Marnie Giesbrecht

Keyboard artist Marnie Giesbrecht performs and records as organ soloist, and collaborative musician (organ, piano, harpsichord) in mainstream repertoire, as well as new and early musics. Dr. Giesbrecht is Professor Emerita at the University of Alberta (1988 to 2014), Adjunct Professor of Music at The King’s University, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Graduate degrees are from the Mozarteum in Salzburg (piano), Eastman School of Music (piano) and University of Alberta (organ).

A consultant for the Davis Concert Organ in the Winspear Centre for Music, Edmonton, Marnie Giesbrecht’s numerous performances there and at the University of Alberta include solo organ, concertos with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and University of Alberta Orchestra, duets and duos with piano, saxophone and percussion, chamber and choir collaborations. As half of Duo Majoya with Joachim Segger, a versatile and innovative keyboard team, she tours, performs and records a distinctive repertoire of commissioned, original, and arranged works for organ duet and organ/piano duos. Two of Duo Majoya CDs were recorded at the Winspear Centre for Music: “Organ Duets on the Davis Concert Organ” and “Canadian Suites for Organ and Piano” (2024). Her solo CD “Now and Then” contrasts mainstream repertoire with contemporary Canadian and American compositions.

Giesbrecht commissions, performs and solo and collaborative new music; in January, 2025, she will premiere seven commissioned works for organ and percussion with Mark Segger, in Convocation Hall at the University of Alberta. She is a founding member of Early Music Alberta, with whom she has performed solo, duo and chamber music on harpsichord and continuo organ.

An ambassador and advocate for organ music, Giesbrecht has served/continues to serve in many local, regional and national leadership roles in the Royal Canadian College of Organists including as National President. She adjudicates on a variety of local, national and international competition juries and panels.