The Carnival of the Animals
Hear the animal kingdom brought to life inside York Minster as young listeners are guided through Camille Saint-Saëns’ The Carnival of the Animals performed on the cathedral’s Grand Organ. The perfect introduction to classical music.
The familiar and accessible composition will be accompanied by a narrator sharing fun facts about the wild animals that roam through Saint-Saëns’ creation and York Minster’s history, and will include the chance to get up-close to the organ to see how the instrument is played.
The short, family-sized exploration of the organ, given by Benjamin Morris, will take place on Wednesday 28 May at 7pm.
Tickets
Summer Organ Recitals
York Minster’s popular organ recitals return this summer with six acclaimed musicians taking centre stage in one of the world’s most magnificent cathedrals.
The series will be opened by Wayne Marshall OBE, a world-renowned conductor and master of improvisation who will include some of his own compositions alongside classics and live improvisations in his dazzling style. He will be followed by Jan Liebermann, one of the most promising young artists in the organ world who is well-known for his ability to play complex pieces entirely from memory; Daniel Cook, a performer with a unique understanding of early-twentieth-century organs like York Minster’s having recorded the complete works of many classic British organ composers; and Carolyn Craig, an award-winning American organist who champions female composers as the co-founder of the platform Amplify Female Composers.
York Minster’s own acclaimed musicians – Robert Sharpe, Director of Music, and Benjamin Morris, Assistant Director of Music, who are both experienced soloists performing in the UK and abroad – complete the line-up for six nights of spectacular organ music. The recitals will take place on Thursday evenings from 17 July to 21 August, beginning at 7pm.
Tickets:
Tickets for the recitals are available now priced at £15, with a combined season ticket price of £75 for all six recitals. A concessionary price of £7.50 for those aged 27 and under is also available, with a combined season ticket price of £38.
Tickets can be booked HERE or by calling our Box Office on 01904 557200.
Each ticket includes a free, souvenir programme filled with stunning full-colour photographs of York Minster’s Grand Organ and programme notes written by the talented David Gammie. Programmes will be available to collect inside the building on the night of each performance.
Please note, no cash payments can be made inside York Minster.
Organist details:
Wayne Marshall – Thursday 17 July
British conductor, organist and pianist Wayne Marshall is world-renowned for his musicianship and versatility on the podium and at the keyboard. He served as Chief Conductor of WDR Funkhaus Orchestra Cologne 2014-2020 and is a celebrated interpreter of Gershwin, Bernstein and other 20th century composers. Recent conducting highlights include his critically-acclaimed debut with the Berliner Philharmoniker featuring Martin Grubinger, a widely-praised new production Porgy and Bess at Theater an der Wien, Tonkunstler Orchestra, Czech, Rotterdam, Oslo and Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestras, SWR for a special Frank Zappa project, touring Bernstein’s Wonderful Town with Het Gelders Orkest and ReisZuid-Nederland, Shanghai Philharmonic, a concert version of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess with the Prague Radio Philharmonic and UK touring with Chineke! and BBC Singers.
Wayne Marshall was honoured with an OBE (Order of the British Empire) from Her Majesty The Queen’s New Year’s Honours list in 2021. In 2004 he received an Honorary Doctorate from Bournemouth University and became a Fellow of the Royal College of Music in 2010. In 2016 Wayne was awarded the prestigious Golden Jubilee Award, presented by the Barbados Government for his services to music. Wayne is proud to be an Ambassador of the London Music Fund.
Jan Liebermann – Thursday 24 July
Jan Liebermann (*2005) began piano lessons at the age of seven and started studying the organ in 2018 with Bernhard Zosel in Kronberg. In December 2019, he was accepted into the Young Academy of the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts as a pre-college student in the organ class of Prof. Carsten Wiebusch.
Since the winter semester of 2022/2023, he has been pursuing organ studies under Prof. Gerhard Gnann in the pre-college program at the Mainz University of Music. Additionally, he receives piano instruction in the master class of the International Piano Institute Bad Homburg under Prof. Dr. Lev Natochenny.
