James Anthony O'Donnell (born 15 August 1961) is a British organist,

choral conductor Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance, such as an orchestral or choral concert. It has been defined as "the art of directing the simultaneous performance of several players or singers by the use of gesture." The primary duties ...

and academic teacher. He was master of music at

Westminster Cathedral Westminster Cathedral is the mother church of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. It is the largest Catholic church in the UK and the seat of the Archbishop of Westminster. The site on which the cathedral stands in the City o ...

in London from 1988 to 2000 and made recordings with the cathedral choir; their recording of Frank Martin's ''Mass for Double Choir'' and Ildebrando Pizzetti's ''Messa di Requiem'' received awards. O'Donnell has played organ concerts and appeared with choirs internationally. He recorded Poulenc's

Organ Concerto An organ concerto is a piece of music, an instrumental concerto for a pipe organ soloist with an orchestra. The form first evolved in the 18th century, when composers including Antonio Vivaldi, George Frideric Handel and Johann Sebastian Bach wrote ...

and Saint-Saëns's Third Symphony, with organ, among others. He has held the position of organist and master of the choristers of

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

since 2000. With the choir of the Westminster Abbey, he recorded ''Music for Remembrance'', written in memory of those who died in the two

World War A world war is an international conflict which involves all or most of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World WarI (1914 ...

s, including Duruflé's

Requiem A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...

. He has been responsible for the music at several national functions at Westminster, including the

funeral of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother On 30 March 2002, at 15:15 GMT, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (née Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon), widow to King George VI and mother to Queen Elizabeth II, died at the age of 101 at Royal Lodge, Windsor. The death of the Queen Mother set in motion ...

in 2002, the

wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton The wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton took place on Friday, 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey in London, England. The groom was second in the line of succession to the British throne. The couple had been in a relationship si ...

in 2011, the 2022 service of thanksgiving for the

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from E ...

, and the

state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II On 8 September 2022, at 15:10 BST, Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, and the longest-reigning British monarch, died of old age at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, at the age of 96. The Queen's death wa ...

in 2022. O'Donnell has been teaching at the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke ...

from 1997, was president of the

Royal College of Organists The Royal College of Organists (RCO) is a charity and membership organisation based in the United Kingdom, with members worldwide. Its role is to promote and advance organ playing and choral music, and it offers music education, training and de ...

from 2001 to 2013, and will be designated professor at

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...

, to begin teaching from 2023.

Early life and education

O'Donnell was born in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

but moved to England where he attended Westcliff High School for Boys. While still there, he won a scholarship for organ and

harpsichord A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a trigger mechanism ...

at the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including perform ...

. He then studied at

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, where he was

organ scholar An organ scholar is a young musician employed as a part-time assistant organist at a cathedral, church or institution where regular choral services are held. The idea of an organ scholarship is to provide the holder with playing, directing and adm ...

of Jesus College. He studied the organ with Peter Hurford, Nicolas Kynaston and David Sanger, graduating with honours in 1982.

Career

Westminster Cathedral

O'Donnell was appointed assistant master of music at

in 1982, succeeding as master of music in 1988. During his tenure, the profile and international reputation of the Cathedral Choir increased. A 1998 recording of masses for choir ''

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

'' by Frank Martin and Ildebrando Pizzetti received both the Record of the Year award from ''

Gramophone A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...

'' and a Royal Philharmonic Society Music Award in 1999, which was unprecedented for a cathedral choir.

Concerts

In 1987, O'Donnell came first in the

' Performer of the Year competition. He appeared as a concert organist around the world, in halls including the

Meyerson Symphony Center The Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center is a concert hall located in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas (USA). Ranked one of the world's greatest orchestra halls, it was designed by architect I.M. Pei and acoustician Russell Johnson's ...

