Sep 272026
Conductor
Christopher Pluntke — Organist & Music Director
Bio Note
Organist and conductor
Christopher Pluntke serves as Music Director and Organist at All Saints' Episcopal Church in Palo Alto, California. His musical foundation began in 1996 under the instruction of Thorsten Göbel, the current Regional Church Music Director in Braunschweig, Germany.
He went on to pursue parallel interests in Würzburg, graduating in music theory from the Hochschule für Musik in 2007 while concurrently studying computer science at the Universität Würzburg. After completing his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at University College London, he relocated to California, where he balances a software engineering career with his active musical pursuits.
Alongside his church leadership he is an accomplished conductor, primarily working with the chamber choir Ensemble Continuo, which he founded in 2023.
In the room
-
It is rare to hear a performance of such artistry from a community choir.
San Francisco Classical Voice -
An unforgettable evening, and such a great combination of vocal music and organ music.
Aleksandr Deianov -
Die Martinskirche war verwandelt.
St Martin was transformed.
Stefan Vogel -
Thank you for a wonderful concert last night.
Audience member
Performances
Performances
Upcoming Performances
Fall 2026
Nov 142026
Conductor
Fall in Paris
Ensemble Continuo
Past Performances
2026
Aug 12026
Organ Recital
St. Martin, Bamberg
Johann Sebastian Bach · Johann Pachelbel
Arvo Pärt · Philip Glass
Jun 272026
Conductor
Frank Martin: Mass for Double Choir
Frank Martin — Mass for double choir
Jun 102026
Organ Recital
Holy Name Cathedral, Chicago
Johann Sebastian Bach · Johann Pachelbel
Arvo Pärt · Philip Glass
May 312026
Organ & Choral
Organ Recital with Evensong
Solo organ recital, followed by choral evensong
Apr 52026
Conductor
Spring Baroque Concert
Händel — Dixit Dominus
Bach — Christ lag in Todesbanden, BWV 4
Feb 282026
Conductor
Carillon and Choir
Händel — selections from Dixit Dominus
Works for carillon and choir
Dec 122025
Conductor
Festive Concert for Choir, Organ, and Bells
Bach · Palestrina · Gjeilo
Nov 72025
Conductor
Ensemble Continuo @ First Friday
Atmospheric motets
Sep 272025
Conductor
Fall Concert
An evening of choral music
Jun 142025
Conductor
Poulenc and Bernstein in Chicago
Francis Poulenc · Leonard Bernstein
May 312025
Conductor
Chichester Psalms & Poulenc Gloria
Bernstein — Chichester Psalms
Poulenc — Gloria
May 102025
Conductor
Poulenc Gloria
Poulenc — Gloria, with selected motets
Mar 152025
Conductor
Chichester Psalms
Bernstein — Chichester Psalms
with Ešenvalds · Shaw · Boulanger
Media
Featured Performances
Organ Recital
Chicago Organ Concert
Solo organ recital on the Flentrop organ at Holy Name Cathedral, Chicago · 2026
Conductor & Ensemble Continuo
Händel: Dixit Dominus
Ensemble Continuo & Ensemble Continuo Baroque Orchestra · All Saints' Episcopal Church, Palo Alto · April 2026
Conductor & Ensemble Continuo
Poulenc: Gloria
Ensemble Continuo · Chicago · June 2025
Conductor & Ensemble Continuo
Duruflé: Requiem, Op. 9
Ensemble Continuo · Cathedral of Christ the Light, Oakland · May 24, 2024
More recordings and concert footage available on YouTube.
YouTube Channel →Contact
Get in touch
Organ recitals, service playing, choral direction, accompaniment, and organ lessons.
By email
The quickest way to reach me is directly by email at cpluntke@asaints.org. I read everything and reply to genuine enquiries.
For recital enquiries it helps to know the instrument — builder, year, number of manuals, and the stoplist if you have it to hand.
For lessons, a line about where you are with the instrument is enough to start: keyboard experience, whether you have played pedals, and what you would like to work on.
Biography, photographs, and programme notes are available on request.