Dr. Jason M. Gunnell is the Associate Director of Music and Organist at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Terrace Park, Ohio, where he assists in leading a large and dynamic parish music program. He is also a member of the Bach Ensemble at St. Thomas, performing major organ works and cantatas of J. S. Bach. A native of Idaho, Jason received his Bachelor of Musical Arts at Brigham Young University-Idaho, studying with Daniel Kerr, James Drake, and Darwin Wolford. He received his Master of Music in Organ Performance and Church Music from the University of Kansas, studying with James Higdon. He received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Organ Performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, studying with Roberta Gary and Michael Unger. Dr. Gunnell was the winner of the 2011 Strader Organ Competition held in Cincinnati, Ohio and was a finalist for the post of Tabernacle Organist of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 2017.
Dr. Gunnell has extensive experience as a church musician, choir conductor, and organist, serving in churches in Idaho, Kansas, Missouri, and Ohio. In addition to his post at St. Thomas, he actively serves in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in many music capacities and has served in the Church of Jesus Christ in numerous music capacities for over 38 years. Active as a recitalist, Dr. Gunnell has performed in many venues throughout the United States and Hungary. Notably, he actively recitals in the famed Mormon Tabernacle and the LDS Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah as a Guest Organist at Temple Square, playing on the world famous V/206 Aeolian Skinner Organ in the Mormon Tabernacle and the V/130 Schoenstein Organ in the Conference Center. As a teacher and clinician, he teaches private organ and piano lessons, courses in music theory and history at the collegiate level, and at the Annual BYU Organ Workshop and BYU Traveling Organ Workshop. He volunteers his time as a member of the Cincinnati Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, serving as an officer on the leadership board.
Dr. Gunnell resides in Cincinnati, Ohio with his family. He is happily married to his wife, Kate. They are the proud parents of seven boys, Grant, Mitch, Brigham, William, Clark, Russell, and Hyrum, and a daughter, Ava.