James Thomas MA FRCO (born 1963) is an English

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

and choirmaster. He has held several liturgical posts at cathedrals, including

Blackburn Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the River Ribble, Ribble Valley, east of Preston ...

Chichester Chichester ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in the Chichester District, Chichester district of West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher ...

and

St Edmundsbury Cathedral St Edmundsbury Cathedral (formally entitled the Cathedral Church of St James and St Edmund) is the cathedral for the Church of England's Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich. It is the seat of the Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich and is in ...

Early life and education

Thomas was born in

Banbury Banbury is an historic market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, South East England. The parish had a population of 54,335 at the 2021 Census. Banbury is a significant commercial and retail centre for the surrounding ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. He was educated at Magdalen College School, Brackley, before going on to read music at Gonville and Caius College,

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 was organ scholar. Upon graduating, he spent a year studying for the

Postgraduate Certificate in Education The Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE/PGCertEd) is a one- or two-year higher education course in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and South Africa -where it can take up to three years- which provides training in order to allow graduate ...

. He gained the FRCO diploma in 1985 and was awarded the prize for extemporisation. He spent two years at the Rouen Conservatoire, taught by Louis Thiry, and was awarded a Premier Prix in organ performance in 1988. He was twice a finalist for the Tournemire Prize at the St Albans International Organ Festival in both 1987 and 1988.

Career

Upon returning to England in 1988, Thomas was appointed Assistant Organist of Blackburn Cathedral, a position he held for three years before moving to

Chichester Cathedral Chichester Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in West Sussex, England. It was founded as a cathedral in 1075, when the seat of th ...

as Assistant Organist, in 1991. Whilst at Chichester Cathedral, Thomas was also Director of Music of

The Prebendal School The Prebendal School is a private preparatory school in Chichester, situated adjacent to the Chichester Cathedral precinct. It is a boarding and day school educating the cathedral choristers. The school has ancient origins as the medieval cat ...

, the choir school. In September 1997, he left Chichester to become Director of Music at

, a position he held until 2020. During his tenure, the choir made several CDs and broadcasts on the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

. In 1998, he was appointed conductor of the Cambridgeshire Choral Society, a post he held until 2004. Thomas has given recitals up and down the country, as well as in France and Germany. In 1995, he was a semi-finalist in 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 ...

"Performer of the Year" competition.

Discography

* 2009 – The Holy Temple (

Regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

) * 2004 – So Rich a Crown
Lammas
* 2001 – Godspeed (Lammas) * 2001 – Complete New English Hymnal Vol. 12 (

Priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. They were created by the Catholic Church. Priories may be monastic houses of monks or nuns (such as the Benedictines, the Cistercians, or t ...

) * 1999 – Advent to Candlemass (Lammas) * 1997 – Sing Ye to the Lord (Lammas) * 1996 – Chichester Commissions (Priory) * 1996 – Great Cathedral Anthems Vol. 7 (Priory) * 199? – Organ Masterworks
Kevin Mayhew
* 1994 – Malcolm Archer: Requiem (Kevin Mayhew) * 1991 – Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis Vol. 2 (Priory)

Works

* ''We wait for thy loving kindness'' * ''St Edmund Prayer'' * ''The Prayer of St Richard'' * ''Benedicite in E flat''-Recently Edited 2012

References

External sources

Director of Music
– profile on St Edmundsbury Cathedral website {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, James 1963 births Living people Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Assistant Organists of Chichester Cathedral Entertainers from Banbury Fellows of the Royal College of Organists 21st-century English organists 21st-century English male musicians English male classical organists