Royalty Free Organ Music
Danielle Just
Frequent performance opportunities are complemented by study trips abroad to play important historic instruments. Many of our organists hold cathedral or church positions that complement their studies with real-world experience.
Joseph Beech has held the position of Sub-Organist at Durham Cathedral since September 2019. As Sub-Organist, he is the principal accompanist to the cathedral choir and plays the organ for daily services, in addition to the choir's schedule of broadcasts, concerts, recordings and tours. He also assists the Master of the Choristers in his work conducting the choir, and in the recruiting and training of the choristers.
Following graduation, Beech spent two years as Assistant Master of the Music at St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral in Edinburgh, where he accompanied the cathedral choir in its round of daily services, on a Delphian recording of the choral works of Kenneth Leighton, which was awarded 5 stars by BBC Music Magazine, and on a number of international tours. He also conducted the choir live on BBC Radio 3.
Aside from his work at the Cathedral, Joseph maintains an active performance schedule, with recent and forthcoming concerts across the UK and in Germany, and also enjoys dedicating time to organ teaching.
Steven Grahl is a sought-after conductor and keyboard player. He is Director of Music and Tutor in Music at Christ Church, Oxford, an Associate Professor of Music at the University of Oxford and Conductor of Schola Cantorum of Oxford.
Holder is an organ tutor at the Royal Academy of Music, where he undertook his undergraduate and postgraduate studies, and won numerous major prizes and awards. He was Pidem Organ Fellow for the academic year 2014-15. He has given masterclasses across Europe and the USA, and in 2016 was elected Associate of the Royal Academy of Music.
Matthew Martin is Precentor and Director of College Music at Gonville and Caius College Cambridge. He read music at Magdalen College, University of Oxford before studying with David Titterington at the Royal Academy of Music and with Marie-Claire Alain in Paris. From 2015 to 2020, he was Director of Music at Keble College Oxford and Artistic Director of the Keble Early Music Festival.
More recently, he has written for the Cheltenham Music Festival (Trumpet Sonata) and The Tallis Scholars (The Lamentations of Jeremiah), while A Rose Magnificat for Paul McCreesh and Gabrieli won the Choral category in the 2019 BBC Music Magazine Awards. Earlier in 2019, he was asked to write a festival anthem, In the midst of thy Temple, for the choir of Westminster Abbey, marking the 750th anniversary of its refounding, and a test piece for organ (St Albans Triptych) for the 2019 St Albans International Organ Competition.
Daniel Cook is Master of the Choristers and Organist of Durham Cathedral and is recognised internationally as a liturgical and concert organist of the highest order. In addition, he is Artistic Director of Mousai Singers and maintains a busy schedule of recitals, concerts and recordings, as well as being in demand as a conductor and teacher.
Prior to this, Cook was Sub-Organist of Westminster Abbey, where he accompanied the Abbey Choir for major services, concerts, tours in Europe and the USA, as well as appearing in their famous series of recordings. Before this, Daniel was Organist and Master of the Choristers of St Davids Cathedral and Artistic Director of the St Davids Cathedral Festival. From 2005 to 2011, Cook was Assistant Director of Music of Salisbury Cathedral, where he was Principal Organist. He has worked widely as a choral conductor and has been Music Director of the Dyfed Choir, The Farrant Singers, St Davids Cathedral Festival Chorus, Durham University Choral Society and the Grange Choral Society and Orchestra.
Cook studied at the Royal Academy of Music with Nicolas Kynaston, James O'Donnell and Patrick Russill. He has twice been a finalist in the St Albans International Organ Competition. As a recitalist, he has played across the UK, Europe and Australia with performances in most of the cathedrals in Britain, plus the Royal Albert Hall and Royal Festival Hall.
In demand as an ensemble performer, recent engagements have included concerts with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Onyx Brass and London Mozart Players. His work as an accompanist has taken him all over the world and he regularly works with many of the distinguished vocal ensembles both as a conductor and organist.
He has made several solo organ recordings for Priory Records and is one of their most recorded organists. Other projects have included a performance of the complete organ works of Oliver Messiaen and CD recordings of the complete organ music of Walter Alcock, Herbert Brewer, George Dyson, Renatus Harris, Charles Villiers Stanford and Herbert Sumsion. A solo DVD, The Grand Organ of Westminster Abbey, was released in 2018.
This web series, comprising three episodes, gives voice to the people who breathe life into the Great Organ of the Royal Chapel.
It explains the musical context in which the organ was designed, its complex mechanisms and the process of its recent restoration.
In this second episode on the organ of the Royal Chapel, organ maker Bertrand Cattiaux explains the complex mechanisms of this wind instrument.
From an early age Bertrand Cattiaux was fascinated by the flow of music filling the church during mass. Faced with this magnificent instrument, his curiosity led him to discover a little-known profession guaranteed to provide unique expertise and consisting in maintaining and harmonising this large wind instrument.