Dallas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

, Texas, the

Walt Disney Concert Hall The Walt Disney Concert Hall at 111 South Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles, California, is the fourth hall of the Los Angeles Music Center and was designed by Frank Gehry. It was opened on October 24, 2003. Bounded by Hope Street, Grand Ave ...

of Los Angeles, and the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco. He played at festivals such as the

BBC Proms The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hal ...

at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

. He played as a soloist with the

London Philharmonic Orchestra The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is one of five permanent symphony orchestras based in London. It was founded by the conductors Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a rival to the existing London Symphony and BBC Symp ...

several times, including a performance of Poulenc's

in the opening of the restored

Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a Grade I li ...

, conducted by

Yannick Nézet-Séguin Yannick Nézet-Séguin, CC (; born Yannick Séguin;David Patrick Stearns, "Nezet-Seguin signs Philadelphia Orchestra contract". ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', 19 June 2010. 6 March 1975) is a Canadian ( Québécois) conductor and pianist. He ...

. He was also a soloist with the

BBC National Orchestra of Wales The BBC National Orchestra of Wales (BBC NOW) ( cy, Cerddorfa Genedlaethol Gymreig y BBC) is a Welsh symphony orchestra and one of the BBC's five professional radio orchestras. The BBC NOW is the only professional symphony orchestra organisatio ...

and the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. He appeared as continuo player in concerts and recordings with period-instrument ensembles, including

The King's Consort The King's Consort is a British period music orchestra founded in 1980 by the English conductor and harpsichordist Robert King (b. 1960, Wombourne). The ensemble has an associated choral group, Choir of The King's Consort. Together, they have m ...

and the

Gabrieli Consort and Players Gabrieli may refer to: People * Andrea Gabrieli (c.1532–1585), composer and organist at San Marco di Venezia * Giovanni Gabrieli (c.1554–1612), composer and organist at San Marco di Venezia * Chris Gabrieli (born 1960), American politi ...

. He conducted ensembles such as the

Academy of Ancient Music The Academy of Ancient Music (AAM) is a British period-instrument orchestra based in Cambridge, England. Founded by harpsichordist Christopher Hogwood in 1973, it was named after an 18th-century organisation of the same name (originally the Ac ...

, the

Academy of St Martin in the Fields The Academy of St Martin in the Fields (ASMF) is an English chamber orchestra, based in London. John Churchill, then Master of Music at the London church of St Martin-in-the-Fields, and Neville Marriner founded the orchestra as "The Academy o ...

, the

BBC Singers The BBC Singers are a British chamber choir, and the professional chamber choir of the BBC. One of the six BBC Performing Groups, the BBC Singers are based at the BBC's Maida Vale Studios in London. The only full-time professional British ...

and

The English Concert The English Concert is a baroque orchestra playing on period instruments based in London. Founded in 1972 and directed from the harpsichord by Trevor Pinnock for 30 years, it is now directed by harpsichordist Harry Bicket. Nadja Zwiener ha ...

. He is the music director of St James' Baroque, a period instrument ensemble in London.

Westminster Abbey

In 2000, O'Donnell was appointed organist and master of the choristers of

, the first

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

to be appointed to the nearly 500-year-old role. He has been responsible for the daily choral services, functions for special occasions, and concerts, broadcasts, recordings and tours. The Abbey Choir has travelled throughout Europe, to the United States, the Far East and Australia. Among the occasions of national prominence in O'Donnell's responsibility, watched worldwide, were the

in 2002, the

in 2011, and the service of thanksgiving for the

on 29 March 2022. On 14 September 2022, he conducted his choral setting of

Psalm 139 Psalm 139 is the 139th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me". In Latin, it is known as "Domine probasti me et cognovisti me". The psalm is a hymn psalm. Attribu ...

(1-18, 23-end), "LORD, thou hast searched me out, and known me", for the reception of the Queen's coffin at

Westminster Hall The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parli ...

, sung by the Choir of Westminster Abbey and the Choir of His Majesty's Chapel Royal. He led the choir and the singing at the

on 19 September 2022 at Westminster Abbey, including a new psalm setting by

Judith Weir Judith Weir (born 11 May 1954) is a British composer serving as Master of the King's Music. Appointed in 2014 by Queen Elizabeth II, Weir is the first woman to hold this office. Biography Weir was born in Cambridge, England, to Scottish paren ...