Jan has garnered numerous accolades, including First Prize at the 2024 Northern Ireland International Organ Competition, First Prize at the 2021 „Jugend musiziert“ Competition (national level, solo organ category, highest score), Second Prize at the 2023 International Organ Competition Wuppertal, and awards at the 2020 International Young Organist Competition Moscow, the 2020 International Organ Competition Deidesheim, and the 2023 Concours International d’Orgue de Dudelange. He is also a special prize recipient of the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben and was awarded a scholarship from the Jürgen Ponto Foundation Berlin in 2021.
Jan Liebermann has performed on the organs of major churches in Germany, including Freiberg Cathedral, Essen Philharmonic, Essen Cathedral, Soest Cathedral, Freiburg Minster, as well as Stiftskirche Stuttgart, St. Michaelis Hamburg, St. Lamberti Münster, and St. Jakobi Lübeck. His international concert engagements have also taken him to England, where he has performed in renowned churches such as Truro Cathedral, Selby Abbey, Christchurch Priory, Keble College Oxford, and Southwark Cathedral in London.
Additionally, Jan Liebermann has been a guest at numerous prestigious organ concert series, including the International Organ Concerts Erfurt, International Hill Organ Days Berlin, Stralsund Organ Concerts, and the Frankfurt Organ Days. Furthermore, Jan Liebermann has been featured in the concert series „Hörprobe“ on the radio station Deutschlandfunk Kultur and has appeared on radio (including BR-Klassik, SWR and hr2 Kultur) and television (including Landesschau Rheinland-Pfalz) due to his musical achievements.
In the spring of 2024, Jan Liebermann attracted significant attention in the organ world when he performed all six trio sonatas by Johann Sebastian Bach from memory in several public concerts. In recognition of his artistic achievements and dedication, he was awarded the 2024 Cultural Award by the Rotary Club Mainz. Just a year later, he turned his focus to performing Marcel Dupré’s complete Trois Préludes et Fugues, which he also presented from memory in multiple public concerts.
Robert Sharpe – Thursday 31 July
Robert Sharpe succeeded Dr Philip Moore as Director of Music at York Minster in 2008, being only the fifth holder of that position since 1897. He previously held positions at Truro Cathedral, Lichfield Cathedral, Exeter College, Oxford, and St Albans Abbey.
His work at York Minster centres around the daily choral tradition, with its two treble lines (one each of boys and girls) and the famous Minster organ. In addition he performs frequently as an organ soloist, both at home and abroad. He has developed the profile of the Minster Choir through recordings, broadcasts and the daily Evensong service. The daily service has gained a reputation both at home and, since livestreaming began as a response to the covid pandemic, abroad, for the chanting of the psalms and for the breadth of repertoire performed. Robert seeks not only to include the greatest works of the past, but also regularly to commission new works, as well as to champion the work of women composers.
On Easter Day 2021, the famous Minster organ was rededicated by the Archbishop of York after a significant (and groundbreaking) reconstruction by the Durham firm of Harrison & Harrison. This sought to recapture the character of the instrument, as left by Sir Edward Bairstow and Arthur Harrison in 1931. The results have already attracted considerable interest in the world of organ building and are widely acclaimed.
Robert has a keen interest in liturgy and music and the interplay between them, and also in interiors and antique clocks and furniture. He holds fellowships of the Royal Society of Arts and the Royal College of Organists. In 2008, before moving to York, he was made an Honorary Fellow of the Guild of Church Musicians and awarded the 2008 Cornwhylen Cross by the Cornish Gorsedd “for an outstanding contribution to religious music in Cornwall”.
Robert served as President of the Cathedral Organists’ Association from 2019 to 2021 and President of the Incorporated Association of Organists from 2022 until 2024.
Daniel Cook – Thursday 7 August
Daniel Cook has been Master of the Choristers and Organist of Durham Cathedral since September 2017. In addition, he maintains a busy schedule of recitals, concerts and recordings, as well as being in demand as a conductor, teacher and organ advisor.
Previously Daniel spent four years as Sub-Organist of Westminster Abbey where he was the principal organist to the Abbey Choir and Assistant Director of Music to James O’Donnell. Prior to this, Daniel was Organist and Master of the Choristers of St Davids Cathedral and Artistic Director of the St Davids Cathedral Festival. Before moving to St Davids, Daniel spent six years as Assistant Director of Music of Salisbury Cathedral where he was the 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, Grange Choral Society and Orchestra, and Durham University Choral Society.
