James Pressler is a native of Michigan, but migrated to Southern California in 1952. He studied with Nicki Kietzman at the First Methodist Church of Hawthorne during his high school years, and with Alden Gilchrist at the University of California at Berkeley.
He majored in Music Theory at the University of Southern California from 1961-65, where he studied piano with Mme. Alice Ehlers, organ with Dr. Irene Robertson, theory and composition with Robert Linn, orchestration with Ellis Kohs and served for a time as Organist for the U.S.C. Concert Choir under Dr James Vail.
During his performing career of 40 years, James Pressler was organist and choirmaster for several Southern California churches and Jewish temples. As a result of his belief in the organ as a prime instrument responsible for leading the music in the worship service, he has been a major donor for the pipe organs in two Episcopal churches, and for a brief time owned his own house organ.
For 10 years he was co-editor of the combined So. Calif American Guild of Organists/Choral Conductors Guild Yearbook. He has long had an interest in MIDI as an adjunct to church music and has been honing his skills to keep up with modern technology.
His website, virtuallybaroque.com, features the complete organ works of Bach on many sorts of instruments. His current project is to prepare this exciting body of literature for the Rodgers® organ, creating practice and performance files for use by students at all levels of proficiency.