In Memoriam: Michael Britt
Image Credit: George Bareford
By Louis Gephardt-Gorsuch
“Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee..”
Michael Britt, minister of music, renowned concert and theatre organist, teacher, mentor, and friend passed away on September 14, 2022, after a severe illness. Michael served as Dean of the Baltimore Chapter from 1991-1994 and 2013-2016.
Michael received his bachelor’s degree in Organ Performance from the Peabody Conservatory of Music in 1984. He was the recipient of numerous awards from Peabody, including the Richard Ross award and the Richard L. Phelps award for organ. He was also a finalist in the Arthur Poister Competition in Syracuse, NY. During his career as a church musician, Michael commissioned and premiered numerous works for choir, organ, and congregation. In May 2009, Michael was invited to perform on the great Cavaille-Coll organ at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, France. Michael was demanded around the country as a theatre organist and silent film accompanist and was the house organist at the Weinberg Center for the Arts in Frederick, MD. Michael was also the Organist at Beth El Congregation and on the music faculty at the Community College of Baltimore County.
As a teacher, Michael always expected excellence of his students, and worked tirelessly to help them reach their potential. I remember fondly the many lessons I received while I was his organ student. He taught me about phrasing, breath, line, meter, musicality, and technique, and did so with kindness, humor, and more patience than I ever thought someone could have. He encouraged my love of classical, choral, and sacred music. As a mentor and friend, I will fondly remember choir parties at his home in Hamilton, where he would entertain his guests and neighbors, playing the two-manual theatre organ he rescued from the State Theatre in Philadelphia. I will remember going to Philadelphia for the day to hear the Wannamaker Organ and seeing the Christmas Light Show at Macy’s Center City for the first time. I will remember the many concerts and performances where I was fortunate to be his page-turner and “roadie.” I will remember his dry sense of humor, his jokes, his laugh, and dinners with friends at The Mt. Vernon Stable. I will remember the many concerts, recitals, and movies. But the thing I will remember most of all was his kindness. I remember him telling me that when it was all said and done, he would rather be remembered for who he was as a person than what he accomplished as a musician. No one who ever met Michael could ever argue that.
A Memorial Service will be held on Sunday, November 6 at 3:00 PM at Brown Memorial Park Avenue Presbyterian Church, 1316 Park Avenue, Baltimore, MD. A Memorial Mass will be said on Sunday, November 13 at 3:00 PM at Shrine of the Little Flower on Belair Road.