thoughtful programming performed at the highest level.

As a singer, he has sung with Emmanuel Music, Cantata Singers, Marsh Chapel Choir, and VOICES 21C. He is Director of Music and Organist at All Saints Episcopal Church in Worcester, where he directs the All Saints Choir (choristers and adults), manages the Music Series, oversees music education programs, plays the Rice Memorial Organ (IV/132 Aeolian Skinner Op. 909), and collaborates with Worcester-area music and arts organizations. He previously served as Organist and Chapel Choir Director at Emmanuel Church in Boston. He was named in the Diapason Magazine’s 2019 Class of “20 under 30” which recognizes young talents in the fields of organ and harpsichord performance, organ and harpsichord building, carillon, and church music. He holds degrees from Boston University in Choral Conducting and Indiana University in Organ Performance, and is originally from the Charlotte, NC area.

Christon E. Carney is a tenor recognized for his expressive warmth, narrative depth, and versatility across opera, oratorio, and art song. A native of Nashville, Tennessee, he earned his Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the New England Conservatory, and a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Lipscomb University.

Christon made his operatic debut with Nashville Opera as Giuseppe in La Traviata and later performed in Pulitzer Prize winning opera, Omar. He has appeared with Boston Lyric Opera, Nashville Opera, the Rhode Island Civic Chorale and Orchestra, the Nashville Symphony, and the Pioneer Valley Symphony & Chorus new operas and orchestral works in principal and featured roles.

As a concert soloist and recitalist, Christon has been featured in American Hope at Mount Holyoke College, Holiday Pops with the Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra, Salisbury Singers, among other regional performances. He has also appeared in programs presented by Music at Trinity, Music at College of the Holy Cross, Mechanics Hall Concert Plus and the College Church Concert Series.

During his training, Christon participated in masterclasses with Lawrence Brownlee, Ben Heppner, and other distinguished artists. His repertoire ranges from Bach and Handel to American composers and spirituals, characterized by sincerity, refined tone, and an abiding connection to text and meaning.

Currently based in Worcester, Massachusetts, Christon serves as Education & Outreach Manager and Managing Director of the Many Voices: Mechanics Hall Youth Singers, continuing his dedication to nurturing the next generation of musicians. In addition to his performance career, Christon is a dedicated educator, teaching voice at JMS School of Singing in Shrewsbury and Pakachoag Music School in Worcester. A 2024 Worcester Business Journal “40 Under 40” honoree, he is celebrated for uniting artistry, education, and community through the transformative power of song.