Music Staff

Andrew Senn
Director of Music

Andrew Senn

Born in Chicago, IL and the son of a Lutheran pastor and theologian, Andrew Senn experienced music as an important part of his childhood. Piano lessons began at age six but his focus switched to the organ when he was twelve, studying with William Alyesworth. During his high school years, Andrew sang in the choir and served as Organ Scholar at Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church in Evanston, Illinois, under the leadership of Richard Webster.

 

He attended the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, PA where he studied organ with John Weaver. During this time, he was one of the assistant organists at the Wanamaker Organ, where he performed over 2,000 recitals. Upon his graduation from Curtis in 2000, he was offered a combined position of Organ and Choral Scholar at Truro Cathedral in Cornwall, England where he worked under Andrew Nethsingha. He has enjoyed further organ coachings with Martin Jean, Kimberly Marshall, and David Schrader. Andrew was a finalist in improvisation in the 2013 Luxembourg International Organ Competition.

 

Prior to his appointment at The Redeemer, Andrew served as Director of Music at The First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia from 2006-2023, where he directed the professional choir, introduced a volunteer choir, as well as a concert series that included programs of solo instruments, chamber recitals, and choral concerts with orchestra. Notable programs included J. S. Bach's "B Minor Mass" and "Saint John Passion," Maurice Duruflé's "Requiem," and Francis Poulenc's "Concerto for Organ, Timpani, and Strings." Since 2011, Andrew has also served as Organist/Pianist at Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel in Elkins Park, PA.

 

Known for his commanding and colorful performances, Andrew has been featured as a recitalist across the United States and Europe. American venues have included The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine and St. Thomas Church in New York City; St. Philip's Cathedral and Peachtree Road United Methodist Church in Atlanta, and Old West Church in Boston. European performances have taken place across England (Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral, London), France (Nancy Cathedral and St. Thomas, Strasbourg), and Germany (Evangelische Saalkirche, Ingelheim).

 

James Hildreth has said the following about Andrew's debut recording on the ProOrgano label, which includes works by Reubke, Willan, and Vierne: "These performances are a rare combination of authentic interpretation and personal flair - Élan Vital! They compel one to sit up and listen." Gaining a reputation as a fine composer and arranger, scores and information about other recordings are available at www.andrewsenn.com.


Andrew's husband, Edward Senn, is associate organist at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church. They have twin children Arabella and Anthony.

Öznur (Oz) Tülüoğlu
Cherub Choir Director

Öznur Tülüoğlu

Praised for her “ravishing voice” and “compelling” stage presence [San Diego Story], Turkish-American soprano Öznur (Oz) Tülüoğlu is establishing herself as a young, rising artist “destined for bigger things,” [BrenSan Diego Tribune].

 

Öznur earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance at the New England Conservatory where she made her operatic debut as Damigella in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea. Her enthusiasm for score study expands to music theory, as Öznur worked with published musicologist, Deborah Stein, in completing a minor in music theory with a focus on Schubert Lieder during her studies at NEC.


She is also a graduate of the University of Maryland, Maryland Opera Studio with her Master of Music in opera performance. Notable engagements she performed with the opera studio includes Mrs. Coyle in Britten’s Owen Wingrave alongside the National Orchestral Institute, and Arminda in Mozart’s La Finta Giardiniera.

 

Opera companies Öznur has sung with include The Hungarian State Opera, Washington National Opera, Annapolis Opera, Opera Neo, and Mobile Opera. She continues to appear in performances around the nation. Roles Öznur has performed include Gilda from Verdi’s Rigoletto, Micaela from Bizet’s Carmen, Younger Alyce from Tom Cipullo’s Glory Denied, Aspasia from Mozart’s Mitridate, Sandrina from Mozart’s La finta giardiniera, and Barbarina from Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro. She has placed as a finalist in the Jensen Foundation Competition, Opera Mississippi John Alexander National Vocal Competition and Music International Grand Prix competition. In 2022, she won 3rd place at the AIMS in Graz Vocal Competition.

Alexander Leonardi
Assistant Organist

Alexander Leonardi

A native of Long Island, NY, Alexander is in his second year studying Organ Performance at the Curtis Institute of Music with professor Alan Morrison. Alexander has been studying organ for nine years and piano for eleven years. Prior to attending Curtis, he was part of the Pre-College Division of The Juilliard School, and studied with Dr. Matthew Lewis. 

Over his years of study, Alexander has participated in numerous other programs outside his usual schooling, including the Organ and Piano Institutes at Westminster Choir College and the Philadelphia-Macy’s Organ Camp. He has participated in several competitions, including the annual International Organ Competition at the Wells School of Music at West Chester University where he won first prize, and the 2020 Brooklyn AGO competition where he won second prize. Alexander was also the recipient of the Award for Music Theory and Ear Training at Juilliard Precollege. While at home on Long Island, Alexander has served as a substitute organist for numerous congregations of differing denominations, most recently his local Episcopal church, Christ Church in Babylon. 

Of the Michael Stairs Organ Scholar position, Alexander writes:

“I am excited to join The Redeemer community as the new Michael Stairs Organ Scholar. I am eager to learn the unique skills and techniques that can only be taught through an experience of a position such as this. In this position I hope to expand my own musicianship by engaging in opportunities that provide experience in collective and collaborative music making. I am excited to serve and support the parish community through offering my musical abilities to the hopeful enrichment of the worship experience.”

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