Welcome to the official website for James D. Hicks, specializing in commissioning, promoting, and recording Nordic organ music. There's much to see here. So, take your time, look around, and learn all there is to know about us. We hope you enjoy our site and take a moment to drop us a line.
James D. Hicks lives and works out of Califon, NJ, USA. He holds degrees in music from the Peabody Institute of Music of Johns Hopkins University, Yale University, and the University of Cincinnati. Other studies include courses at the Royal School of Church Music in England. He is an Associate of the American Guild of Organists.
Currently, Jim has 14 commercial recordings available. CDs may be purchased from ProOrgano or Naxos Music Library. All recordings are also available from streaming and download platforms like Spotify, Pandora, Apple Music, and Naxos Music Library.
In addition to his recording and performance endeavors, Jim has been involved in several publishing projects that complement his continuing Nordic Journey endeavor.
Commissioning new music from talented contemporary composers is a primary way to keep our art vital and attuned to the times in which we live.
Church of St. Casimir, Vilnius, Lithuania
St. Gertrude Old Church, Riga, Latvia
Kaarli Church, Tallinn, Estonia
Pauluskirche, Ulm, Germany
"I continue to be astonished by the seemingly endless supply of wonderful organs in these countries, and by the music he continues to search out and play with consummate musicianship, virtuosity, commitment, and obvious love and understanding."
- American Record Guide, September/October 2020
"These recordings simply must be heard!" - Choir and Organ, January/February 2015
"Hicks relishes the full range of colours and contrasts on this exploratory CD-set. Most impressive." - David Ponsford, Choir and Organ, January 2020
"Possessed of a sure and strong technique and a vivid sense of acoustical space, Hicks delivers a rousing account of some very interesting repertoire. Hicks' technique is so good and his sense of the organ is so all-embracing, that one forgets them entirely and simply enjoys the music. There are far fewer compliments."
- The American Organist, November 2018
"James Hicks has done a great service in producing this series of compact discs and in placing this repertoire before the public. His playing is uniformly exemplary, and he also deserves great credit for encouraging the composers, particularly in the works he himself commissioned " - The Diapason, October 2020
"James D. Hicks has singlehandedly created his own tradition of organ music."
- Paulina Rahiala, Satakunnan Kansa, Finland, November 9, 2021