R. Monty Bennett will be featured in concert at Hawthorne Lane United Methodist Church in Charlotte on Sep 27. Mr. Bennett is Principal Organist at the 3,000-seat Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Charlotte where a five-manual Ruffatti pipe organ is installed. Mr. Bennett is formerly Associate Minister of Music/Organist at Calvary Church in Charlotte and currently serves on the board of the Charlotte American Guild of Organists chapter.

Hawthorne Lane United Methodist Church

501 Hawthorne Lane

Charlotte, NC 28204

Time/Date:  3 PM on Sept. 27th, 2009

Event Contact:  James Busby at 704.332.8131

Having been hailed as “one of the country’s top young concert artists” by the Baldwin Organ Company,
R. Monty Bennett began musical studies at an early age in his native California.  A graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara, he was a student of Dr. James Welch, with whom he studied organ, carillon and harpsichord.  Early keyboard studies were under the tutelage of William Bagileo, Herbert Nanney of Stanford University, and Dr. Roger Nyquist, of Santa Clara University.   Always seeking to gain further knowledge of organ music and the instrument, he has participated in masterclasses with Laura Ellis, Bruce Neswick, Gerre Hancock, Joyce Jones, Robert Glasgow and Todd Wilson, and has worked with Francesco Ruffatti to study pipe organ voicing.

Mr. Bennett has performed across the United States and Great Britain as an organist, accompanist and conductor.  In 2005, he made his European debut playing a recital for the 22nd International Festival of Organists in Turin, Italy, where he played the European première of a collection of African-American spirituals by Calvin Taylor.  He has played for numerous chapters of the American Guild of Organists, as well as performing at major churches and universities across the county.  He also performs on the carillon, and played his first European carillon recital on the 70 bell instrument in installed at the Chapel of the Dukes of Savoy, Chambery, France.

He was formerly the Minister of Music at Ebenezer Associated Reformed Presbyterian Church, Rock Hill, SC and Associate Minister of Music/Organist at Calvary Church, Charlotte, NC, where he presided at the Calvary Grand Moller Pipe Organ. He is currently the Principal Organist at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, Charlotte, NC, a musically diverse, historically African-American congregation of over 6400 members, where he designed the Five-Manual, 168 stop, Fratelli Ruffatti pipe organ.  He also serves as carillonneur for Christoph Paccard Bellfoundries of Charleston, SC.  In light of his musical accomplishments, he is listed in Who’s Who in America and has been featured on the internationally renowned National Public Radio broadcast Pipedreams. 

Mr. Bennett has served on the Executive Board of the Charlotte Chapter of The American Guild of Organists and was the coordinator for the chapter’s nationally acclaimed Summer Recital Series.