Mr. Philip Faraone, KGCHS
Organist of the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul
Philip Faraone is a native Rhode Islander who began piano studies at age 5 and organ studies at age 11 when he became his parish organist. His first appearance as a pianist was at Ochre Court, Salve Regina University, with the Young People’s Symphony of Rhode Island in 1971 at the age of 14. While still a student in high school, Mr. Faraone performed works on the piano and organ in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kiev, Munich and Salzburg. Mr. Faraone's university studies began at Dominican University, River Forest, Illinois, and continued at Rhode Island College, where he obtained his Masters Degree. Mr. Faraone also studied at the Hartt School of Music, University of Hartford while pursuing an Artist Diploma in Voice and a DMA in Choral Conducting.
In 1985, Mr. Faraone performed a concert tour of England with performances in Manchester, Bolton, and London. Mr. Faraone began his tenure at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in 1990 as the accompanist of the Gregorian Concert Choir under the direction of the Reverend Monsignor Anthony Mancini. Mr. Faraone was named Cathedral Organist in 1997 -- the same year in which he performed for the first time in Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.
Mr. Faraone returned with the Gregorian Concert Choir to Rome in 2000, when he performed at all four of the major basilicas as well as a recital given at the famous Santa Maria, Piazza del Popolo, for which he was awared the Annual Prize by the Akkademia dei Prossimali. Mr. Faraone has also conducted choirs on three tours throughout Italy, for which he was recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Province of Rome, for both his work and dedication to youth through music.
Mr. Faraone has also performed on many other tours throughout Italy with the Gregorian Concert Choir, including the Basilica of Saint Mark, Venice. Mr. Faraone has served as a high school choir director for over thirty years, and has also taught music history, music theory, and humanities. Besides his work at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, Mr. Faraone served as Music Director of The Prout School, Wakefield, Rhode Island, a co-educational Catholic college preparatory high school, and currently teaches theology.
Mr. Faraone has also performed throughout the United States and Canada with notable concerts, including four performances at the Basilica National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington D.C., Holy Name Cathedral, Chicago, the Cathedral of Saint Patrick, New York City, McGill University, Montreal, and many others.
On August 30, 2008 Mr. Faraone was featured on the front page of The Providence Journal in a major article by Mr. G. Wayne Miller, which you can access by clicking on the link to the left.
Mr. Faraone has also served as Dean of the Rhode Island Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. During his tenure as Dean, Mr. Faraone was instrumental in bringing the world renowned Choir of Men and Boys, Saint Thomas Church, New York City for a performance commemorating the 125th Anniversary of the Consecration of the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. In 2014, Mr. Faraone performed a recital for an International Conference sponsored by the American Acoustical Society also in the Cathedral, with over 200 in attendance from many countries.
Mr. Faraone is a member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, with the rank of Knight Grand Cross. He resides with his wife Deborah and his children, Gaetano and Norma Ann.