Jonas Nordwall is a virtuoso organist equally skilled in both traditional classical and modern/popular schools of musical performance. Since the 1970s, he has toured the world playing concerts and conducting workshops in churches, theaters and performing arts centers. He has performed in Japan, Europe, and China and has made seven concert tours to Australia. Nordwall is the only organist to have played a public recital on the famed Hill organ in Sydney’s Town Hall to over 2000 people that was also broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Company. In 1999, he was both an adjudicator and guest recitalist for the Swiss International Organ Competition in Geneva, Switzerland.

Nordwall has over 25 highly acclaimed recordings on a variety of labels. His recordings are frequently heard on the internationally syndicated radio show, “Pipedreams”. A Portland, Oregon native, Nordwall’s first musical studies began at age 4 on the accordion. Besides Portland teachers Joe Parente and Eileen Hagen, he had tutoring sessions with Charles Magnante and Anthony Galla-Rini, two of the twentieth century’s most famous accordionists. At the age of 16, Nordwall performed on the accordion for Sweden’s King Gustav Adolf. His studies expanded to piano and organ at age 10 with Portland teacher, Goldie Pos. In 1970 Nordwall graduated with a Bachelor of Music Degree from the University of Portland, where his piano, organ and orchestration studies were with Arthur Hitchcock. Nordwall continued his classical organ studies with the noted English - Canadian concert organist, Frederick Geoghegan, American organ virtuoso, Richard Ellsasser and the eminent organist-composer, Richard Purvis, of San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral.

Nordwall has been a professional church musician since high school. He has served as the organist for Portland’s First United Methodist Church since 1971, assuming the Director of Music position in 1990. There he oversees one of the finest music ministries in the United States. He has played for the General Conference of the United Methodist Church and other international church gatherings, the American Choral Directors Association conventions, and also for several regional conventions of the American Guild of Organists.

As the organist for the Oregon Symphony Orchestra, Nordwall has been a featured soloist for several concerts and has recorded with the orchestra on the Delos label. Other orchestral appearances include the Vancouver, BC Symphony Orchestra, Portland Festival and Chamber Orchestras, Columbia Symphony Orchestra and the Vancouver, Washington, Symphony Orchestra.

During the late 1960s and early 70s, Nordwall had the rare opportunity to be one of few organists playing theatre pipe organs professionally. His style incorporated the best of earlier theatre organ performance traditions with “rock” and “jazz” influences. During the 1970s and early 80s he was the senior staff organist for the Organ Grinder Corporation, where he performed in both Portland and Denver, Colorado on large, personally custom designed Wurlitzer Theatre Pipe Organs in lavish restaurant settings.

Nordwall has been a featured artist for many American Theatre Organ Society and American Guild of Organists national and regional conventions. He was named Organist of the Year in 1987 by ATOS. He has conducted many master classes on organ performance and styling. Most recently Nordwall served as the primary instructor at the first ATOS Summer Youth Camp in Chicago, where he worked with twenty one talented, aspiring young organists.

In addition to his musical performances, Nordwall has been a major influence in the later 20th century design and manufacturing of both pipe and electronic organs. He was associated with a major organ manufacturer for over 30 years and is still active in the design and marketing of organs worldwide.

His performances and recordings have created rave reviews, which have stimulated a new interest in the organ. A recent review stated ” . . . if more organ concerts were as carefully programmed and excellently performed, the organ would again be at the fore-front of the musical public.”

Jonas Nordwall
7221 SW 13th Drive
Portland, OR 97219
(503) 246-7262
e-mail: Use this link to email Jonas