John Stiller
John Stiller (born 1945) is an Australian organist and church musician who documented historic organs across Australia and New Zealand and has long been director of music at St Petri Lutheran Church, Nuriootpa.
John Stiller was born in 1945 in Blyth, a small town in the mid-north of South Australia, the son of a Lutheran pastor. He began with the piano as a child and was quickly ‘taken’ by the organ after an instrument was installed at his father’s church at Loxton.
After the family moved to Murray Bridge he studied the organ under the late James Govenlock, then director of music at St Francis Xavier Cathedral in Adelaide. On completing a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Adelaide he taught briefly as a secondary school teacher at Moonta High School.
He returned to study and completed an Honours degree in Music, majoring in organ performance. In 1975 he travelled to Hanover in Germany, spending two years studying organ and church music with Ulrich Bremsteller.
Upon his return to Australia he was employed by the newly formed Organ Historical Trust of Australia as Research Officer. From 1978 to 1985 he travelled throughout Australia and New Zealand documenting over 300 historic organs. In 1986 he was appointed director of music at St Petri Lutheran Church, Nuriootpa. He has given many recitals and performed for the Barossa Music Festival in 1990 and 1994.
John Stiller is featured on the following titles
Historic Organs of the Barossa Valley, Vol. 2
Christopher Dearnley and John Stiller play seven historic Lutheran church organs of South Australia’s Barossa Valley in the second volume of this survey.
Composer
Historic Organs of the Barossa Valley, Vol. 1
Christopher Dearnley and John Stiller give striking performances on six historic church organs of South Australia’s Barossa Valley. A 16-page booklet traces the instruments, their builders and the music.
Composer