Timothy TIKKER was born in San Francisco (California, USA) in 1958. He
obtained his Bachelor of Music degree, magna cum laude, in Organ
Performance at San Francisco State University, and his Master of Music
degree in Organ from the University of Oregon at Eugene, where he
studied repertoire and improvisation with Guy Bovet.
Through a Ruth Lorraine Close Award from the University of Oregon, he studied with Jean Langlais, who called Mr. Tikker "one of the most gifted temperaments I have ever encountered ... without doubt one of the best specialists in the work of Tournemire in the United States." He has also studied in masterclasses with Xavier Darasse, André Isoir, Daniel Roth (Haarlem Academy, Netherlands) and Ewald Kooiman (Toulouse).
He won First Prize in the National Improvisation Competition in the San Anselmo Organ Festival in 1987 (USA), the Holtkamp-AGO Award in Organ Composition in 1993, First Prize in the UNESP Organ Composition Competition (Brazil) in 1997, and was a Finalist in the Aliénor Harpsichord Composition Competition in 2000 (USA).
He has performed in concert as an organ soloist in the USA and Europe, featured performances including Grace Cathedral, San Francisco; Basilique Sacré-Coeur, Paris; the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina (most recently a performance as soloist with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, performing Copland's Organ Symphony under guest conductor Samuel Adler).
Compositions include Variations sur un vieux Noël for organ (recorded by Carla Edwards for Calcante Records), Three Gregorian Sketches for organ (recorded by Christopher Young for Pro Organo Records), a Magnificat for choir, harp and organ, Tiento de Batalla sobre la Balletto del Granduca (recorded by Diane Meredith Belcher for JAV Records), as well as works for brass, choir and piano.
He has recorded works of Charles Tournemire for OHS and Arkay Records (USA). He has also published numerous articles in various music journals, especially concerning French music and organs.
Since 1996 he has been Organist at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Charleston, South Carolina.