Dr. Nicole Marane

From Australia, Dr. Nicole Marane is the Associate Director of Music and Associate Organist at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church in Atlanta, Georgia.  She is also the Director for CONO, the Committee on the New Organist, which oversees the American Guild of Organists “Pipe Organ Encounters”, the AGO’s most successful outreach program.  In 2010 Nicole graduated with her Doctorate of Musical Arts (Performance and Literature – Organ) from the Eastman School of Music (Rochester, NY), where she was a student of renowned organist, Professor David Higgs.  She served as the Eastman Organ Department’s General Administrative Assistant and David Higgs Teaching Assistant for three years and was a recipient of a Graduate Teaching Assistant Prize for excellence in teaching.  Nicole completed her Master of Music Degree at Eastman in 2003 and held graduate assistantships in both the Harpsichord and Sacred Music programs. In 2004, Nicole earned first prize in two major competitions: the Miami International Organ Competition and the John Rodland Memorial Scholarship Competition for church musicians. In 2008 Nicole competed as a semi-finalist in the National Young Artists Competition of Organ Performance.  An accomplished performer, Nicole has performed and presented solo organ recitals throughout the world including at prestigious venues such as St. Paul’s Cathedral (London), St. Giles’ Cathedral (Edinburgh), Grace Cathedral (San Francisco), St. James Cathedral (Toronto), St Thomas Church Fifth Avenue (New York City), Sydney Town Hall and Melbourne Town Hall (Australia).