Wilma Jensen has been described as "the consummate musician," who "brings sparkle, electricity, dynamite, and vibrancy to the organ." Critics in America and Europe have praised her concert performances and recordings for their technical brilliance and spiritual intensity.
Wilma Hoyle Jensen earned her Bachelor and Masters of Music degrees, and received the Performer's Certificate in Organ, from the Eastman School, where she was a student of Catharine Crozier and Harold Gleason.
After graduation, she became of one the foremost American teachers of organ, serving on the faculties of Oklahoma City University; Blair School of Music, Vanderbilt University; and Indiana University, where she was a tenured professor. Her students occupy important positions throughout the United States.
Wilma Jensen has also enjoyed an extensive career as a concert organist. In the United States, she has played at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception (Washington, D.C.), the Mormon Tabernacle, Riverside Church in New York City, and West Point United States Military Academy. Her European tours have included Norway, Sweden, Denmark, West Germany, France, Poland, The Netherlands, and England.
In May 2002, she retired after 19 years as Choirmaster and Organist at St. George's Episcopal Church in Nashville, Tennessee. Two years previously, the Nashville Music Awards had named her "Classical Musician of the Year." Now serving as Choirmaster and Organist Emerita, she is in demand as a recitalist, lecturer, and clinician for choral workshops, church music workshops, and organ master classes.
In recognition of her great gifts as a musician and as a teacher, and of her unique place in the world of American church music, the Eastman School of Music is proud to bestow upon Wilma Jensen its Alumni Achievement Award.
Rochester, New York
February, 2004