Dr. Neil Harmon
Neil Harmon joined the BYU Organ Faculty in August 2018. Prior to his appointment at BYU he worked as full-time Director of Music and Organist at Grace United Methodist Church in Wilmington, Delaware for 19 years. Dr. Harmon earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Brigham Young University and a Master of Music and Doctorate of Musical Arts from The Eastman School of Music. He enjoys a career as teacher, performer, accompanist, composer, arranger, and conductor. He is known throughout the country for his creative organ arrangements and for his choral and handbell compositions.
Nora Hess
Nora Hess, CAGO, MM, MS, is an adjunct faculty member in organ at Brigham Young University. Her research specialty is developing curriculum for elementary-aged children to learn the organ as their first instrument. Nora also enjoys composing, performing, accompanying, and conducting church music. She has conducted numerous church choirs, and served for 10 years as a member of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. Nora holds a Master of Music degree from Brigham Young University in Organ Performance, where she studied with Don Cook and Brian Mathias. She also holds a Master of Science degree in Education from the University of Utah. Nora and her husband, Bret, are the parents of 10 children and 13 grandchildren.
Samantha Adair
Samantha Adair, a native of Dallas, TX, has been working on her degrees in Organ Performance at BYU and finishes her master’s degree in December 2021, after having completed a successful graduate recital at St. Ambrose Catholic Church in SLC. She loves to share and teach skills about playing the organ and hopes to continue doing so after school, along with working in positions similar to her current job as organist and music director at St. Mary’s Church in Provo. Her other interests include dance, yoga, hiking and camping, and sharing musical and spiritual traditions with all faiths.