Georgian Duo
Organist Scott Montgomery and pianist Frode Gundersen officially formed the Orgiano Duo after a concert tour of the Baltic states in 2018, with performances in Estonia, Latvia, and Sweden. Prior to that, Scott and Frode worked together at the Central United Methodist Church in Fayetteville, Arkansas. During a nine-month construction period for a new pipe organ, they placed two grand pianos in the church hall and played duets for two pianos. This ultimately led to an exploration of the organ-piano repertoire. In 2019, the Orgiano Duo embarked on a new European concert tour, this time to Belgium, and since then they have given concerts in countless churches and venues in the United States. During the pandemic, the Orgiano Duo reached a larger audience after producing a number of short concert videos, which were widely viewed and shared on social media. In addition to the organ-piano combination, Scott and Frode also play repertoire for piano four hands and organ four hands.
Scott Montgomery
Scott Montgomery is praised as a sensitive organist and performer who "fully understands the compositional styles of composers and knows how to utilize the many timbres of the instrument in a delicate yet impressive manner" (American Organist Magazine). He is Director of Music Services and organist of the Central United Methodist Church in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Scott gained national prominence in 2006 by winning both the Lilian Murtagh Memorial Award (first prize) and the audience award at the prestigious National Young Artists Competition in Organ Playing (NYACOP) of the American Guild of Organists. He was the first person in the history of the competition to win both prizes.
Concert organist
As a concert organist, Scott is active throughout the country. He is the guest artist at the dedication of new instruments in churches and concert halls and performs at the national and regional conventions of the American Guild of Organists, the National Pastoral Musician Conferences, the conventions of the Organ Historical Society (OHS), and the Pipe Organ Encounters (POE) in the Midwest. Scott received his formal education at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, where he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in organ performance.
Frode Gundersen
Frode Gundersen is Director of Music and Arts at Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church in Little Rock, Arkansas. Frode, born in Copenhagen, Denmark, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Piano Performance from North Dakota State University in Fargo; two Masters of Music degrees in Choral Conducting and Church Music from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas; and a Doctor of Sacred Music degree from the Graduate Theological Foundation, Mishawaka, Indiana.
Conductor and pianist
Dr. Gundersen worked professionally in Texas for fifteen years, conducting the East Texas Symphony Chorus, the Texas Vocal Arts Ensemble, and the Tyler Civic Chorus, and served as chairman of the Music and Worship Committee of the United Methodist Texas Conference. His choirs gave concerts all over the world, including performances at the International Church Music Festivals in Bern, Switzerland, and Coventry, England, and during High Mass at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, Italy. As a pianist, Dr. Gundersen gave solo recitals and collaborated with professional artists for decades. One of his current collaborations is with the renowned baritone Keith Harris of the Metropolitan Opera. Together, they have given concerts in various cities.
