Acclaimed organist and choral director Ryan Jackson was appointed William S. Perper Director of Music and Fine Arts Ministries at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in 2012, following an international search. Ryan is the founding director of the professional Chamber Choir, as well as the Community Choir, a teaching ensemble open to all members of the church community. In 2013, Ryan established Fifth Avenue’s annual concert series, which features a diverse program of choral concerts and organ recitals each season.

Prior to his appointment at Fifth Avenue, Ryan served in the music programs at Christ Church United Methodist on Park Avenue; the University Church at Yale; Christ Church Episcopal in New Haven; and Metropolitan United Church in Toronto. In addition to his work at Fifth Avenue, Ryan maintains an active recital schedule throughout the United States and his native Canada where his performances have been praised for their “mature musicality, technical poise, and registrational sensitivity” (RCCO Bulletin).

The winner of numerous prestigious competitions, including the Royal Canadian College of Organists’ National Organ Playing Competition, he has studied with several of the most prominent organists of the day, including Patricia Wright, Thomas Murray, and Paul Jacobs.  Ryan is a graduate of the University of Toronto (Mus.Bac.Perf.), Yale University (M.M.), and The Juilliard School (D.M.A.).

Patrick Kreeger joined Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church as associate organist in July 2015. A native of Jacksonville, Florida, Patrick gave his Carnegie Hall debut at age 17. He has established himself as one of the leading musicians of his generation. Patrick holds degrees from The Curtis Institute of Music (B.Mus.), Yale University (M.M.) and The Juilliard School (D.M.A.), where his main teachers included Alan Morrison, Martin Jean, and Paul Jacobs, respectively. At Yale, he was the recipient of the Robert Baker scholarship and earned the Margot Fassler Prize for excellence in the performance of sacred music. Additionally, his doctoral dissertation, examining Johannes Brahms’s views on spirituality and mortality, was awarded Juilliard’s Richard F. French Doctoral Prize for outstanding research. Praised by The Philadelphia Inquirer for his “elegantly detailed phrasing,” as well as having “a lot to offer beyond the organ console,” Patrick maintains a versatile career as a pianist, organist, and choral conductor.

Patrick has performed in many distinguished venues around the world, including: Benaroya Hall (Seattle, WA), Meymandi Concert Hall (Raleigh, NC), Verizon Hall (Philadelphia, PA), Bulgaria Hall (Sofia, Bulgaria), Cook Hall (St. John’s, Newfoundland), Peterborough Cathedral (U.K.), Musée des Augustins (Toulouse, France), Kunsten Museum (Aalborg, Denmark), as well as numerous other venues in the U. S., U. K., France, Italy, Israel, and Bulgaria. He gave his symphonic debut with the North Carolina Symphony, performing Sergei Rachmaninoff’s first piano concerto, and has also been guest soloist with the Musica Sacra Chamber Orchestra, Virginia Beach Symphony, Chilliwack Symphony Orchestra, Barton College/Wilson Symphony Orchestra, and the SUNY-Purchase Conservatory Orchestra. In addition to being a Steinway & Sons Educational Partner, Patrick serves on the College and Extension faculties at The Juilliard School.

Prior to joining Fifth Avenue, Patrick served as the director of music and organist at Cheshire United Methodist Church in Cheshire, Connecticut. He also served for four years as director of music and organist at Leverington Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia.