Carl Anthony Jackson MVO (born 1958) is a British organist and the director of music at the Chapel Royal, Hampton Court. Carl Jackson grew up in

Harrow, London Harrow () is a large town in Greater London, England, and serves as the principal settlement of the London Borough of Harrow. Lying about north-west of Charing Cross and south of Watford, the entire town including its localities had a populat ...

. His father worked as an air traffic engineer at London

Heathrow Airport Heathrow Airport , also colloquially known as London Heathrow Airport and named ''London Airport'' until 1966, is the primary and largest international airport serving London, the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdo ...

, then at

London Air Traffic Control Centre The London Terminal Control Centre (LTCC) was an air traffic control centre based in West Drayton, in the London Borough of Hillingdon, England, approximately north of London Heathrow Airport. Operated by National Air Traffic Services (NATS) it ...

. His mother, originally from

Saint Ann's Bay Saint Ann's Bay () is a settlement in Jamaica, the capital of Saint Ann Parish. It had a population of 10,961 at the 1991 census. Musicians Floyd Lloyd and Burning Spear, and Hero of Jamaica Marcus Garvey were born in the town. History When ...

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

, was a magistrate and nursing education tutor. He attended

Harrow County School for Boys Harrow may refer to: Places * Harrow, Victoria, Australia * Harrow, Ontario, Canada * The Harrow, County Wexford, a village in Ireland * London Borough of Harrow, England * Harrow, London, a town in London * Harrow (UK Parliament constituency) * ...

between 1970 and 1977, which he combined with studies as a Junior Exhibitioner at the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is one of the oldest music schools 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 firs ...

. After a gap-year at the Academy, he then read music at

Downing College Downing College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge and currently has around 950 students. Founded in 1800, it was the only college to be added to the university between 1596 and 1869, ...

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

where he served as organ scholar between 1978 and 1981. His teachers included Malcolm Hill, Alan Harverson and

Peter Hurford Peter John Hurford OBE (22 November 1930 – 3 March 2019) was a British organist and composer. Life Hurford was born in Minehead, Somerset, to Gladys Hurford (née James) and Hubert Hurford, a solicitor. He was educated at Blundell's School ...

. After graduating in music from Cambridge, he moved on to

Goldsmiths' College Goldsmiths, University of London, formerly Goldsmiths College, University of London, is a constituent research university of the University of London. It was originally founded in 1891 as The Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute by ...

where he obtained a teaching qualification. From 1986 to 1990 he was organist and director of music at Croydon Parish Church (now

Croydon Minster Croydon Minster is the parish and civic church of the London Borough of Croydon, located in the Old Town area of Croydon. There are currently more than 35 churches in the borough, with Croydon Minster being the most prominent. It is Grade I listed ...

). He took over as director of music at the Chapel Royal, Hampton Court in 1996, following the death of Gordon Reynolds the previous year. On 1 December 2024 he announced his retirement from this role at the end of August 2025 after 29 years of service.https://slippedisc.com/2024/12/pews-news-hampton-court-director-retires/

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Carl 1958 births Musicians from the London Borough of Harrow People from Harrow, London English people of Jamaican descent British classical organists British cathedral organists English choral conductors British male conductors (music) Members of the Royal Victorian Order People educated at Harrow High School Alumni of Downing College, Cambridge Alumni of Goldsmiths, University of London Living people 21st-century British conductors (music) 21st-century British organists 21st-century British male musicians British male classical organists