International concert organist, recording artist, choral conductor and lecturer
Gail Archer is an international concert organist, recording artist, choral conductor and lecturer who draws attention to composer anniversaries or musical themes with her annual recital series in New York City. These include a Bulgarian Celebration, a Slavic Celebration, Max Reger, The Muse’s Voice, An American Idyll, Liszt, Bach, Mendelssohn and Messiaen. Archer was the first American woman to play the complete works of Olivier Messiaen for the centennial of the composer’s birth in 2008. Time Out New York recognized the Messiaen cycle as “Best of 2008” in classical music and opera. In spring 2024, Archer received grants from the Harriman Institute, Columbia University and Vassar College to record a new CD of Bulgarian organ literature in the Concert Hall in Dobrich, Bulgaria; the CD, Dobrich A Bulgarian Odyssey was released on April 8, 2025. Her previous recordings include the 2022 Polish release, Cantius, and Chernivtsi, A Russian Journey, The Muse’s Voice, Franz Liszt: A Hungarian Rhapsody, Bach: The Transcendent Genius, an American Idyll, A Mystic in the Making (Meyer Media), and The Orpheus of Amsterdam: Sweelinck and his Pupils (CALA Records). Ms. Archer’s 2026 European tour took her to Lithuania, Sweden, Poland, Germany, Bulgaria, Italy and the island of Sardegna. Highlights include Tyniec Abbey, Krakow, Poland, St. James Cathedral, Szczecin, Poland, St. Casimir Cathedral, Vilnius, Lithuania, St. Joseph R. C. Church, Sofia, Bulgaria, Church of the Reconciliation, Dresden, Germany, San Lorenzo Cathedral, Grosseto, Italy, and the Cathedral of St. Mary, Alghero, Sardegna.
Archer is the director of the music program at Barnard College, Columbia University, where she conducts the Barnard-Columbia Chorus and Chamber Singers and a faculty member of the Harriman Institute, Columbia University. For the next two years, she will serve as the Co-Deputy Director of the East Central European Center in the Harriman Institute. In May 2026, Archer was awarded an endowed chair at Barnard College, Columbia University, the Mary E. Larkin Joline Professor of Music. She is artistic director of the artist and young artist organ recital series at historic Central Synagogue, New York City.
Learn More: GailArcher.com