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CHRISTOPH BULL was born in Mannheim, Germany. He improvised his first tunes on the piano at age five and started playing church services and organ concerts at age twelve. He's won first prizes in organ and songwriting competitions, including Jugend Musiziert, Bad Dürkheim Chamber Music Competition, and the Michael-Masser-Competition (UCLA). He studied at University of Church Music Heidelberg, Freiburg Conservatory, Berklee College Of Music, University of Southern California, and American Conservatory of Music. His teachers include Hermann Schaeffer, Charlie Banacos, Sam Swartz, Cherry Rhodes and, in master classes, Craig Cramer, Guy Bovet and Marie-Claire Alain. Between 1990 and 2003 he worked as organist and music director at Blessed Sacrament Church, Hollywood, and German-language Christuskirche, Glendale. In the fall of 2002, Christoph Bull became the fifth university organist at UCLA where he also teaches.
He has produced several CDs with contemporary and classical music, as well as a series of educational albums with children's music (Singlish). One of his songs, "Ali, Ali, Ali" was recently licensed by Taschen Inc. to promote a collector's book about Muhammad Ali. His concert and CD series 'organica' was conceived in 1999 to showcase the many facets of the pipe organ, ranging stylistically from traditional organ repertoire to original arrangements of popular and film music. It has repeatedly been Classical Pick Of The Week in the L.A. Weekly and moved to Royce Hall (UCLA) in March of 2004. Among others, he's recorded for Bootsy Collins and performed with George Clinton of Parliament Funkadelic. He's consulted for Harry Connick Jr. and Steven Spielberg. TV credits include "The Wayne Brady Show" and "The God Squad". Recently, he has been teaching, recording and concertizing on his own and with violinist Lili Haydn. Haydn and Bull have opened up for Cindy Lauper and George Clinton. As a solo artist, Christoph Bull has performed extensively in the United States and Europe.
In July of 2004 Dr. Bull was a featured recitalist and workshop presenter at the National Convention of the American Guild Of Organists. In October of 2004 he performed on the new Glatter-Götz-Rosales organ at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. In February of 2005 he accompanied the silent movie "The General" (Buster Keaton), and in May he presented his most recent edition of "organica," a collaboration with live painter Norton Wisdom and laptop artist S. Video, both at Royce Hall (UCLA). In June of 2005, he participated in the Bach Marathon presented by the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Guild of Organists on the Rosales organ at St. Cyril Of Jerusalem church in Encino, when all of Bach's organ works were performed in 22 hours over one weekend by 44 members. He's also been a speaker at the L.A. Philharmonic's "Upbeat Live" pre-concert talks, he has performed with the Pacific Serenades and Southwest Chamber Music ensembles, and he's slated to accompany the L.A. Master Chorale at Walt Disney Concert Hall.
Outside of music, Christoph has run the L.A. Marathon three times and won the German youth championship in baseball with this team, BC Tornados Mannheim.
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