Daniel received his early musical education at Durham Cathedral with Keith Wright. Following a year as Organ Scholar at Worcester Cathedral, he moved to London to take up a place at the Royal Academy of Music where he studied with Nicolas Kynaston, James O’Donnell and Patrick Russill. While at the Academy, he worked as Organ Scholar of Southwark Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. He was subsequently Assistant Organist of Westminster Abbey from 2003 until 2005.
Daniel has twice been a finalist in the St Albans International Organ Competition. As a recitalist, he has played across the UK, Europe, the USA, and Australia. He has made several solo organ recordings for Priory Records and is one of their most recorded organists. Recordings include the complete organ music of Alcock, Bairstow, Brewer, Dyson, Harris, Stanford, and Sumsion. A solo DVD from Westminster Abbey was released in 2018.
Benjamin Morris – Thursday 14 August
Benjamin Morris is Assistant Director of Music at York Minster. In this role, he plays for services and accompanies the choir in the Minster’s daily cycle of music, in concerts, tours, recordings and broadcasts, and assists in the daily training of the choristers. Prior to this, he was Organ Scholar and then Assistant Organist at Jesus College, Cambridge, graduating with First-class honours in Music. Before starting university, Ben spent a year as Organ Scholar at Gloucester Cathedral. An experienced conductor and choir trainer, Ben regularly conducts York Minster Choir and is Musical Director of the York-based Chapter House Choir. Ben has spent time as Acting Director of Music both at York Minster and Jesus College, Cambridge.
A prizewinning Fellow of the Royal College of Organists, Ben is active as organ soloist, accompanist and continuo player. He has given recitals in major venues across the UK and abroad, and appears as accompanist on numerous acclaimed CDs from York Minster and Jesus College. He has performed as organ soloist under Sir Roger Norrington, Howard Shelley, Paul McCreesh, and Sir Stephen Cleobury, and has played organ and harpsichord continuo alongside His Majestys Sagbutts and Cornetts, Royal Northern Sinfonia and Britten Sinfonia. He studied organ with Gordon Stewart, Colin Walsh, David Briggs and Richard Pinel, and harpsichord with Terence Charlston.
Carolyn Craig – Thursday 21 August
American organist Carolyn Craig, FRCO, is Assistant Director of Music at Wells Cathedral, a Teacher of Organ at Wells Cathedral School, and a Junior Fellow of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. As Assistant Director of Music, Carolyn is the primary organist for Wells Cathedral’s daily services, assists in chorister training, and conducts the auditioned volunteer Wells Cathedral Chamber Choir.
Originally from Knoxville, Tennessee, Carolyn earned her undergraduate degree at Indiana University (Bachelor of Music in Organ Performance with minors in Conducting and German) and her graduate degrees at Yale’s Institute of Sacred Music (Master of Music in Organ; Master of Musical Arts in Organ). She has studied organ with John Brock, Christopher Young, Ulrich Walther, Jon Laukvik, and Martin Jean. In the UK, she has held organ scholarships at Truro Cathedral (2018-2019), Westminster Cathedral (2022-2023), and Westminster Abbey (2023-2024).
Recent prizes include the highest performance and overall prizes in the 2022/2023 FRCO examinations, the 2nd Prize and the Prize for the Interpretation of Tariverdiev’s Works in the 2021 Mikael Tariverdiev International Organ Competition, and Yale’s Mary Baker Prize in Organ Accompaniment for her work with the Yale Schola Cantorum under David Hill.
In the past year, recital engagements have taken Carolyn to the US, Sweden, France, Germany, and throughout the UK. Carolyn has been featured on a number of radio programmes, including the American nationally broadcast programme Pipedreams, and has appeared at national conventions of the American Guild of Organists as a performer and speaker. She contributes to the inclusive church music planning resource at greathostcomposers.org, whose work is published in The Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians.
Tickets can be booked HERE or by calling our Box Office on 01904 557200.
