James Vivian

FRCO 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 dev ...

(born 1974) is Organist & Director of Music at

St George's Chapel, Windsor St George's Chapel, formally titled The King's Free Chapel of the College of St George, Windsor Castle, at Windsor Castle in England is a castle chapel built in the late-medieval Perpendicular Gothic style. It is a Royal Peculiar (a church und ...

. In this role, he has been responsible for providing music at many Royal occasions including three Royal Weddings (such as The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and Princess Eugenie and Mr Jack Brooksbank) and the funerals of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and Queen Elizabeth II. In 2022, he directed the music for King Charles III's first Christmas King's Speech. He was educated as a Music Scholar at

Malvern College Malvern College is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, fee-charging coeducational boarding school, boarding and day school in Malvern, Worcestershire, Malvern, Worcestershire, England. It is a public school (United Kingdom), public school ...

. He was organ scholar and acting-Assistant Organist of

Lincoln Cathedral Lincoln Cathedral, also called Lincoln Minster, and formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln, is a Church of England cathedral in Lincoln, England, Lincoln, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Lincoln and is the Mo ...

(1992-3) and was Organ Scholar of

King's College, Cambridge King's College, formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, is a List of colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college lies beside the River Cam and faces ...

(1993-7). He studied the organ with Dr John Bishop, David Sanger, Philip Marshall, Colin Walsh and was awarded a scholarship to study with Marie-Louise Langlais in Paris. He was a prizewinner in the

diploma. In 2013, he became an Honorary Master of the Bench of Middle Temple in recognition of his contribution to the Temple. From 2006 until 2013, he was Director of Music of the historic

Temple Church The Temple Church, a royal peculiar in the Church of England, is a church in the Inner Temple, Inner and Middle Temple, Middle Temple, London, Temples located between Fleet Street and the River Thames, built by the Knights Templar for their En ...

in London, where he presided over the choir of men and boys. In 2012, he oversaw the complete renovation of the 1924 Harrison & Harrison organ with the organ builders. This work included complete tonal rebalancing, adding six new stops to the Great Organ in the 1920s style, and reverting some of the previous decades' changes back to the original specification. He has recorded on many labels (including Decca, EMI, Universal, SonyBMG, Hyperion Records, Signum and Priory) and has broadcast and performed concerts worldwide. He has been an examiner for both The Royal College of Organists and The Royal Academy of Music. He is married to the concert organist, Ann Elise Smoot.

References

External links

The Temple Church, London

Temple Music

Official website of James Vivian
1974 births Living people Alumni of King's College, Cambridge English organists Fellows of the Royal College of Organists People educated at Malvern College 21st-century organists 21st-century British male musicians Organ Scholars of King's College, Cambridge British male classical organists {{UK-musician-stub