First Sundays on the Fisk: Davis Badaszewski and Kelsey Berg

Overview

Davis Badaszewski serves as the Organist & Choirmaster at St. James Episcopal Church in Painesville, OH, where he is the curator of their tonally unaltered 1926 E. M. Skinner pipe organ, Op. 608. Davis is also a doctoral candidate in Organ Performance with a concentration in Musicology at the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM), studying with Professor Todd Wilson. In 2024, he was the recipient of the Institute’s Heinrich Scholarship in organ. At CIM, Davis is the Organ Department Teaching Assistant, assisting Professor Wilson with the Introduction to Organ class for non-majors, as well as being the Instructor of Record for Music Theory for non-majors at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). Davis’ scholarly interests center on organ and sacred music of the first-half of the 20th century in the United States and Great Britain, with a particular emphasis on the music of the Anglican Communion. His dissertation, “Harold Friedell (1905–1958): His Compositions for Organ and Their Relation to American Organ Design and Construction in the First Half of the 20th Century,” advised by Dr. Peter Bennett from CWRU, focuses on the intersection between music composition, organ building, and organ pedagogy in New York City between 1900 and 1960, as exemplified by Harold Friedell’s life and works.

Davis’ past degrees include a Master of Music in Organ Performance, also from CIM, a Bachelor of Music in Organ Performance from Mercer University, as well as a Certificate in Injury Preventive Keyboard Technique from Salem College. At Mercer, he received the award for General Excellence in Music. Davis has studied organ with Dr. Jack Mitchener, Dr. John Cummins, and Mr. William K. Trafka. Beyond his primary lessons in organ, he has studied choral conducting with Dr. William Weinert, as well as piano with Professor Derek Nishimura and Dr. Barbara Lister-Sink. Davis is a member of several professional societies and organizations. These include the Association of Anglican Musicians, the Society of King Charles the Martyr, the Charles Villiers Stanford Society, and the Herbert Howells Society. He has also served in several leadership positions in the American Guild of Organists and is the current Dean of the Cleveland Chapter.

Kelsey Berg serves as the Assistant Organist & Choirmaster at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Akron, OH and is a doctoral candidate in Organ Performance with a concentration in Music Theory at the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM), studying with Professor Todd Wilson. At CIM, she teaches secondary organ lessons to both graduate and undergraduate students, and was the 2023 recipient of the Heinrich Scholarship in organ. Kelsey also teaches organ lessons for primary and secondary students, as well as music theory for non-majors at Case Western Reserve University. She maintains a private piano and organ studio, with students of all levels. Kelsey has a particular interest in keyboard pedagogy and how it relates to organ construction. Her dissertation, advised by Dr. Peter Bennett from Case Western Reserve University, explores the key actions of tracker instruments and the development of modern mechanical assists in the United States from 1980 to the present day. Prior to attending CIM, Kelsey received both a Master of Music in Organ Performance and a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Mercer University. She also attended Salem College, receiving both a Certificate in Injury Preventive Keyboard Technique and a Master of Music in Piano Performance and Pedagogy with an Emphasis in Injury Preventive Keyboard Technique. At Salem, Kelsey was awarded the Bright and Annie Lee Fitzgerald Sink Award for Excellence in Piano. She has studied organ with Dr. Jack Mitchener and Dr. John Cummins, and has studied piano with Dr. Ian Altman and Dr. Barbara Lister-Sink. Kelsey is a member of the Association of Anglican Musicians, the Society of Women Organists, and is Registrar of the Cleveland Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.