, " Like as the hart" and the new anthem " Who shall separate us?" by

James MacMillan Sir James Loy MacMillan, (born 16 July 1959) is a Scottish classical composer and conductor. Early life MacMillan was born at Kilwinning, in North Ayrshire, but lived in the East Ayrshire town of Cumnock until 1977. His father is James MacMi ...

Teaching

O'Donnell was professor of

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

at the

from 1997 to 2004, and remains a visiting professor. In July 2010, O'Donnell began his term of office as president-elect of the

. He became president in January 2011, serving as such until June 2013. On 26 April 2022 it was announced that O'Donnell would be taking up a position in 2023 as professor in the practice of music at the

Yale School of Music The Yale School of Music (often abbreviated to YSM) is one of the 12 professional schools at Yale University. It offers three graduate degrees: Master of Music (MM), Master of Musical Arts (MMA), and Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA), as well as a join ...

and

Yale Institute of Sacred Music The Yale Institute of Sacred Music (ISM) is a joint venture between the Yale School of Music and Yale Divinity School focused on the study of music, visual arts, literature, liturgy, and other forms of the arts. M.M., M.M.A., or D.MA. students in ...

Honours and awards

O'Donnell has received several awards and honours. In 1998 his Hyperion recording of Martin and Pizzetti Masses with Westminster Cathedral Choir received the

Gramophone Award The Gramophone Classical Music Awards, launched in 1977, are one of the most significant honours bestowed on recordings in the classical record industry. They are often viewed as equivalent to or surpassing the American Grammy award, and refe ...

for record of the year and best choral record. In 1999 Westminster Cathedral Choir under his direction was given the Royal Philharmonic Society Award, the first time a choir had been so honoured. Upon leaving Westminster Cathedral in December 1999, he was awarded the papal honour of Knight Commander of the

Order of St Gregory the Great The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great ( la, Ordo Sancti Gregorii Magni; it, Ordine di San Gregorio Magno) was established on 1 September 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election as Pope. The order is one of ...

(KCSG) by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

. He has been elected a Fellow of the

Royal School of Church Music The Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) is a Christian music education organisation dedicated to the promotion of music in Christian worship, in particular the repertoire and traditions of Anglican church music, largely through publications, tr ...

(FRSCM), and is an honorary member of the

(HonRAM) and a Fellow of the Royal College of Music (FRCM). He became an honorary fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge, in 2011, and in 2013 he received an honorary doctorate from the

University of Aberdeen , mottoeng = The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom , established = , type = Public research universityAncient university , endowment = £58.4 million (2021) , budget ...

. O'Donnell was appointed

Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, o ...

(LVO) in the

2023 New Year Honours The 2023 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrati ...

Recordings

O'Donnell has made around fifty recordings as organist and choral conductor. Many of them were performed with Westminster Cathedral Chorus. O'Donnell was the organist for a 1993 recording of works by Camille Saint-Saëns, reissued in 2019. It includes his

, Op. 54, his Third Symphony, with organ, Op. 78, and the overture of '' La princesse jaune'', Op. 30. It was performed by the

, combined choirs from Hertfordshire, Harlow and East London, with soloists Tinuke Olafimihan, Catherine Wyn-Rogers, Anthony Roden, and Simon Kirkbride, conducted by

Geoffrey Simon Geoffrey Philip Simon (born 3 July 1946) is an Australian conductor resident in London. Recordings Geoffrey Simon was born on 3 July 1946 in Adelaide. He was a student of Herbert von Karajan, Rudolf Kempe, Hans Swarowsky and Igor Markevitch, ...

. Conducting the Westminster Cathedral Choir, O'Donnell recorded in 1995 works by Maurice Duruflé, his

in the organ version combined with the ''

Quatre Motets sur des thèmes grégoriens ' (Four motets on Gregorian themes), Op. 10, are four sacred motets composed by Maurice Duruflé in 1960, based on Gregorian themes. He set Ubi caritas et amor, Tota pulchra es, Tu es Petrus and Tantum ergo. History Maurice Duruflé composed ...

