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The American harpsichordst, organist, music director and music teacher, William Allen Shaffer, holds degrees in music performance (organ) from the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music in Ohio, Syracuse University, and the University of Michigan. He also studied at the Akademie Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. His organ teachers include Leo Holden, Garth Peacock, Josef Friedrich Doppelbauer, Arthur Poister and Marilyn Mason. He studied choral conducting with Robert Fountain at Oberlin.
Allen Shaffer became Organist/ Choirmaster at Christ and Saint Luke’s Church, Norfolk, Virginia, in 1989, following the retirement of Grover J. Oberle. He had been Mr. Oberle’s assistant since 1982. He is only the fourth person to hold the position since Christ and Saint Luke’s Church opened its doors for worship on Christmas Day, 1910. He has led the Choir of Christ and Saint Luke’s Church on two tours of England, Scotland and Wales in 2000 and 2002, and has produced two CD's of sacred choral music with the choir. He retired from this postion in 2012.
One of Tidewater’s most active musicians Allen Shaffer is Artistic co-director of the Norfolk Chamber Consort, and has performed with the Norfolk Chamber Consort on piano, harpsichord, organ and celesta. He is also half of the harpsichord duo Les deux Claveçins. He was for fifteen years the principal keyboardist for the Virginia Symphony. He has held three two-year terms as dean of the Tidewater Chapter of the American Guild of Organists and holds the AGO’s associate degree.
Allen Shaffer retired as Professor of music from Norfolk State University in 1997 after 27 years, where he taught music history, theory and organ. |
