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.