Handel’s Messiah
Experience George Frideric Handel’s glorious Messiah performed by the world-renowned Choir of York Minster in the cathedral’s awe-inspiring Nave, alongside an accomplished orchestra and celebrated soloists.
From the sorrowful tones of ‘He Was Despised’ to the jubilant culmination of God’s triumph in the ‘Hallelujah’ chorus, Handel’s Messiah narrates Christ’s Passion, Crucifixion and Resurrection through spectacular choral and orchestral music.
Considered by many to be the most beautiful musical representation of the great Easter story that allows us to walk with Christ to the cross, Handel’s Messiah offers contrasting episodes of deep contemplation and exultation, and has quickly become a tradition in the concert calendar of the city of York.
Tickets:
Reserved seating in the Nave can be booked HERE. Tickets cost £32 for the Front Nave and £20 for the Rear Nave.
Unreserved seating in the Nave Side Aisles can be booked HERE. Tickets cost £15 with a concessionary price of £7.50 available for students and those aged 27 and under.
Tickets can also be booked by calling York Minster’s Bookings Team on 01904 557200.
Soloists:
Amy Carson – Soprano
Born in Bristol, Amy was the youngest of the first girl choristers at Salisbury Cathedral. Since graduating from Trinity College Cambridge, Amy went on to study at the Royal Academy. She has appeared as a soloist in venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, Versailles and the Concertgebow (Monteverdi Choir) Champs Elysees and Wigmore Hall (Early Opera Company), the Barbican (Bach’s Matthew Passion), St John’s Smith Square (La Nuova Musica and Gabrieli Consort) She features on recordings with Solomon’s Knot (Sony) London Mozart Players (Convivium) and on Nick Cave’s album Carnage.
Highlights of Amy’s career include Pamina (in a film of W.A. Mozart’s The Magic Flute directed by Kenneth Branagh), Title Role in The Cumnor Affair (Tete a Tete Opera), Musetta in La Boheme (conducted by Nick Collon), The Spirit in Dido and Aeneas alongside Magdalena Kožená (Northern Sinfonia and Nicholas Kraemer) and Newspaper Seller and Strolling Girl in Death in Venice (The Queen Elizabeth Hall conducted by Richard Hickox).
Amy enjoys performing throughout the UK and Europe, and has recently established a vocal ensemble The Echoing Air in her hometown Bruton, Somerset. With The Echoing Air, Amy has performed the title roles and co-directed Handel’s Acis and Galatea and Purcell’s Fairy Queen. She recently appeared as Second Woman in Somerset Opera’s production of Dido and Aeneas in Taunton Museum and as Soloist in Matthew Coleridge’s Requiem in Gloucester Cathedral.
Upcoming performances include soprano soloist in Bach John Passion in Denmark with Ensemble Passio, appearing as a soloist with The Bach Choir in the Royal Festival Hall conducted by David Hill, and singing with The Sixteen conducted by Harry Christophers in the Tanglewood Festival, Massachusetts.
Kathryn Rudge – Mezzo-Soprano
Kathryn was born in Liverpool and studied at the RNCM. Featured as The Times Rising Star of Classical Music in 2012 she was an ENO Young Artist, a YCAT artist and a BBC New Generation artist. She has won numerous prizes and awards including MBF Sybil Tutton Award, Susan Chilcott Scholarship and is a Samling Scholar.
Recent and future concert engagements include performances with the RLPO, Dresden Philharmonic, Philharmonia, Manchester Camerata, Hamburg Symphony, BBC Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, Rheinische Philharmonie, Britten Sinfonia under Sir Mark Elder, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, City of London Choir, and Huddersfield Choral Society. She has sung in the world premiere of Nyman’s Hillsborough Symphony with the RLPO and has made recordings and given concerts with Opera Rara. She made her début as well at the BBC Proms in 2016 and returned in 2019. Sought after as a recitalist her recent and future recitals include engagements at the Wigmore Hall, the Brighton, City of London, Ryedale, Chiltern Arts, Leeds Lieder, Aldeburgh, Oxford Lieder and Cheltenham Festivals.
Operatic engagements include Cherubino with Glyndebourne Touring Opera, Annio /La Clemenza di Tito, Hermia A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Zerlina / Don Giovanni for Opera North, Dorabella (Cosi fan tutte) for Garsington, Rosina (Barber of Seville) for ENO and Nancy / Albert Herring for the Buxton Festival.
