The lady with rhinestone-studded organ shoes – Diane Bish

Here’s another organist with that terrific combination of  virtuosity and showmanship typical of the US of A.  (We Brits do virtuosity, but our showmanship is a little more homespun.)

Diane Bish is an international concert organist, recording and performing all over the world, but her career is grounded in church music.  She was senior organist and artist-in-residence at the Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for over 20 years. While at Coral Ridge Church, she led the design of the 117-rank Ruffatti organ, which is quite eye-popping in its own right.

I discovered Miss Bish when searching YouTube for performances of Bach.  This clip is my favourite.

Never mind that the use of the swell, changes of registration, and the organ itself (the awesome Ruffati) would offend the baroque purists.  This is Bach with a capital B and she just sweeps you along.    I love the way she smiles to herself as she’s playing – isn’t that what Bach’s music does to you, when you know you are playing it well?

Follow bishfan for a whole host of other Diane Bish clips on YouTube – or search for The Joy of Music, which is Diane Bish’s television enterprise.

Find details of Diane Bish’s performance schedule on her website.

And the shoes? Here they are on Flikr.