Organ Festival 2024

Join us for the Organ Festival’s opening concert which promises to be a night of spectacular music.

Named titular organist at Notre-Dame in Paris at the age of 23, Olivier Latry is first and foremost an accomplished, thoughtful and adventurous musician, exploring all possible fields of the organ music, with an exceptional talent as an improviser.

Image credit: William Beaucardet

Claudia is Sub-Organist at Winchester Cathedral, where she has been on the music staff since 2017, and now has particular responsibility for the Girls’ Choir. She began learning the organ at St Peter’s Collegiate Church in Wolverhampton, and was Organ Scholar there during her final years at school. She then studied at the University of Cambridge, receiving a first-class degree in Music. Whilst at university she was Organ Scholar at Peterhouse, which was at the time a college where the organ scholars took full responsibility for the running of the Chapel Choir. Her final two years there saw the choir embark on tours to Reykjavík and Dublin. She then spent a year as Organ Scholar at Salisbury Cathedral, accompanying the choirs on their tour to California, which included Stanford University’s Memorial Church and Grace Cathedral, San Francisco. Alongside her post at Winchester Cathedral, Claudia also teaches organ at Winchester College.

Born in 1962, Andrew Lumsden was educated at Winchester College and The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama before going up to St John’s College, Cambridge as Organ Scholar. After three years as Assistant Organist at Southwark Cathedral, he was appointed Sub-Organist at Westminster Abbey, where he played the organ for many important national occasions. In 1992 Andrew Lumsden was appointed Organist and Master of the Choristers at Lichfield Cathedral. In September 2002 he took up his current appointment as Organist and Director of Music at Winchester Cathedral. As conductor of the Waynflete Singers, Andrew works regularly with major orchestras including Florilegium, the Philharmonia Orchestra, the London Mozart Players and the English Chamber Orchestra. In November 2023 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music by the University of Winchester, and the Boy Choristers received a Grammy nomination for their work on a Star Wars Video Game.

Conducting, organ performance and teaching have formed the backbone of Sarah Baldock’s career since leaving Cambridge, where she was Organ Scholar at Pembroke College, and immediately after graduating, Organist-in-Residence at Tonbridge School. She was appointed founder Director of the Girls’ Choir at Winchester Cathedral at the age of 23, and later Assistant Director of Music, accompanying the Winchester Cathedral boys and men in daily services, recordings, broadcasts and international tours. Sarah proceeded to be Organist and Master of the Choristers at Chichester Cathedral. She is a former Trustee and regular course tutor for the Royal College of Organists and performs internationally as an organ soloist, recently broadcasting with the BBC Singers and Concert Orchestra. She is the new director of the Winchester Music Club.

Acknowledged as one of Britain’s “most brilliant and exciting musicians” (Leeds Inspired), Joshua has broadcast live on BBC Radio 3, performed on national television, and guest conducted the City of London Sinfonia and The Sixteen. Prior to his role at Winchester Cathedral, Joshua was founding Director of Music at Steel City Choristers, Assistant and Acting Director of Music at Sheffield Cathedral, and Second Assistant Organist at Wells Cathedral. He completed his undergraduate studies at the Royal Northern College of Music, graduating with a First-Class degree with Honours, studying the organ with Darius Battiwalla and Thomas Trotter.

Before joining Winchester, Ben was Organ Scholar at Westminster Abbey for two years where he accompanied and conducted the world famous choir. Previously, he was Organ Scholar of Worcester College, Oxford whilst reading for a degree in music. He is also the Co-Artistic Director of the chamber choir SANSARA, with whom he has performed in many concerts across the UK, most recently conducting a performance of Bach’s St John Passion with James Gilchrist as the Evangelist.