Her debut recital album Love’s Old Sweet Song was released in 2014. Other recent releases include a disc of Elgar orchestral songs with the BBC Concert Orchestra as well as a disc featuring songs by Coates, both on the Somm label, Elgar’s Sea Pictures and the Music Makers with the RLPO under Vasily Petrenko for Onyx. Future releases include a disc of Vaughan Williams for Albion Records.
Thomas Elwin – Tenor
Tenor Thomas Elwin studied at the Royal Academy of Music. An alumnus of the Solti Accademia Bel Canto and the Verbier Academy, he was a member of the opera studio at the Staatstheater Stuttgart and an Associate Artist of the Classical Opera Company.
Operatic engagements include Ferrando (Cosi Fan Tutte), Nathanael (Contes D’Hoffman), Kuska (Khovanshchina) and Borsa (Rigoletto) in Stuttgart, Jacquino (Fidelio) and Belmonte (Die Entufuhrung aus dem Serail) at the Vorarlberg Landestheater, Ferrando for Teatro Barocco and ETO, Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni) for ENO, Telemaco (Il Ritorno di Ulisse in Patria) for The Grange Festival, Rodolfo (La bohème), Gennaro (Lucretia Borgia) and staged performances of the St John Passion for ETO, Sam Kaplan (Street Scene) for Oper Köln and Oronte (Alcina) for the 2022 Glyndebourne Festival. In 2023-24 he sang and recorded his first Alfredo / La traviata for Opera Glass Works. The film was released on Sky Arts at the beginning of 2025.
Concert performances include Bach Passions (arias and as Evangelist) in the UK, Germany and Spain, Messiah throughout the UK and Europe, Britten Serenade in London and Leverkusen, Creation and Dvorak Mass in D at Winchester Cathedral, Verdi Requiem with the Royal Free Singers and performances of Messa di Gloria (Puccini), Jephtha (Handel), Nocturne (Britten), Elijah (Mendelssohn) and Mozart Requiem with the Munich Philharmonic under Barbara Hannigan. He recently performed Alfredo in The Mountebanks by Cellier in an acclaimed recording with the BBC Concert Orchestra.
As a recitalist Thomas has appeared at the Oxford Lieder Festival, Song in the City, Royal Academy Song circle and in the Masters series at the Gresham Centre. Recital plans include a recording of Bellini and Donizetti songs and a second recording featuring songs by Hahn, Duparc and Liszt.
Darren Jeffery – Baritone
Darren Jeffery has made over two hundred appearances at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden and has become well known for his performances at English National Opera which include Leporello/Don Giovanni, Donner/The Rheingold, Speaker/The Magic Flute, Mr. Flint/Billy Budd, Stǎrek/Jenufa and Hobson/Peter Grimes
He has appeared at the Salzburg and Aix-en-Provence festivals and with most of the UK’s festival opera companies.
He was a finalist in the Seattle International Wagner Competition in 2008 and has since sung the title role in Der Fliegende Holländer, Wotan, Fasolt and Donner/Der Ring des Nibelungen and Kothner/Die Meistersinger von Nűrnberg for companies such as Glyndebourne, Chicago Lyric Opera, Melbourne Opera and Nederlandse Reisopera. He recently gave a series of recitals in Victoria, Australia entitled ‘The Wanderer’ as part of a new Wagner festival.
Other roles outside the UK include Raimondo/Lucia di Lammermoor (New Israeli Opera), Mr. Flint/Billy Budd (Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow), Der Herrscher/Das Wunder der Heliane in the Netherlands, Trulove/The Rake’s Progress (La Monnaie) and a number of roles at Teatro Real, Madrid.
Concert appearances include Christus in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with Sir Mark Elder and the Hallé Orchestra, the BBC Proms (Elijah, Le Rossignol, Les Troyens, Serenade to Music, Peter Grimes, Billy Budd, Haydn’s Seven Last Words from the Cross) and the major choral works of Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Elgar, Handel, Haydn, Mendelssohn, Mozart and Verdi, among others.
