International
Chamber Artists

Patrick Godon made his debut as soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) in May 2007, playing one of the solo piano parts, along with Mary Sauer, in Colin McPhee’s Tabuh-Tabuhan: Toccata for Orchestra and Two Pianos, with Alan Gilbert conducting. Since 2016 Patrick has performed the Principal Keyboardist duties regularly with the CSO on piano, celesta, organ, and synthesizer. He made his debut with the CSO as second keyboardist at Ravinia in 2003. He was invited to play principal keyboard on the CSO's 2018 East Coast Tour, January 2017 European Tour; second keyboard on the CSO's 2005 European Tour and for nine CSO Carnegie Hall performances. In 2015 he began performing regularly as organist with the CSO. He has played under leading conductors including Alsop, Barenboim, Boulez, Colnot, Conlon, Davis, Dutoit, Eschenbach, Haitink, Maazel, Muti, Nagano, Robertson, Salonen, Slatkin, and Tilson Thomas. He has served as rehearsal pianist for Daniel Barenboim and Deborah Voigt for Schoenberg’s Erwartung. Godon also performs as orchestral keyboardist with the Delaware, Milwaukee, and Peoria Symphony Orchestras. He is in demand as a collaborative pianist and has performed many live broadcasts on Chicago's classical station WFMT.

In April 2018, he was the piano soloist in Beethoven's Choral Fantasy with the Symphony of Oak Park and River Forest (SOPRF) at Orchestra Hall. He will return to Orchestra Hall with the SOPRF in April 2025 to perform the Choral Fantasy. In October 2017, he performed Grieg’s Piano Concerto with the Lake Shore Symphony Orchestra, with whom he has also performed Schumann’s Piano Concerto, Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, and Rhapsody in Blue. In October 2010, Patrick was the soloist in Dohnanyi’s Variations on a Nursery Rhyme with the West Suburban Symphony Orchestra. In 2005, Godon was the harpsichord soloist in Alfred Schnittke's Concerto Grosso No. 2 with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, along with Gidon Kremer, violin, and Kristina Blaumane, cello. In 2004, he was the harpsichord soloist in Alfred Schnittke's Concerto Grosso No. 4, "Symphony No. 5" along with Alicia Koelz, violin, and Somerlie Aston, oboe. Godon has also appeared as soloist in Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 with the SOPRF, and in both 2002 and 2008 with the DePaul University Wind Ensemble in Hindemith's Konzertmusik, with Donald Deroche conducting. 

A nine-year member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Patrick served as principal pianist from 2002-2007. He has performed in Civic's chamber music masterclasses for Mitsuko Uchida and Thomas Kakuska of the Alban Berg Quartet. The Civic Orchestra, celebrating their 100th season in 2020, has invited Patrick back to perform the organ part as a distinguished alumnus for their February 3 performance of Saint-Saëns' Organ Symphony.

In July of 2011, Patrick became the Music Director of The Tower Chorale, based out of Western Springs. The Tower Chorale is a 90 voice choir and has been in existence since 1986. They perform three concerts throughout the year: a Christmas concert, a masterworks concert, and a pops concert.  Discover more at www.towerchorale.org. 

Patrick Godon is the Artistic Director and pianist for the International Chamber Artists (ICA), a chamber music ensemble that he founded in 2006. ICA showcases a diverse group of professional musicians and performs a wide variety of repertoire. Through educational components during performances, ICA seeks to sustain the future of classical music audiences. ICA performs a series of 5 concerts at the Church of the Holy Spirit in Lake Forest, and also has been featured on WFMT, at the Chicago Cultural Center, the Morse Theater, St. James Cathedral, St. Gregory the Great Church, the Belden Stratford Hotel, the Schaumburg Prairie Center for the Arts, and the Harris Theater for Music and Dance. ICA went on its first international tour to Germany in September 2009 to critical acclaim. Discover more about this exciting ensemble at www.ICAmusic.org. 

In 2010, Patrick toured Japan twice as duo pianist with Reiko Yamada. They performed concerts in Tokyo and Nikko of music by Akira Ifukube, composer of the original Godzilla film score. One review said, “Mr. Patrick Godon possessed an embracing quality and he enveloped her in his warm-colored sound. I'm sure that everybody in the audience must have been attracted to his humanistic qualities. This concert is one that cannot be measured by normal standards; it took us to another dimension.” They returned to Japan in August 2014 to present concerts in honor of Ifukube's 100 year birth anniversary. Patrick has also performed duo piano works with CSO former principal piano Mary Sauer on stage at Orchestra Hall.

In August 2018, Patrick was named the Organist/Choirmaster at the Church of the Holy Spirit in Lake Forest, IL. He oversees the music program and leads the St. Gregory’s Youth Choir, Holy Spirit Choir, and the Evensong Choir. In August of 2024, he led the Holy Spirit Choir on a wondrous week-long residency to Canterbury Cathedral, England.

From July 2003 to August 2018 Patrick was the Director of Music at St. Gregory the Great Church in the Andersonville/Edgewater neighborhood, where he composed and arranged a variety of music for liturgies. He led the Parish Choir on international performance tours to Panama, France, Spain, Italy, Ireland, Greece & Turkey; and within the United States to Louisiana. Accepting an invitation from the Chapel Master of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City to participate in the 500th anniversary of the Cappella Giulia, he returned to Italy with the choir in March of 2013. Patrick records demo CDs as pianist and organist for World Library Publications and for the Gregorian Institute of America, which are sent to church musicians nationwide.

A native of Fargo, North Dakota, Patrick Godon studied organ with Peter Nygaard and Michael Olson. He began his studies with former Chicago Symphony principal piano Mary Sauer in 1997. He studied with Andrzej Dutkiewitz at the Interlochen Arts Camp in 1995, and with Jacob Lateiner in New York City at the Mannes Beethoven Institute in 2001. In 2000, he studied opera coaching with Linda Hirt and Benton Hess in Urbania, Italy through the Oberlin Conservatory. He holds both Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees in Piano Performance from DePaul University. He and his wife Keri are the proud parents of Gilbert, Oliver, and Atticus.

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    "Playing chamber music with this group of musicians is one of the happiest highlights of my musical life. I love bringing people together. This is a great way to experience musicians of the highest caliber bringing a wide variety of repertoire to life at each concert. Join us to experience this wonderful collaboration and you will be adding quality to your life. We love creating beautiful music for you!"

Patrick Godon, Artistic Director & piano