Samuel Gaskin

Samuel Gaskin is a student of Dr. Jesse Eschbach at the University of North Texas. Samuel was Associate Director of Music at University United Methodist Church in San Antonio from 2012-16 before becoming organist at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Denton.  Mr. Gaskin held the position of organ scholar at Christ Church Cathedral in Indianapolis during the 2010-11 academic year.  He has placed in organ competitions in Russia, France, New York City, Miami, Kansas City, and Philadelphia.  He has appeared as a soloist for the Amarillo (Tex.) Youth Symphony and the Wind Ensemble of the University of Texas at San Antonio.  In 2013, Gaskin was Piano Fellow for the annual Summer Opera Aria / Recording Session (SOARS) of the historic Bay View Music Festival held in northwestern Michigan.

Highlights of Laube’s recent and upcoming festival appearances around the world include the Berlin Orgelsommer, the Stuttgart Internationaler Orgelsommer, the Naumburg Orgelsommer, the 300th Anniversary Festival of the 1714 Silbermann organ in the Freiberg Cathedral, the Dresden Music Festival, the Orléans Organ Festival, Bordeaux Festival d’Été, the Lapua Festival (Finland), the Lahti Organ Festival (Finland), the 2015 and 2016 Smarano Organ Academy (Italy), the Göteborg Festival (Sweden),  the Max Reger Foundation of America’s 2015 Max Reger Festival, the WFMT Bach Project, for which he performed the complete Clavierübung III in Chicago, and several EROI Festivals at the Eastman School of Music.

Performances for conventions and conferences are frequent, and Laube will be a featured performer at the 2017 National Convention of the Organ Historical Society in the Twin Cities.  He was featured at the Society’s conventions in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, and 2016, and at national conventions of the American Guild of Organists in 2010 (Washington, DC), and in 2012 (Nashville, TN).  He will perform for three regional conventions of the American Guild of Organists in 2017: in Dallas, TX, Montreal, PQ, and Youngstown, OH.

Laube has two CD recordings available: the Stephen Paulus Grand Concerto on the Naxos label (NAXOS 8.559740) recorded with the Nashville Symphony, Giancarlo Guerrero, conducting, which received a Grammy Award for Best Classical Compendium; and a new solo recital recording on the Ambiente label (ACD-1062), recorded at the Stadtkirche in Nagold, Germany.  In addition, many of Laube’s live performances have been featured on American Public Media’s Pipedreams.

Nathan Laube is frequently asked to teach master classes and workshops in connection with his concerts, and often serves on the faculty for Pipe Organ Encounters in the USA – clinics presented by The American Guild of Organists designed to introduce young keyboardists to the pipe organ and its vast repertoire.  He has also taught at the Oberlin Summer Organ Academy in Ohio and at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts Summer Organ Academy in Philadelphia, and regularly presents master classes in the United States and in Europe.  Mr. Laube also serves as Chair of the Friends of the Library and Archives for the Organ Historical Society (OHS). 

Outside of the church walls, Erik loves to read, especially 19th century literature. Erik is a beer brewer and was named the #1 homebrewer in Erie in 2009 for a schwarzbier made with Starbucks. Erik loves late 19th century opera, programmatic symphonic works, and movies from the 1930s. He also claims to be a gardener (vegetable), though not an especially good one; but, Erik has learned a lot about humanity from cultivating plantlife! Erik has a daughter, Lydia, and a son, Lukas.