He has appeared on several occasions with the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome and collaborated with many of the world’s leading conductors and orchestras. He has also contributed to recordings, two of which, with the London Symphony Orchestra, won Grammy awards.
Recent roles and future plans include Peter/Hansel & Gretel at the Royal Opera, Don Alfonso/Cosi fan Tutte in Malmö, Cardinal Beaton/Mary, Queen of Scots at ENO and the title role in Verdi’s Falstaff.
Colour & Light
Colour & Light will once again transform York Minster’s iconic South Transept this February. This year’s free event will celebrate the beauty of York’s wildlife, creating an unforgettable event for all ages, and highlighting the city’s heritage and creativity.
The display will combine famous and lesser-known stories about York’s wildlife, from the peregrine falcons that call the Minster home and the foxes that roam the city after dark, to the horses that the Roman’s rode into Eboracum on, and the legendary dragons carved into York’s history.
The projection will run each evening from Wednesday 12 February to Sunday 2 March between 6pm and 9pm, with projections on a 10-minute loop.
Kohima Memorial Service
80th Anniversary Commemoration Service at York Minster: The Battle of Kohima – the turning point in the Far East Campaign during the Second World War
The Kohima Educational Trust, with 2 Signal Regiment and York Minster will hold a Service of Remembrance on Thursday 4th July at 11am in Dean’s Park at York Minster. The Service will commemorate all those who fought and died for their country during this crucial battle.
The service will be attended by descendants of veterans and friends of those who fought, together with The Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire; the Lord Mayor of York, and The Sheriff of York.
In April 1944 the town of Kohima was besieged by a Japanese division spearheading what they hoped would be the invasion of India. The defenders, 1500 men of the Royal West Kents, the Assam Regiment and the Assam Rifles, held out for two weeks until relieved by their comrades of the 2nd British Division. The ensuing battle, fought at close quarters for two months, was the first defeat of the Japanese by the British army, and a turning point in the war in Asia.
The town of Kohima was completely destroyed, but this did not prevent the local inhabitants from supporting the British and Indian troops as guides, porters and combatants. Without the help of the Naga people, it is doubtful if the battle could have been won.
Sylvia May, CEO of the Kohima Educational Trust comments:
“Our annual service, this year commemorating the 80th anniversary of the battle, is a marvellous occasion when families and friends gather in front of the 2nd Division memorial, a replica of the one that stands in Kohima, to remember those ‘who did not come home’. We are honoured to be hosted by the Dean who will conduct the service and we are delighted to welcome this year the Venerable Dr (Air Vice-Marshal) Giles Legood, Chaplain-in-Chief and Archdeacon for the RAF, who will give the Address.”
The Dean of York comments:
“In this major anniversary year, we are privileged to host this important memorial that recalls one of the signficant events of the war in the far east in World War II. The Kohima Educational Trust’s work with the Naga continues to be profoundly important and it is an honour for the Minster to be associated with this.”
York Minster celebrates Pride
On the eve of York Pride, at 7.30pm on Friday 31st May, Christians at Pride in York will be hosting a pre-Pride event at York Minster.
Come and enjoy the fabulous building after hours. Minster Guides will be on hand to answer any questions and there will be hot chocolate and brownies available for you.
At 8.30pm there will be an entirely optional service of Compline in the Quire for about 30 minutes which you would be most welcome to join.
7.30pm:
All are welcome to enjoy the building as we give thanks for those we love.
Experience the cathedral after hours with a welcome from York Minster clergy, the chance to add your hopes and wishes to a prayer tree, and to enjoy refreshments.
8.30pm:
Join a beautiful service of candlelit Compline with talented local musicians to end the evening in the knowledge we are loved by God.
All are welcome, no booking is required.
A Service of Commemoration
To mark the 40th anniversary of the 1984 fire, York Minster will be hosting a special service of Choral Evensong, remembering the devastation caused and giving thanks for the dedicated and talented individuals who helped to rebuild and restore the magnificent cathedral we see today.
The service will include special prayers and readings, as well as a sermon by the Archbishop of York.