'', '' Notre Père'' and the ''Messe cum jubilo''. In 1998, he conducted the Westminster Cathedral Choir in two major works of sacred works for

choir, both composed in 1922: Martin's '' Mass for Double Choir'' and Pizzetti's ''Messa di Requiem''. A reviewer from ''Hi-Fi News'' commented that the singers responded to their conductor "in inspirational fashion", and noted "choral singing of great security and immaculate tonal blend, ardent and full-throated in tuttis yet wonderfully serene too". On the same CD of

Hyperion Records Hyperion Records is an independent British classical record label. History Hyperion is an independent British classical label that was established in 1980 with the goal of showcasing recordings of music in all genres and from all time period ...

, he conducted Pizzetti's ''De profundis'' from 1837, and he played Martin's ''Passacaille'' for organ, composed in 1944. Robert Layton from ''

'' wrote that "It is a measure of James O'Donnell's achievement with Westminster Cathedral Choir that the gain in purity and beauty is at no time at the expense of depth and fervour. This is an altogether moving and eloquent performance, often quite thrilling and always satisfying." In a 2014 live recording from the restored Royal Festival Hall, O'Donnell played both Poulenc's

and Saint-Saëns's Third Symphony, with organ, Op. 78, with Nézet-Séguin conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra. A reviewer noted his organ-playing with "sensitivity and spark". O'Donnell combined in a 2014 recording ''Music for Remembrance'', Duruflè's Requiem, in the orchestral version, with choral works written in memory of those fallen in the World Wars, including ''Three Prayers of

Dietrich Bonhoeffer Dietrich Bonhoeffer (; 4 February 1906 – 9 April 1945) was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian and anti-Nazi dissident who was a key founding member of the Confessing Church. His writings on Christianity's role in the secular world have ...

'' set by Philip Moore, and ''The peace that surpasseth understanding'' by

John Tavener Sir John Kenneth Tavener (28 January 1944 – 12 November 2013) was an English composer, known for his extensive output of choral religious works. Among his best known works are '' The Lamb'' (1982), ''The Protecting Veil'' (1988), and '' Song ...

, performed by soloists

Christine Rice Christine Imogen Rice is an English operatic mezzo-soprano. She has performed across Europe at venues including the Royal Opera House, the Bavarian State Opera, the Frankurt Opera, the Teatro Real and the English National Opera. From 2004 to 2 ...

and

Roderick Williams Roderick Gregory Coleman Williams OBE (born 1965) is a British baritone and composer. Biography Williams was born in North London to a Welsh father and a Jamaican mother. He attended Christ Church Cathedral School in Oxford and Haberdashers' A ...

, the Westminster Abbey Choir, the

Britten Sinfonia Britten Sinfonia is a chamber orchestra ensemble based in Cambridge, UK. It was created in 1992, following an initiative from Eastern Arts and a number of key figures including Nicholas Cleobury, who recognised the need for an orchestra in t ...

and organist

Robert Quinney Robert Quinney (born 1976 in Nottingham, England) is Director of the Choir of New College, Oxford, and was formerly Sub-Organist at Westminster Abbey and Director of Music at Peterborough Cathedral. In addition to his work at New College, he has ...

, conducted by O'Donnell and recorded at Westminster Abbey. He said at a recording session: "I spend my life working against the clock, and people don't make good music if they're under pressure. If you stay calm it gives everyone a sporting chance of getting on with it."

References

External links

* * Duffie, Bruce
Organist and Master of the Choristers James O'Donnell (conversation) 1998
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Odonnell, James 1961 births Academics of the Royal Academy of Music Alumni of Jesus College, Cambridge Alumni of the Royal College of Music British classical organists British male organists British Roman Catholics Knights Commander of the Order of St Gregory the Great Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Master of the Choristers at Westminster Abbey 21st-century organists Male classical organists Lieutenants of the Royal Victorian Order