Meet the ISM's newest organ students

Meet the six talented new students who are pursuing the Master of Music degree in organ performance at the ISM and Yale School of Music. From left to right: Katrina Liao, Oziah Wales, Nicholas Stigall, Joseph O’Brien, Clayton Farmer, Melissa Brassard.. Read more about each student below.

Katrina Liao is a native of Orange, California. She received her B.A. in church music from Concordia University, Irvine, where she studied organ with Dr. Tom Mueller and Dr. Emma Whitten. At Concordia, Katrina participated in chapel services, choir, handbells, chamber ensemble, orchestra, and collaborative piano. During her undergraduate years, Katrina worked at Trinity United Presbyterian Church Santa Ana as substitute organist, sanctuary band director, and worship associate. Katrina is a ten-year recipient of the American Guild of Organists, Orange County Chapter’s study grant.

Oziah Wales graduated from Oberlin College and Conservatory in 2023 with a B.A. in English and a B.M. in organ performance, where he studied under Dr. Jonathan Moyer and received awards in both of his majors, including the Andrew Bongiorno Award for Excellence in English and the C.B. Fisk Prize in Organ Performance. He further worked under Dr. Moyer as a music intern at Cleveland’s Church of the Covenant. 

Nicholas Stigall is originally from Knoxville, Tennessee where he graduated from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music in 2023. He then spent a year working as organ scholar at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Portland, Oregon before coming to Yale. Nicholas has also held organ scholar positions at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York and at Trinity Episcopal Church in Bloomington, Indiana. He has concertized throughout the country, recently performing at the University of Tampa and St. Mark Lutheran Church in Anchorage, Alaska. Nicholas serves on the National Council of the American Guild of Organists as councilor for young organists. He is a dedicated practitioner of the Alexander Technique, and also enjoys taking group fitness classes.

Joseph O’Brien is a native of Philadelphia where he has served as the organist at the Basilica of the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg, Maryland, and the director of music at Holy Family Church in the Manayunk section of Philadelphia. He began his piano studies with Kathleen Schneider and organ studies with Michael Sheerin and was the recipient of the Peter LaManna Excellence in Music Scholarship. He earned a Bachelor of Music in organ performance at West Chester University, studying with Anita Greenlee. Joseph is pursuing his Master of Music in organ performance at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, studying with James O’Donnell.

Clayton Farmer serves as the assistant organist at Christ Church New Haven, while working on his studies at the ISM. He completed his undergraduate studies in organ performance and sacred music at the University of Michigan, studying under Kola Owolabi, James Kibbie, and Todd Wilson. He then served as the assistant director of music and organist from 2022-2024 at Christ Church, Cranbrook in Bloomfield Hills, MI, where he accompanied the choir and congregation in weekly worship, assisted with all administrative functions of the music department, and served as the covering music director when needed. Clayton is passionate about music in the church as a means of building ministry and community and is especially interested in musical programming for children and youth. In his free time, he enjoys reading, playing card games, and following baseball and football.

Melissa Brassard began her studies at the age of five and is now an accomplished soloist, accompanist, and chamber musician from the Los Angeles area. She graduated from Oberlin College and Conservatory with a Bachelor of Music degree, studying piano and organ performance. Melissa was the recipient of the Music Teachers’ Association of California’s Memorial Music Scholarship, a finalist in the 2021 Rudolf Serkin Piano Competition, and a recipient of the Colburn Merit Scholarship. Currently, Melissa serves as the Wilson Family sacred music intern at Brick Presbyterian Church in New York City.

The application deadline for next year’s class is December 1. Learn more and apply.