The Choir of York Minster, led by Robert Sharpe, Director of Music, will perform a selection of reflective music including Bernard Rose’s responses; Psalms 47, 48, 49 for the 9th evening; Herbert Sumsion’s Magnificat and Nunc dimittis in A; and I Was Glad by Hubert Parry. Ben Morris, Assistant Director of Music, will play Cecilia McDowall’s Sacred and Hallowed Fire on the cathedral’s Grand Organ.
All are welcome, no booking required.
PHOENIX: lightshow
Tickets are available to book HERE or by calling 01904 557200.
Experience York Minster in a new light this autumn when the cathedral is illuminated with PHOENIX, a brand-new sound and light projection commemorating the 40th anniversary of the 1984 fire.
On Monday 9 July 1984, a devastating fire destroyed the roof of York Minster’s South Transept and sent shockwaves through York, which reverberated across the world. The story of this fire is not just one of damage caused to one of the world’s most magnificent cathedrals, but also a story of bravery, resilience, and determination to rebuild.
Telling the story of that night and its aftermath, PHOENIX will commemorate the bravery, power and ingenuity of those that responded to the fire, celebrating the resilience of York Minster and the people of York through their own words, in the very place where it happened.
Visitors will see lightning strike the cathedral, lead pour down from the roof and the iconic Rose Window crack, before the clean-up operation begins and expert restoration leaves York Minster standing as a symbol of hope in the city once more.
PHOENIX is a major new projection mapping and sound installation by award-winning artists Ross Ashton and Karen Monid which will transform the nave of York Minster. The installation is bespoke, having been specially created to bring the cathedral’s unique architecture and history to life. Ashton and Monid also created ‘Northern Lights’ in 2019 and ‘Platinum and Light’ in 2022, two spectacular installations which attracted tens of thousands of people to the cathedral.
The events will help raise funds for the continuing restoration of the cathedral’s fabric. York Minster is one of the world’s most magnificent cathedrals, but with the current building dating from the 13th century, it is a fragile masterpiece which needs constant care. As well as its history, York is famed for its media arts, benefitting from UNESCO Creative City of Media Arts designation since 2014. The Minster, which has stood at the heart of the city since 627AD, is a beacon of human creativity where artisans and craftspeople have told stories through the media arts for generations. Phoenix utilises the latest in projection mapping technologies to use our building as a storytelling backdrop in ways our medieval founders could only have dreamt about.
Commemorative badges:
Visitors can pre-order a ‘Restoration Rose’ pin badge when booking tickets and collect their order when they arrive at the event.
The specially created commemorative badges feature one of the winning Blue Peter boss designs, inspired by the cathedral’s iconic Rose Window surviving the flames.
Event times and prices
The events will open on Saturday 19 October and run each evening until Saturday 2 November.
Monday to Saturday, the projection will start at 7pm, with booking slots available every 20 minutes until 9pm. Doors will close at 9.30pm. On Sundays, the projection will start at 6pm, with booking slots available every 20 minutes until 8pm. Doors will close at 8.30pm.
The projection will be shown on a continuous loop throughout the evening. Visitors can stay for as long or as little as they like after their timed entrance slot, and are invited to move location in the Nave and experience the installation from a different perspective.
Tickets cost £7.50 each, or £25 for a family ticket for up to two adults and two children (aged 16 and under). Tickets are available now via this page, or by calling 01904 557200.
Please note that the projection includes flashing lights and loud music in places. The projection will also feature images of the cathedral on fire which some visitors may find distressing, viewer discretion is advised.
Peter and the Wolf
Join brave young Peter as he overcomes his fear of a big bad wolf in Sergei Prokofiev’s classic Peter and the Wolf played on York Minster’s recently-refurbished Grand Organ.
Hear captivating instrumental characterisations of Peter’s animal friends as a live feed of the cathedral’s marvellous organ being played by Ben Morris, Assistant Director of Music at York Minster, is shown on screens to the audience. Using special stops on the organ, Ben will guide young listeners through the sounds of this magnificent instrument. The performance will be narrated by Stuart Perry, the Silly History Boys’ silliest boy.
Prokofiev’s familiar and accessible composition is the perfect introduction to classical music. During the performance, children are encouraged to move and sit on cushions and rugs at the front of the Nave to get the best possible view of the organ.
