Organ Recital
The 2024 Cathedral Organ Recital Series welcomes first-rate organists to play Truro’s acclaimed Father Willis Organ. This week we welcome James Orford. This recital will be live-streamed on this page at 13:10 and our YouTube channel
Programme
Prelude and Fugue in B minor (BWV 544) Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Organ Sonata No 2 in G minor (Op. 151) "Eroica" Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924)
1. "Rheims" - Allegro moderato
2. Tempo di Marcia Solenne: Adagio molto
3. "Verdun" - Allegro moderato
Bio
James Orford is a prize-winning organist and pianist based in London. He has recently taken up the post of Organist at St Paul's Cathedral, London, before which he was the Organist and Assistant Director of Music at St Paul’s Church, Knightsbridge. He has previously held posts at Eton College and Westminster Cathedral and completed organ scholarships at St Paul’s, Truro Cathedral, the Royal Hospital Chelsea, and King’s College, London. He was a student at the Royal Academy of Music, studying with David Titterington and Bine Bryndorf, where he achieved top marks in both his undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.
James enjoys a busy performing schedule and has given recitals and concerts in notable UK venues including St Paul’s, Westminster, and Liverpool Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, the Royal Festival Hall, and the Royal Albert Hall. He has also performed abroad, including in Italy, Belgium, Sweden, Spain, and Denmark.
As an accompanist, James has worked with many professional and amateur choirs, including The Sixteen, the Monteverdi Choir, Tenebrae, the London Choral Sinfonia and Sansara; and has accompanied choral performances in North America, Europe and Africa. He has performed on many radio broadcasts and appears on several choral recordings, among which are premiere recordings of works by Langlais, Vaughan Williams, Berkeley, Coleridge-Taylor, Francis Grier, and Sir Stephen Hough.
James is also an accomplished pianist and continuo player. In 2023, he recorded an English Song disc with baritone Alex Bower-Brown, which features the solo baritone version of the Five Mystical Songs, the Songs of Travel, and Shorter Cycles by Amy Beach and Jonathan Dove. As a continuo player, he has played alongside the City of London Sinfonia, the London Mozart Players, The Sixteen, and La Nuova Musica.
Live-stream
The series runs from March to October and each recital lasts around 45 minutes. There is no charge to attend or listen to these concerts. We rely on your support to help with the cost of maintaining the cathedral’s famous Father Willis Organ. Keeping the cathedral’s musical instruments in first-rate condition enables us to put on such recitals.
To give regularly by Direct Debit, please use the Parish Giving Scheme Single donations can be made through Just Giving
Popular donations are £5/person