Graham Lieschke AM to be awarded Doctor of Divinity (honoris causa)

The University of Divinity awards highest academic honour to eminent church musician, Professor Graham Lieschke AM.

In May 2026, the Council of the University of Divinity resolved to award the degree of Doctor of Divinity (honoris causa) to Professor Graham Lieschke AM. The Chancellor of the University will confer the award on Professor Lieschke at the University’s graduation ceremony in Melbourne on Friday 9 April 2027.

The Doctor of Divinity is the oldest award of the University, created in 1910 and first awarded in 1913. It is the highest academic honour that the University bestows. The award is made in recognition of Professor Lieschke’s sustained and distinguished contribution to church life and witness in the area of church music, primarily through the development and leadership of the cantata program at St Johns Southgate. This contribution has been made in a largely voluntary capacity, alongside his distinguished career as a medical researcher and clinician.

In accepting the award, Professor Lieschke said:

“This is totally unexpected and a tremendous honour… I am particularly touched by the citation which recognises many things that have been important to me personally in the endeavour at St Johns Southgate, but also acknowledges the contribution of the many others over many years that have made the music program at St Johns something special. It is hard to know what else to say, but the customary dedication of J.S. Bach comes to mind – S.D.G. (Soli Deo Gloria – glory to God alone).”

Revd James Winderlich, University of Divinity Council Member and Pastor of St Johns Lutheran Church Southgate, said:

“Professor Graham Lieschke has made an immense contribution to Australia’s theological and liturgical life.  This is most particularly as he has organised high quality cantata performances at St Johns Southgate and in regional Australian locations. Uniquely, he offers these performances within their proper liturgical settings so that they might be experienced by all for God’s glory alone.  The St Johns Southgate community celebrates this much deserved award with Professor Lieschke and thanks God for his precious musical gifts and the generous ‘volunteer spirit’ in which they are shared.”

The citation for the award reads:

Professor Graham Lieschke AM has made and continues to make an outstanding and groundbreaking contribution to Australia’s liturgical, theological, musical and cultural life. Alongside his primary career as an internationally recognised researcher and clinician in the field of haematology, Professor Lieschke, an accomplished organist and conductor, has voluntarily served as Director of Music at St Johns Lutheran Church, Southgate, for nearly three decades, during which time he has been the driving force behind the church’s renowned cantata program. This program, which predominantly showcases the works of J.S. Bach, is in many ways an act of sustained liturgical and theological scholarship, in which performance is integrated within the rhythms of the liturgical year, reflecting not merely Professor Lieschke’s musical skill but his genuine liturgical and hermeneutical understanding. Professor Lieschke’s astute and committed leadership has seen the program take on a lasting significance in Melbourne’s broader ecumenical and cultural life, attracting large and invested congregations, eminent visiting scholars, and professional musicians of international standing who participate not primarily for remuneration but out of genuine respect for the integrity of the program.

Professor Lieschke has also contributed towards the promotion of church music through his former role as Chairperson of The Australian Hymn Book Pty Ltd and more recently as the inaugural patron of the Australian Hymn Association, and as both a practitioner of the first order and as a scholar of considerable depth, he has regularly participated in collaborative projects at the intersection of liturgy, theology and the music of J.S. Bach. This award is a fitting recognition of a life in which musical practice, theological reflection and liturgical service have been held together with uncommon dedication and distinction.