The performance will take place on Tuesday 13 February and will last approximately one hour. Children are encouraged to bring a toy with them and are welcome to come dressed in their pyjamas ready for bed, but remember to wrap up warm! A buggy park will be available.
Tickets for the family concert are now on sale HERE or by calling our Bookings Team on 01904 557200. Tickets cost £8 for an adult and £6 for a child. A family ticket of £22 for two adults and two children is also available. Children over the age of two need their own seat.
The performance is recommended for ages 5 to 95!
Organist and narrator details:
Dr Benjamin Morris, organist
Benjamin Morris is Assistant Director of Music at York Minster. In this role, he plays for services and accompanies the choir in the Minster’s daily cycle of music, in concerts, tours, recordings and broadcasts, and assists in the training of the boy and girl choristers.
Prior to this, he was Organ Scholar and then Assistant Organist at Jesus College, Cambridge, graduating with First-class honours in Music. Before starting university, Ben spent a year as Organ Scholar at Gloucester Cathedral.
With recent venues including Sage Gateshead, Selby Abbey, Leeds Town Hall and Westminster Cathedral, Ben is active as a soloist for recitals and other performances. He has performed as organ soloist under Sir Roger Norrington, Howard Shelley, Paul McCreesh, and Sir Stephen Cleobury, and has played organ and harpsichord continuo alongside His Majestys Sagbutts and Cornetts, The Saraband Consort and Britten Sinfonia. He is a prizewinning Fellow of the Royal College of Organists.
Stuart Perry, narrator
Stuart Perry trained at Bretton Hall earning his BA (Hons) in Theatre Acting. He is an accomplished singer and actor with a specialism in theatrical combat.
Stuart can now be seen travelling around the country with the Silly History Boys, a comedy history troupe that Stuart co-created. His storytelling and character work can be found on their ‘Silly History Boys Show’ podcast. Available for free on all good podcast platforms.
Vigil for peace in Israel and Gaza
Join us for a night of reflection and contemplation as religious, political and civic leaders from across York come together for a vigil to call for peace and an end to the conflict in Israel and Gaza.
The vigil will begin with a welcome and address from the Very Reverend Dominic Barrington, Dean of York, before reflections are shared by political, civic and religious leaders from across the city.
There will be a period of silence before members of the public are invited to write their thoughts and prayers onto provided pieces of white paper which will be placed on the cathedral’s altar platform to form a large white peace dove.
Candles will be lit at the end of the vigil as we continue to hold in our hearts the suffering of all those affected by the conflict.
The vigil will take place in the cathedral’s nave starting at 6.30pm and will last approximately an hour.
All are welcome, no booking is required.
Christmas Tree Festival
Experience York Minster’s popular Christmas Tree Festival, set inside the medieval Minster, with 70 trees on display in the cathedral’s stunning Nave, Chapter House and Lady Chapel.
Explore the trees, which will be decorated to individual themes by local businesses, schools and charities, and add your own Christmas message to a tag on the festival’s prayer trees.
The festival will open on Saturday 30 November at 10am with a light switch-on at ‘Minster Mash-Up’, York Minster’s special service for children and families.
The festival will run during general admission times until Sunday 5 January. Entry is free with general admission.
York Minster’s Christmas Tree Festival has been shortlisted for the Little Viking’s Awards 2025!
The Festival has been nominated York’s ‘Best Christmas Experience’. Click HERE to cast your vote.
Please note, the trees may feature flashing lights.
Christmas Day Services
May the joy of the angels, the eagerness of the shepherds, the perseverance of the magi, the obedience of Mary and Joseph, and the peace of the Christ Child be yours this Christmas.
Travel in heart and mind to Bethlehem as York Minster celebrates the arrival of Jesus Christ, light of the world.
8am: Holy Communion from the Book of Common Prayer
10am: Choral Matins sung by the Choir of York Minster
11am: Sung Eucharist sung by the Choir of York Minster. The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York, will preach at this service.
4pm: Choral Evensong sung by the Choir of York Minster.
No booking is required for these services.
The service at 11am will be livestreamed via our YouTube channel and this page so you can join our worship from the comfort of your own home.
The order of service is available HERE.
The cathedral will be open free of charge from 12.45pm – 3pm.